English News
The ‘English’ juggernaut rolls on!
2018 continues to be an exciting year for the teaching faculty and the students!
Nominating the Novel
If your student is in Year 8 or Year 9 they will be commencing a novel study in the second half of this term. Traditionally, this involved silent reading of the text followed by comprehension questions on characters, themes and setting. However, a novel study in modern education is much more engaging! Students not only closely read their text (often together or with the assistance of an audio book if it is challenging), but they also engage with the novel through the ‘lens’ of their topic.
This means that Year 8 will be studying their novel by considering how ‘The Wild’ is represented through the text, focussing on the way setting, character and atmosphere are established through imagery and other techniques. Students will be encouraged to use this as a model in order to use imagery to create their own texts about ‘The Wild’. They may also be asked to compare the way the author represents ‘The Wild’ to other modern texts.
Year 9 will be connecting with their text by considering the Point of View that is conveyed by the author and characters and the Perspective that is presented to the audience. This will primarily involve consideration of how the author uses different varieties of First, Second or Third Person, why or how this changes and which characters he/she speaks through and why. Students will respond to the novel not only by analysing, but also by using the voice of the narrator/author/characters as a model to compose their own creative texts with a unique voice.
The following table indicates the novel that each class will be studying. I encourage you to discuss this with your child – and if you have time read it yourself .
We are pleased to announce the return of Literacy Planet for 2018! All students from Year 7-9 will now have received their logins and passwords (same as last year for returning students). Students will be asked to complete weekly activities to the best of their ability. They will have from Monday to midnight the following Sunday to complete the activities. Parents are encouraged to check with students to ensure they are completing their activities. Teachers will not only be able to check if students complete the set tasks, but are also able to see the student’s success rate and hence identify areas of strength and weaknesses. This then, becomes a fantastic tool for teachers to use in enhancing student literacy. Once again, a Literacy Planet category will appear on student reports and assist in determining their final grade. Also, students that consistently complete activities and demonstrate strong improvement and/or high success, will be nominated for Literacy Planet Awards at the end of the Semester. These students will not only receive certificates, but will also go into the draw to win a great prize.
Narrative Days for the Nines
One again Year 9 will be given the exciting opportunity to participate in the Narrative Writing Workshops this term. On Thursday and Friday March 22 and 23, Year 9 students will be split into two groups, with one group participating in the program on the chosen day. Students will read samples of engaging, quality writing and then participate in lively activities in order to build their confidence and skills in narrative and imaginative writing. Students will learn about character development, narrative structure and how to create their own ‘Sizzling Starts’. They will be lead in the program by narrative writing Gurus – Mrs Morris, Miss Suidgeest and Mrs Parle. This program will not only assist students in their upcoming assessment task and NAPLAN Exam, but also their preparation for Senior English.
Electrifying Elouise!
Congratulations go to Elouise Campbell who won the local Lions Youth of the Year Public Speaking Competition. Elouise now progresses to the next round where she will proudly represent our College. We wish her all the best. If any student is interested in public speaking or debating, they are asked to see Miss Suidgeest.
Happy Reading,
Mr Herb
English Leader of Learning