English

Middle Years Reading Program

Across Years 7-9, students have been engaging in a range of reading and literacy activities to support their understanding of different text types and build their analytical skills. 

Year 7

In Year 7 this semester, students have enjoyed reading lessons dedicated to Non-Fiction Texts and Graphic Novels. In Term 3, students read and analysed a range of non-fiction texts including biographies, travel guides and informative texts, as well as creating their own non-fiction texts. They worked in groups and across other classes to share their knowledge and collaborate. In Term 4, students are learning the conventions of graphic novels. They have begun to apply their new skills by improving existing comics with features such as captions, thought bubbles, illustrations and onomatopoeia. After spending some time conducting mini ‘Literature Circles’ with a range of graphic novels from the library, students will finish the reading program this year by creating their own graphic novels. We look forward to seeing the wonderful stories our Year 7 students will create!

Year 7 students have been applying their knowledge of sequential illustrations, onomatopoeia and captions to comic activities. 

Year 8

This semester, Year 8 students have been working on refining their reading comprehension by practising skills such as summarising, inferring, analysing and predicting. Using a range of short story and novel texts, students have worked independently and in collaboration with peers to identify key details in texts, describe language and visual features, and practise learning new vocabulary. Continuing to practise these skills over the holidays will prepare students for Year 9 and beyond – make sure you pick up a book with your child during the next school holidays and enjoy some quality reading time together. Why not start a family book club and let your Year 8 student teach you how to infer and analyse?

Year 9

In Year 9, students have worked hard over Term 3 and 4 to complete Independent Reading folios on news articles and short stories. Students learned about critical media literacy and the importance of questioning what we read in the media. They independently analysed a range of news articles to uncover the purpose, meaning and impact of different news stories and how they are written. It was wonderful to see and hear students being highly engaged in reading the news, and we encourage families to continue this conversation at home and help students continue to learn about current affairs and global news through a range of reliable sources. In Term 4, students are independently reading a range of short stories to practice their analytical skills in preparation for the types of deep textual analysis they will undertake in Senior School. By learning to use evidence from a text to support their inferences and predictions, students will be ready to analyse the construction and ideas of longer novels and plays in Year 10 and beyond. Ask your Year 9 student about their Independent Reading folio to hear about their amazing work!

Madeleine Charisis (Middle Years Reading Co-ordinator)