Year 7, 8 & 9 Term 4 Overviews

Year 7 Term 4 Overviews

Year 7 Humanities:

There will be a civics and citizenship focus in Humanities this term with our topic being Interconnectedness and Identity. This unit will allow our students to explore concepts such as diversity, belonging, national identity and multi-faith society. Students will begin the unit with in depth analysis of the Australian national identity and will then take a look at the different perspectives of the Australian identity, alongside themes such as shared values, stereotypes and cohesion throughout the remainder of the term. This topic will allow students to reflect on their own experiences and perspectives in which students can share their views and cultures with their class. The unit will close with the students creating a presentation on a significant Australian event or person and will need to demonstrate understanding of all of the concepts they have learned about throughout the unit.

Year 7 English:

In Term 4, students will now move on from Chinese Cinderella to a new riveting text Holes by Louis Sachar. They will incorporate prior reading and writing skills from last term and embark on narrative writing as eventually their end of year examinations. Reading discussions in groups will be encouraged fostering critical thinking and deep learning. This term will be a final testament on their new-found knowledge as they will be able to implement and display their various skills. Students will explore various narrative structures, including flashbacks and alternate endings, while creating rich imagery and character development in their stories. We’ll emphasise writing with purpose, addressing social issues and examining biases, all while drawing inspiration from the novel Holes. After finishing the novel, students will also have an opportunity to analyse the key elements in the Holes movie, including sound effects, camera angles, and character portrayal. They are going to investigate how these three elements add to the overall meaning and understanding of the text. Students will also compare and contrast the book and the movie and explore the similarities and differences.

Year 7 Health:

In Year 7 Health this term we will be focusing on careers and personal attributes. We will take a strengths-based approach and encourage the students to adopt a growth mindset in order to begin thinking about career pathways. Over the course of the unit students will; recognise the importance of how behaviour and attitude affect personal performance and discover how different kinds of work require different combinations of skills and knowledge.

They will undertake a variety of tasks where they will do things such as timeline skills that they have gained since infancy, assess personal attributes, and start planning a career action plan.

Year 7 Maths:

In term 4 students will be exploring the angles. They will learn the properties of the angles created when 2 parallel lines are intersected by a transversal. They will get to know the properties of triangles and quadrilaterals and how they are classified depending on their sides and angles. They will identify and communicate side and angle properties of scalene, isosceles, equilateral, right-angled, acute and obtuse triangles using geometric conventions. In addition, describe, compare and contrast squares, rectangles, rhombuses, parallelograms, kites and trapeziums, explaining the relationships between these shapes

They will also be engaged in developing a classification system for triangles based on their sides and angles, represented through a flowchart that incorporates sequences and decision points. Moreover, they will design a flowchart or hierarchy for quadrilaterals that illustrates the connections between trapezoids, parallelograms, rhombuses, rectangles, squares, and kites. In addition, they will be involved in creating a classification scheme for polygons—regular, irregular, concave, or convex—sorted by the number of sides, and represented in a structured format. They will utilise aerial views of buildings and other three-dimensional structures to visualise their footprint, identify prisms that could approximate the shape of the structure. They will construct objects by interpreting isometric and perspective drawings and also draw views of objects from the front, back, side, top, and bottom using isometric or square grid paper.

In week 6 students will engage in their end of year exams. Students will receive their results and feedback to work on for the rest of the year in order to prepare themselves for the next grade level. To finish the term students will engage in a variety of maths problem solving tasks, investigations and projects to apply their skills and concepts to a range of real-world settings.

Year 7 Science:

In term 4 students will be exploring the local flora and fauna of Wyndham region. Students will be exploring energy flows through food webs which exist in various environments, and make hypotheses about the ways in which species interact with one another. In the first two weeks, students learned about the scientific method for classifying and naming species, and using dichotomous keys to identify unknown species. In week 5 students will use the knowledge they have acquired to participate in a local Bioblitz event. This will provide students with hands-on experience participating in field work, searching for and identifying as many species as they can at a local conservation area.

After the commencement of the Bioblitz event, students will integrate their knowledge of technology, chemistry and biology to explore the medical technology field through the creation of bone moulds. Students will investigate chemical mixtures which can be used to form realistic bone models, with the aid of a 3D printer. Students will learn how the medical industry is using 3D print technology to aid in organ transplants, and learn about different jobs in this field.

Year 7 Food Technology:

In term 4 students will continue to learn about food preparation techniques and ingredients from different countries around the world. In the first two weeks, students learned how to make fried rice and chow mein. Throughout the term students will make dishes originating from different cultures and backgrounds. As the term progresses students will design their own menus in a “Masterchef” style activity. Students will go through the design process to plan, test, modify and improve their own recipes.

Year 8 Term 4 Overviews

Year 8 English:

In Term 4, students will embark on an exploration of humour and its role in advertising. This unit will introduce students to various types of humour used in advertisements, helping them understand how and why advertisers use these strategies to engage their audience.

The term will begin with an analysis of video advertisements, allowing students to observe humour in action. From there, they will shift focus to written advertisements, honing their ability to examine and interpret different literary devices and appeals. Through these activities, students will learn to identify distinct styles of humour, such as slapstick, irony, and wordplay, while also considering the creators’ intentions and the impact of their choices on the target audience.

After developing a foundation of knowledge on humorous texts, students will work more specifically in the style of satire. They will analyse how satire can be used to entertain, but also to critique societal issues and to provoke thought. In this unit, students will have the opportunity to plan, draft, and write their own satirical pieces, using their newfound knowledge to craft texts that blend humour with relatable aspects from their own personal experiences.

Year 8 Humanities

In our final Humanities unit, students will dive into some of the most pressing global issues we face today. They'll explore topics such as war and conflict, refugees and asylum seekers, and poverty, learning about their causes and impacts. They'll also examine human rights and the role of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights in protecting people around the world.

Environmental challenges will also be a key focus, as students investigate climate change and explore sustainable solutions through technological innovations for social good. They'll discover how new ideas and inventions are helping address global issues, as well as learn about youth-led social movements and young leaders who are making a real difference in the world. Through hands-on activities like research projects, group discussions, and creative presentations, students will develop their understanding of these important topics while building key skills like critical thinking and communication.

This unit aims to inspire students to see themselves as global citizens who can contribute to positive change, both now and in the future.

Year 8 Health:

In Year 8 Health this term we will be focusing on careers and personal attributes. We will take a strengths-based approach and encourage the students to adopt a growth mindset in order to begin thinking about career pathways. Over the course of the unit students will; recognise the importance of how behaviour and attitude affect personal performance and discover how different kinds of work require different combinations of skills and knowledge.

They will undertake a variety of tasks where they will do things such as timeline skills that they have gained since infancy, assess personal attributes, and start planning a career action plan.

Year 8 Mathematics:

In Term 4, students will deepen their understanding of the units of “operating with rational numbers focusing on financial Maths” and “linear relationships”. They will recognize irrational numbers and use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving ratios, percentages, and rates in measurement and financial contexts. Students will also graph and solve problems related to one-variable inequalities. They will make and test conjectures involving linear relations by developing algorithms and using digital tools.

Year 8 Science:

This term, students will explore the world of physics, studying concepts of force and energy. The term started with understanding the types of energies and forces that exist in the world. They experimented last week with the three methods of heat transfer from one object to another. In the coming weeks of the term, students have a sequence of hands-on experiments planned to investigate sound and light energy. The unit will address the concepts of light and sound and how they are sensed. They will be able to recognise sound and light as a form of energy along with differences between their essential characteristics.

Students will be introduced to the concepts of longitudinal and transverse waves. Then, they will learn about wavelength and amplitude in transverse waves. In the end, students will have the opportunity to explore the sound concept by introducing frequency and how it applies to musical sounds. They will also learn all about echolocation—what it is and how engineers use it to "see" things in the dark or deep underwater.

Year 8 Technology:

In term 4, students will learn the fundamentals of programming using the Micro:bit and Makecode programming platform. In the first two weeks, they engaged in hands-on learning to cover key concepts such as algorithms and variables. They explored the features of the Micro:bits such as LED display, buttons, accelerometer, and sensors. In the coming weeks of the term, they will foster creativity and enhance problem-solving skills through practical projects. Year 8 students will learn to navigate the Micro coding environment (MakeCode or Python) and will learn the basic programming principles like inputs, outputs, loops, and conditionals.

As they progress in this term, students will understand the complex levels of programming through different types of mathematics, data logging, integers, strings, and boolean variables. Students have tried mini projects where they created their name tags, made music and built a step counter. For the coming weeks, they will develop a rubbish tracker to collect and analyse data on the number of rubbish items students throw in the bin. They will track the amount of recyclable and trash items they throw in the bin. After collecting data, they will transfer their data by logging it into Excel or Google spreadsheets to perform statistical analysis.

To conclude the term, students will showcase their projects alongside their environmental monitoring experiments at the end of the term.

Year 9 Term 4 Overviews

Year 9 English:

In Term 4, students will listen to different types of podcasts, including conversational podcasts, investigative podcasts, and roundtable podcasts, which allows students to understand how information can be presented with a combination of language, visual, and auditory choices. They will explore the purposes of these podcasts and analyse the structures and the range of engagement techniques embedded to remain listener’s interests. In addition, students will compare and contrast how different podcasts engage audiences through various engagement techniques and develop their own opinions of podcasts in general. By the end of the term, students will be provided with the opportunity to select a topic of their own interests and create their own podcasts and present their learning in front of the class.

Year 9 Humanities:

In Term 4, students will continue their research of WW2 and will dig deep into the global impacts from its aftermath World War II. In class they will focus on Australia's role in international relations and its involvement in the United Nations followed by examining key historical events like the Nuremberg Trials, the creation of Israel, and the beginning of the Cold War. Through inquiry-based projects, students will analyse how WWII affected various human groups and the formation of international bodies like the UN and the Declaration of Human Rights. They will also consider how these historical events have shaped modern societies and Australia's place within them. The term concludes with students presenting their inquiries, reflecting on the long-lasting effects of World War Two by answering the question, how can learning about the past shape our decisions for the future?

Year 9 Science:

In term 4 students will continue their studies in Biological sciences. Students will be learning about topics such as the endocrine system, nervous system and senses. They will gain insight into how the hormones we produce travel around the body and cause different effects. Students will also learn about what happens when there is an over production and underproduction of different hormones such thyroxine. When studying the nervous system students will gain insight into how and why we react to different stimuli and what can trigger a reflex response. Students will do a case study on a disorder associated with the nervous system and investigate how pain medications interact with the nervous system. Students will learn about how our senses and nervous system are interconnected.

Year 9 Math:

In term 4 students will be exploring the domains of financial maths. During this topic students will be learning about percentages, simple interest, depreciation and currency exchange rates. Students will learn about the real word applications of financial maths by exploring how to calculate bills, examine pay slips, calculate tax and investigate which bank is best suited for there needs. Students will be developing their financial literacy skills throughout the topic and will spend time looking at how loans are calculated. Students will also spend some of this term consolidating there understanding of previously covered topics through revision.