English

Bravo to our Year 8s on Oracy

I am always fascinated by the topics that students come up with when they are left to their own devices. Last Friday’s Oracy Australia testing only served to reinforce that fascination.

On Friday 27 October, our Year 8 students participated in Oracy Australia testing. Each of our students presented a prepared reading and five-minute oral presentation, before responding to a five-minute question and answer interview. 

For many of our students, this task truly took them outside of their comfort zones, for others it provided a chance to test out their presentation standard, learning their material enough to “sound” natural, leaving palm cards behind and talking “to” their audiences, not at them. Our students presented on such a fascinating selection of topics: Inside the ADHD Brain, Why Things Scare Us, Why You Should Visit the Amalfi Coast, Performance Anxiety, The Origin of Nightmares, are but a morsel of the smorgasbord of creative topics that the Oracy Australia examiners were presented with. In the process, they developed presentation strategies that they will be sure to build on throughout Middle School.

The day was a huge success. The examiners were united in their praise for the quality of the presentations as well as the manners of our students. For some students, this truly tested the limits. It was heartening to note the way our students supported each other in the lead up to these presentations. I was also impressed, overall, by the level of effort and considered preparation our students brought to this challenge. Special commendation is due to Ms Wilma Ong, who ran the day for us, providing the examiners with a luncheon that will guarantee that they return to us in 2024.

Mr Damien Kerrigan

Head of Learning Area - English