Creative Arts/LOTE continued...

DRAMA

As Term 3 closes the Drama students sigh and smile in a satisfied way at their hard work and commitment.

Year 9 Drama, following on from their successful Performance Evening during the term, are rehearsing their first Monologue, which they will perform solo. Students have worked hard, reflected on their learning, and developed their acting skills through written reflections in their drama journal. Each Monologue will last for about 5 minutes and display their confidence, control and creative use of space and movement. It will be great to see some of the student performances during the Creative Arts Showcase Evening early in Term 4.

Year 10 Drama students have researched different traditions that have influenced Contemporary Theatre practice. They are now working collaboratively and applying this learning to re-write The Little Red Riding Hood fable to reflect their particular style. This has resulted in five very different performances, of which some resemble the original play in only the slightest manner. It is wonderful to see the students adding their own creative ideas to a traditional story. Again some of their performances will be seen at the Creative Arts Showcase Evening.

Year 12 students have completed the practical components of their HSC course. The students have performed their pieces both to family and friends as a part of their Trial HSC Performance Evening and finally performing their Individual and Group Performances for the HSC markers. The HSC performance was watched by an audience of 30 Year 9 and 10 Drama students which gave those students an invaluable learning experience. The observation was that their focus and intensity were strongly evident and had developed from the Trial HSC performance. It is a special and demanding achievement, to complete the Practical Drama Exam, and these students should feel proud of their commitment and hard work.

Mr Carl Heise

LOTE – Japanese

From Week 5 of this term, students in Japanese have been working on their Milestones task in class. This is self-directed learning, where the students can choose activities and complete them either individually, in pairs or in a group. So far, the students have produced some excellent work, with interesting dancing to Japanese songs, creative skits and well-constructed sentences being produced.

As part of our cultural studies this term, students tried their hand at using chopsticks with varying success. Students partook in chopstick relays, an M & M chopstick challenge and a lolly game in order to practise their skills. みなさん、がんばれ！

Mrs Kirsty Fuller

LOTE - French

After a busy first half of the year that finished with the performance of the French play Les Trois Petits Cochons, Year 8 students have continued to immerse themselves in both French language and culture this term. Students are seeing their hard work paying off as they become more confident in their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.

Last week all Year 8 language students competed in the NSW Language Perfect competition. Mater Dei placed 24th in the State. Congratulations to Dominique Turner who placed 6th in the State and Laura Dwyer who placed 2nd in the College. It was a tremendous effort and lot of hard work from both of these students.

This semester we have begun the unit titled ‘Milestone Challenges.’ This is a unit of work presented to students through both a hardcopy booklet and an online format. Students are able to view and ‘click’ on all activities through the class website. All activities are colour coded according to the level of difficulty and skill required. Students are able to choose which activities they complete and when they are completed. There is a variety of activities to cater to all learning styles and interests, including tasks that involve independent, partner and group work. Students take responsibility for their learning and the pace at which they complete tasks. Upon completion of tasks students are uploading their content onto their individual websites where the teacher can comment on work and students can display their work with pride.

Students have embraced this style of learning. Here are some initial comments:

“I think it’s been good to take initiative and responsibility for your work. The work has been challenging but interesting and I enjoy doing it.”

“I have very much enjoyed doing these activities this term and learning more of the French language. It is a good and fun way to learn French. I like the tasks they are fun to do and test you sometimes.”

“I enjoy the activities and exercises that have been introduced this term. I think it is good because you show independence and control your own learning, while also getting great feedback! The website is a great idea also!”

“I liked being able to revise at home 3 or 4 times a week and also being able to choose what to work on.”

We look forward to seeing a lot more from our Year 8 French students as their language studies continue next term.