ENGLISH

TIME TO TALK THE TALK

Welcome back to the world of English for Term 3. Often when people think about English skills their minds immediately go towards reading and writing, but at the beginning of this term some of our English classes are focussing on the skills of speaking and listening. 

Oral presentations have taken place in Years 10, 11 and 12 classes this term. These are fabulous assessments where students are afforded agency to speak about topics of their choice. We really love hearing what our students are passionate about and what they have to say. The classrooms have been abuzz with nerves and excitement as students take turns to deliver speeches with enthusiasm and conviction. One Year 12 teacher told me that they had witnessed students helping one another prepare for their presentations by timing each other, giving constructive feedback and supporting each other. We are so proud of the sense of community and positive culture that our students are creating as they learn from one another. 

Our Year 9 students have also been honing their speaking skills as they prepare informative and narrative podcasts. Within this course, students get to plan the podcast on a topic or issue of their choice, rehearse, edit and publish their work. It’s an exciting way to incorporate technology into their speaking tasks and could inspire a future career choice for some of our students.

Furthermore, our Year 12 English and EAL students began the semester with a midyear practice exam. These practice opportunities provided our students with lots of lessons ahead of the real exams at the end of the year, such as the need to bring multiple pens in case they run out of ink, a reminder to bring a dictionary and how to organise their time effectively for each section of the exam. The Year 12s were organised, well behaved and really applied themselves to these practice exams demonstrating an impressive amount of dedication to their learning. With less than 100 days until their real exam, the countdown is officially on.

I wish everyone a positive and happy Term 3. There are some exciting announcements coming this term from the English faculty that I look forward to sharing with you all. 

Charlotte Douglas

English KLA Manager