Year 8 Enhancement Studies
The program offers extension studies in English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities and is a continuation from Year 7.
Enhancement English
Semester One
Students will commence their study in English through an exploration of Gothic literature. Throughout this unit, students will analyse the conventions and characteristics of the Gothic genre, including suspense, symbolism, setting, atmosphere, and characterisation. Students will develop their interpretation and creative writing skills through the construction of a creative response inspired by Gothic texts and themes.
Students will also develop their oral and written communication skills through the planning, writing, and presentation of a persuasive speech on a chosen issue. In doing this, students will apply the conventions of persuasive writing and utilise language techniques to position and influence audiences effectively.
Following this, students will study the film ‘The Truman Show’, directed by Peter Weir. Students will analyse complex storytelling techniques and examine how meaning is created through film language and cinematic devices. Through the construction of an analytical essay, students will deepen their understanding of camera work, sound, lighting, symbolism, and editing techniques, while evaluating the ways these elements shape audience response and interpretation.
Semester One
Students will commence Semester Two through the study of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare. Throughout this unit, students will examine intricate language techniques, themes, and character relationships while developing their ability to construct analytical responses to the text. Students will strengthen their understanding of quotation embedding, textual evidence, and essay structure through a range of written responses connected to the play.
Following this, students will undertake a poetry unit exploring a wide variety of poetic forms, including sonnets, haiku, villanelles, ballads, and epic poems. Students will analyse poetic techniques, metre, rhyme schemes, imagery, and themes, while considering how poets construct meaning for different audiences and purposes. Students will apply their learning through the creation and performance of a slam poem, before developing a portfolio of original poetry written in a range of styles and forms.
Assessment
Students will complete three Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) in each semester. In Semester One, students will produce a creative piece of Gothic literature, deliver an oral persuasive presentation, and complete an analytical response to film. In Semester Two, students will complete an analytical essay on ‘Romeo and Juliet’, perform an oral presentation in the style of a slam poem, and develop a portfolio of original poetry pieces.
Enhancement Maths
Semester One
Students explore the concepts of rates and ratio, using these ideas to solve problems related to real life contexts such as best buys and speed. They also study measurement and Pythagoras' theorem, solving a variety of problems involving side length of right angles triangles and further developing their understanding of perimeter, circumference, area, surface area and volume. Students consider statistics and learn to distinguish between populations and samples, carry out statistical investigations and display and analyse results using a variety of statistical graphs and calculations. They continue to develop their understanding of algebra by learning further techniques of expansion, factorisation, substitution and transposition. Throughout all topics students apply their knowledge to solve a variety of problems.
Semester Two
Students consolidate and extend their knowledge on linear relationships which involve solving equations using backtracking and inverse operations and they explore linear graphs through plotting, sketching and consideration of gradient, midpoint and calculating the distance between points. Students further develop their understanding of probability through use of two-way tables, Venn diagrams and tree diagrams. The topic of geometry includes the consideration of angles, transformations, similar and congruent shapes. Students also explored financial mathematics by considering percentage increase and decrease, discounts, GST, wages and simple interest.
Assessment
Students will complete three CAT tasks per semester covering the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 areas of Number, Algebra, Measurement, Space, Statistics and Probability. In addition to CAT tasks, students will complete additional tasks as both formative and summative assessment. CAT structures will vary between topic tests, problem solving/modelling tasks, collaborative investigation tasks that all require the application of the mathematical content studied.
Enhancement Science
Semester One
Students spend time studying living systems, where the students analyse the relationship between structure and function at cell, organ and body system levels. They consider the many ways that one form of energy can transform into another and how energy efficiency can be calculated. Throughout the semester students engage in a variety of practical tasks to develop key science skills.
Semester Two
Students study the reproductive systems of multicellular organisms to gain an understanding of how organisms reproduce and how reproductive technologies can assist with fertility. They conduct multiple experiments throughout the chemistry topic, to aid in their understanding of physical and chemical change and investigate where they can observe these in everyday life. Students also recognise that sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks contain minerals and are formed by processes that occur within Earth over a variety of timescales.
Assessment
Students will complete two common assessment tasks (CAT) in each semester. In each semester students will undertake a scientific investigation as well as a variety of tasks which may include topic tests or a research project.
Enhancement Humanities
Semester One
Students will commence their study in Humanities with a focus upon exploring the origins of democracy in an exploration of Ancient Greece before investigating modern democracy globally through case studies, simulations and debate. This unit will consider the role of legislation, laws, rights and freedoms to evaluate how this impacts wider society. This is done with close connection to the VCE Politics and Legal Studies Study Designs. Following this, students will be undertaking a historical study of Medieval Europe and Renaissance Italy. Students will be undertaking research tasks, interactive simulations and a range of other activities in their study. Students will be expected to identify and explain patterns of change over time; considering how these societies differed through the use and evaluation of sources. In doing this, students will be interrogating sources that are modelled after the VCE History Study Design.
Semester Two
During the second semester, students will be investigating global landscapes and landforms, considering the impact of human action or inaction upon the environment. Students will focus on sustainability as they consider the causes of landscape degradation and the hazards of human action. In doing this, students will consider how humanity can minimise their harmful effects on places in the future in tasks modelled after the VCE Geography Study Design. Following this, students will be developing their consumer and financial literacy by exploring their rights and responsibilities in finance and economics. Students will be evaluating trends and applying their learning to a plethora of real-world inspired tasks that are modelled after the VCE Economics and VCE Business Management study designs.
Assessment
Students will complete two common assessment tasks (CAT) in each semester. In Semester One, students will undertake a group project wherein they propose a law to better Australian society and a historical source. In Semester Two, students will be writing a geographical report and undertaking a business analysis.