Year Eight 

English 

Since the beginning of Term 4, the focus for Year 8 English has been on persuasive writing and speaking. Throughout this term, students have engaged in a range of formative tasks involving; identifying persuasive language techniques (PLTs), applying PLTs, and understanding the effect language choice can have on different target audiences. 

Students have had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of persuasive writing, through applying persuasive language in the context of their own business proposal. This business task spans across Year 8 English and Humanities, where students have created their own business proposal, and will soon engage in a ‘Shark Tank’ style persuasive speech, to launch their ‘business’. 

Within this unit of inquiry, it has been wonderful to see the innovative business proposals put forth by our students, and how through the application of visual literacy in creating their own business advertising, student creativity has shone. 

We look forward to listening and engaging with the Year 8 business presentations in the coming weeks, and hearing from our future entrepreneurs! 

Food Technology

The Year Eight students have been busy exploring a variety of cooking techniques and recipes this term. As a class, we have covered a range of safe cooking methods, including how to safely use a knife in a commercial kitchen. Each week, students have enjoyed cooking and creating dishes such as bun cha gio (vermicelli noodle bowls), cinnamon scrolls, dumplings, and more.

This week, students are preparing for their design task. They are following the design process to plan a recipe that they will independently create in Week 8. The students have shown a lot of excitement and passion for this task, and we look forward to sharing their successes with you in the coming weeks.

Maths

This term, Year Eight students embarked on an exciting journey into the world of Geometric Reasoning, where they explored the properties of shapes, transformations, and the beauty of tessellations. The topic has not only deepened their understanding of fundamental geometric concepts but also sparked curiosity and creativity as they discovered how mathematics connects with the world around them.

The first part of the unit focused on the study of triangles and quadrilaterals. Students analysed the different types of triangles, such as equilateral, isosceles, and scalene and investigated their key properties like angles, sides, and symmetry. They also explored various quadrilaterals including squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhombuses, and trapeziums, learning to identify their properties and classify them based on their characteristics.

The students also got an opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of transformations such as translations, rotations, and reflections. They discovered how shapes could be manipulated on a plane without changing their fundamental properties. The concept of symmetry was introduced, and students explored how transformations could be used to create symmetrical patterns and designs. This led them to the study of tessellations, where they saw how shapes can fit together without gaps or overlaps, creating beautiful, repeating patterns.

As the term progresses, Year Eight students are set to embark on an exciting new phase of their mathematical journey of linear and non-linear relationships. In the coming weeks, they will explore how to plot points, draw lines, and understand the relationship between variables in both linear and non-linear contexts.

To bring these abstract concepts to life, Year Eight students will use Mathigon Polypad, an innovative, interactive online platform that allows them to explore and represent their graphs in real-time. Through Polypad, students will be able to visualise and manipulate linear graphs, gaining a deeper understanding of how equations relate to their graphical representations.

As Year Eight students continue their exploration of these mathematical concepts, they will engage in a range of activities designed to reinforce their understanding and sharpen their problem-solving skills. 

Science

Over the past few weeks, our Year Eight science classes have been diving into the fascinating world of energy and energy transfer. From exploring the difference between kinetic and potential energy to understanding how energy is transferred and transformed, students have been busy making connections between science and the real world around them.

One of the highlights of the unit was our hands-on project where students built their own rubber band race cars! Using rubber bands, students discovered how to harness elastic potential energy, converting it into kinetic energy to set their cars into motion. It was incredible to see the students’ creativity and problem-solving skills at work as they designed, tested, and raced their unique creations. Not only was it a blast, but it also helped them see physics in action!

In addition to building cars, students tackled the concept of energy efficiency by calculating how well different machines conserve and use energy, highlighting the relevance of energy efficiency in everyday life.

Looking ahead, we’re gearing up to learn about types of heat transfer, including conduction, convection, and radiation. To put their knowledge into practice, students will create their own experiments investigating insulators to determine which materials best prevent heat loss. We’re excited to see the innovative experiments they come up with!

We’re thrilled with how engaged our students have been throughout this unit, and we can’t wait to see their enthusiasm continue as we move forward. Stay tuned for more updates on  our scientific discoveries!