ENGLISH
YEAR 12 ENGLISH SAC REVISION
Our Year 12 English students have been hard at work preparing for their up-coming SAC on Sunset Boulevard. Two of our students have provided reports on some of the extra steps students and staff have been taking as part of their revision:
Last Wednesday, two Year 12 English classes came together for a focused workshop in preparation for our upcoming Sunset Boulevard text response SAC. The session consisted of us working in small groups to rotate through eight targeted workshops, each lasting ten minutes, across the double period. Each station was designed to strengthen a specific skill essential for success in a text response, from developing theme based topic sentences and analysing key film stills to selecting and embedding relevant evidence effectively.
One of the most valuable aspects of the workshop was the opportunity to work alongside classmates from the other English class. This allowed us to hear a range of interpretations and ideas, broadening our understanding of the film’s central themes and cinematic techniques. By building on each other’s strengths, we were able to push our thinking further and approach our SAC preparation with more clarity.
Overall, the workshop helped us consolidate our understanding of Sunset Boulevard, sharpen our writing skills, and help us feel more confident before our upcoming Sunset Boulevard SAC.
Ayesha Khan
Year 12 Student
Clacking of the keyboards and the scribbles of paper reverberated inside the Alan Lawrence theatre on Monday afternoon. The school-run revision lecture for the Sunset Boulevard film was entirely optional for the 3/4 English course in preparation for the imminent English assessment. It featured a large panel of guest speakers brought from the VCE English staff. Although the contents covered were going to be recorded, there was an astoundingly high amount of participation, and the seats (even ones of makeshift stairs) were teeming with Year 12s. The full house speaks for itself, underlying the buzz encapsulating the entire cohort's spirit of wanting to do well.
Teachers were scurrying under time to plan and elaborate on an essay plan from unrevealed prompts, and panellists were swapped around to keep the thematic breakdowns varied and insightful. The lecture, to put it simply, either instilled a strong understanding of the planning process or offered a good opportunity for students to take away for their own written piece.
I personally had a lot of fun watching the teacher panel work through the prompts and expanding on one another's ideas, as well as the short Q & A session towards the end. Each authentic idea exemplified a sense of expertise and simplified the arduous writing process for many students. I strongly recommend participation in this fruitful session for everyone in the future — it's great.
Minh Hoang
Year 12 Student
WRITER OF THE MONTH
Well done to the many talented students who entered Writer of the Month in April.
HUGE congratulations to:
Cassie King (Year 9)
Dhruvi Mittal (Year 9),
Itay Volnerman (Year 9)
Kevin Xie (Year 9)
Evie Tan (Year 8)
Bani Sandhu (Year 7)
Cassie
Dhruvi
Itay
Cassie
Dhruvi
Itay
Kevin
Evie
Bani
Kevin
Evie
Bani
These students have each won a $30 voucher from Benn’s Books and gained 50 points for their house. You can read their wonderful pieces on the ‘WOTM’ Google site HERE
Entries for the May competition need to be shared with your English or Literature teacher no later than 3.30pm, Friday, 23rd May.
Keep up the fantastic writing, McKinnon students!
Ms Liz Pentland, Ms Ashley Matthews, Dr David Dick
Writer of the Month Coordinators
MY BROTHER JACK AWARDS
Glen Eira City Council’s annual literary competition is back — the My Brother Jack Awards! Enter your short stories and poems for a chance to win cash prizes!
Entries close 5pm, Monday, 14th July. Short story and poetry categories; many prizes on offer!
Please refer to the website for further details and entry forms: My Brother Jack Awards
Good luck.
Ms Liz Pentland
English Teacher