Wordslayers (English)

Welcome to Term 1! 

It’s been a strong start to the school year in English, with students settling into their learning and developing both confidence and curiosity as they engage with texts and creative tasks. Here’s a snapshot of what Camden kids have been working on so far: 

Year 7  

This term, Year 7 students have begun their secondary school English journey with A Story to Tell, a unit designed to help students explore narrative voice, character perspective, and the ways stories share human experience. These amazing personalised bookmarks reflect our Year 7 students' interpretation of characters and themes, helping them build personalmeaning from text while developing confidence in reading and visual literacy early in their high school experience. 

Year 8  

Year 8 have begun to explore novels with a focus on deeper interpretation and visual expression. Students have engaged in a novel study unit, and have been working on redesigning their novel’s front cover. This task allows Year 8 to think like creators!   

Year 9  

Year 9 students are exploring the theme of survival this term through reading and writing. As part of this unit, students have been working on a front-page news article about a real-life survivor of their choice, developing their skills in informational report writing and understanding how writers communicate experience for a public audience. 

Year 10  

Year 10 students have been exploring conflict this term, examining how struggles between characters, ideas and societal forces drive meaning in texts. As part of this unit, students developed conflict sketchnotes to visually organise key concepts such as types of conflict and how conflict creates tension, reveals character and shapes themes. This work supports students’ analytical and interpretive skills as they continue to study how writers represent conflict in literature. 

Year 11  

As part of their first unit, Reading to Write: Transition to English, our Year 11 students completed a comparative task in which they examined two authors and determined which writer utilised persuasive language most effectively. This activity has helped students refine key skills in critical reading, evidence selection, and analytical writing, all essential for success in senior English. 

Year 12  

In Year 12 English this term, English Studies students are exploring the theme “On the Road”, focusing on how journeys, both literal and metaphorical, shape meaning in texts and life. As part of this unit, students engaged in a travel itinerary activity in which they researched and planned their own travel experience, selecting locations, events and cultural highlights to include in a purposeful route.