English News
Year 8 Crime Genre Writing Workshop
Year 8 English students recently immersed themselves in the exciting world of the Crime Genre through a hands-on writing workshop designed to develop their creative writing skills.
Students explored the conventions that make crime and mystery stories so engaging.
A key focus of the workshop was planning for success. Students used the Writing Roadmap to plan their own crime narratives.
Students also worked on the important writing technique of “show, don't tell.” They transformed simple statements such as “The detective was nervous” into vivid descriptions that revealed emotions through sensory details and physical reactions. This helped students understand how effective description can create atmosphere and suspense.
Another focus was dynamic dialogue. Students explored how dialogue can reveal character, advance the plot and build tension. They practised combining dialogue with character actions to create more natural and engaging conversations.
The workshop has provided students with a strong foundation for their next stage of writing. In upcoming lessons, students will refine their narratives by strengthening their clues and red herrings, developing suspense and editing their dialogue and descriptive language.
It has been wonderful to see our Year 8 students embracing the challenge of becoming crime writers and storytellers!
A big thanks to Mrs Malagre and Miss Carlile for hosting the workshop.
Year 7 Poetry
Year 7 students have been getting creative with words in their English unit, ‘Let’s Get Lyrical!’ Through this engaging poetry unit, students have explored the many ways poets use language to express ideas, emotions and experiences.
Students have been introduced to the conventions of poetry, including rhyme, rhythm, repetition, imagery, figurative language, structure, sound devices and poetic forms. They have examined how poets carefully select and arrange words to create meaning and engage their audience.
From analysing poems to experimenting with their own writing, students have had opportunities to play with language, develop their creativity and discover that poetry can be powerful, entertaining and, most importantly, personal.
It has been wonderful to see our Year 7 students ‘get lyrical’ as they find their voices and discover the power of poetry!
Mrs Michelle Swan
English Teacher