HSIE
Stage 4 Geography
Stage 4 Geography have immersed themselves into the geography course! They have been working on the topics Water in the World, and Interconnections. They looked at the value of water, investigating the Ganges River, the Pearl River Delta, and the Suez Canal, among other places. Students had the opportunity to undertake some very basic meteorology to understand weather patterns, and also took part in some local fieldwork which saw them analyse the quality of our local waterway.
Elective History
The class have had a great year, learning about Archaeology, the Vikings, Conspiracy Theories, King Richard III, student-selected historical periods, and a Decade Study to finish it off. They have enjoyed exploring historical topics of their choice, challenging their preconceived notions, and working in teams to produce outstanding and creative works.
Here are some of the models created for their final assessment task. Well done Year 9.
Year 9 History
This week, students in 9O experienced a taste of life on the Western Front. As part of their WWI depth study, the classroom was transformed into an immersive trench environment, complete with dim lighting, and the sounds of wartime life. Students sampled the kinds of rations soldiers would have eaten, including simple soup, hard crackers, tea, chocolate and tinned corned beef.
The activity helped students connect more deeply with the realities faced by soldiers during the First World War and sparked thoughtful discussion about daily life, resilience and hardship on the front line.
Stage 6 Ancient History
The students have enjoyed learning about ancient Sparta this Term, investigating some of the key questions which include: Did they really throw deformed babies off cliffs? Were they really as militaristic as they have been portrayed? Did they really enslave an entire community of men, women and children to work as their slaves? Were Spartan women really the only women who gave birth to real men?
To consolidate their learning, students were able to participate in Mrs Bright’s ‘2nd Annual Spartan Games’, which saw them participate in a a baby-throwing contest, choral dancing to the Macarena, the cheese-stealing ritual of Artemis Orthia, discus throwing, and the ritual of chasing a chosen student through the school in order to receive a positive omen for Sparta’s future. Students had a blast and were very competitive.
To finish the Term off, we will be having our version of a Spartan syssitia, which involves sitting down together to enjoy a feast and sharing tales of our past glory.
Stage 6 Society & Culture
In week 4, Year 12 Society & Culture travelled into the city to attend the HSC PIP Day run by the Society & Culture Association. The day consisted of 3 lectures surrounding the various aspects of the Personal Interest Project and incorporated Q & A style questions. There was even an African drumming group who performed for the students, and encouraged Mrs Usher to dance with them on stage along with the other teachers, much to her delight.
Following the success at the HSC PIP Day the students walked to Chippendale where we participated in a live theatre performance called Alcatraz. We were sentenced to crimes and assigned a cell to live in while interacting with the actors to create a fun and memorable experience of being incarcerated. The purpose of this activity was to identify changing behaviours in people when they are assigned roles of power and authority. It links to multiple HSC syllabus dot points and was a lot of fun for the kids.
