English Faculty

General Announcements

A reminder for 7P, 8P, 9P, and 10P! Please return novels that were borrowed during term 1 to the library. 

Assessment task support: During selected breaks in weeks 9 and 10, English teachers will be supervising A9 to provide support for students working on their English assessment tasks. All students from 7-12 are welcome to attend!

Excursions

Year 10’s identified as HPGE are attending a performance of Romeo and Juliet produced and performed by Come Ye Spirits in Sydney on May 29th. Experiencing Shakespeare live on stage allows students to see the play’s emotions, relationships, and conflicts brought to life in a way that reading alone can’t offer. Live theatre helps young people connect more deeply with the language, characters, and themes, making the text far more engaging and meaningful. This is a wonderful opportunity for our high‑potential learners to extend their understanding, be inspired by professional performers, and experience Shakespeare in a dynamic and memorable setting.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Debating

On Monday 18th May, the Stage 5 Debating Team took on their first debate in this year’s Premier’s Debating Challenge facing off against Callaghan College. Their valiant minds were put to the test with the topic:

“Work experience should be compulsory in Stage 5.” 

After the coin toss, our team was assigned to the negative side of the topic. They rose to the challenge, crafting thoughtful arguments around the risks of student burnout, the added workload for Stage 5 students, and the potential impact of time away from the classroom on learning outcomes.

Although the team did not secure the win this round, they demonstrated courage, critical thinking, and teamwork throughout the debate. We extend our congratulations to Callaghan College on their victory and commend our students for their impressive effort and sportsmanship.

We look forward to seeing the team continue to grow and shine in the rounds ahead!

Creative Writing Club

Each week, students head to A4 to explore a different style of writing through visual, auditory, or written prompts designed to spark students’ imagination. So far, we have engaged in various poetic forms such as ballads, haiku and free verse. 

However, some students prefer to work on their own projects, using the club as a supportive space to collaborate with fellow writers. These projects include novellas, novels and character design. 

Teaching and Learning 

Year 7 English 

Year 7 have been engaging with the power of poetry this term! They are reading a range of poems from around Australia and the world and are considering how meaning might be created through a range of language devices. Students are working towards developing their imaginative writing skills ahead of their Term 2 assessment task. Our budding writers have been exploring how a poet’s context can influence their writing and content, exploring poems from Australia, India, and Britain. Students have also had the opportunity to develop their mastery of imaginative writing in their Write Now workbooks- exercises designed to prompt specific use of figurative and descriptive writing. 

7P have been experimenting with sensory imagery and using language to create tension. Here is a selection of some sensational, spine-tingling, spooky stories:

Year 8 English 

Year 8 classes are undertaking a study of fairy tales and fables through time. Students have been engaging with the traditional written tales and then analysing how these have been explored in a modern film version- either animated or live action! Students are working towards analysing film techniques in an analytical response using TEEEC paragraphs. Their studies will take them under the sea, to the top of towers, and into the land of beasts. Stay tuned for some grizzly adventures! 

8P Explored some tricky moral dilemmas through a physical debating activity! Firstly, they watched the trolley problem and discussed the implications of each decision made- no positive outcomes! After this, students were presented with questions that provoked reflection about morals- what is right and what is wrong? Or what else needs to be considered?

1) People should always be punished for breaking rules, even if they had a good reason.

2) Doing nothing can be just as immoral as doing something harmful.

3) Leaders should be held to higher moral standards than everyone else.

Year 9 English 

Students have been engaging closely with war poetry and how a poet’s personal context might impact on their representation of war. They have been exploring the ways that poets can convey key ideas and messages about war in a way that continues to appeal to audiences. Students are considering how the perception of war has changed over time through the study of historical context and representations of war in a wide variety of texts. 

They are preparing for an analytical essay to be written under timed conditions which explore how two poems explore conflict! 

Year 10 English 

Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene…

Students have been learning all about Shakespeare and his personal context, the world of theatre in the 1600’s, and have begun a close study of Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film ‘Romeo & Juliet’. Students will be undertaking a comparative study of Shakespeare’s play and the film version to analyse how texts might be transformed for audiences. Students are preparing for an analytical essay to be written under timed conditions which compares how the film and the play explore a particular theme. 

Support English

S3 English have been engaging with a close study of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Last week they worked on crafting accurate representations of the creatures featured in the novel by writing succinct and descriptive prompts for AI generators. This challenged students to focus on what key details are necessary in creating distinct creatures for readers! The students then created their own gross and grizzly creatures using a word bank of prompting vocabulary. Here is a response Ms Coleman and the class co-authored and the image created in response! 

“When I turned around I saw what looked like the most repulsive, hideous, foul-smelling, monster who was as gross as a swamp. What a rancid monster. He looked like a troll." 

Senior English

Year 11 Studies

Students are now honing their skills through language development. The prescribed text for this unit is the novel The Story of Tom Brennan by J.C Burke and fulfils English Studies requirement of at least one substantial print text. Students continue to develop their analytical and imaginative writing skills through a range of class tasks. Their analytical writing skills will be particularly honed in the preparation for their essay for assessment task two. 

Year 11 Standard

In this unit, students explore a range of digital and ICT texts and consider how different platforms shape the way meaning is created. Using the multimodal series Black Mirror alongside supported texts and research, students examine how rapidly evolving technologies influence communication and audience engagement. The unit also highlights the ethical use of digital technologies and helps students understand the impact of their digital footprint as they participate in online spaces.

Year 11 Advanced 

In this unit, students will explore how narratives from different eras express ideas, values and attitudes. They will study a text from the past, King Richard III (1594), alongside a contemporary re‑imagining, Looking for Richard (1996), and will compare how each composer’s historical context shapes their storytelling. Students will investigate how stories influence individual and communal perspectives, how authors’ values shape representation, and how narratives connect people across cultures and time periods. They will also examine how narratives can be adapted or reinterpreted for new audiences, and consider the power of storytelling to challenge norms, inspire change, or reinforce stability within society.

Year 12 Studies

Students develop understanding and proficiency in the use of language related to recreational and professional sport at a local, national and international level. They have opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and understanding in comprehending and using appropriate terminology, styles and language forms for analysing, discussing, responding to and evaluating issues and topics related to the module. Students primarily engage with their core text, documentary film Adam Goodes: Final Quarter, but also excerpts from film, a play, podcast, short story and a range of online resources.

Year 12 Standard

In this unit, students will develop a thoughtful understanding and appreciation of the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night‑Time. They will build considered personal responses as they study the text as a whole, exploring its key ideas, characters and distinctive narrative style. Students will analyse how the novel’s unique features shape meaning and contribute to its memorable voice, deepening their understanding of how literature represents human experiences.

Year 12 Advanced 

In this unit, students will develop a deep and thoughtful understanding of the poetry of T. S. Eliot. They will engage in close critical study of his work as a substantial literary text, building increasingly informed personal responses as they explore each poem in detail. Students will analyse Eliot’s distinctive poetic style, examine the ideas and concerns that shape his writing, and consider how these features contribute to the poems’ lasting significance and textual integrity.