ENGLISH

CONGRATULATIONS to McKinnon’s TOP WRITERS for August!

Well done to the many talented students who entered Writer of the Month in August. 

HUGE congratulations to: Liah Gizbar Year 11, Sophie Grenda Year 11, Adi Bornstein Year 10, Amelia Constance Year 10, Olivia Rusin Year 10, Effy Huang Year 9, Romani Parrish Year 9, Maddie Stancheva Year 9, Khushi Agarwal Year 8, Bailey Morgan Year 8 and Sanika Ribadia Year 7. 

These students have won a $50 (Senior School) and $30 (Junior School) voucher from Benn’s Books and gained 50 points for their house. 

You can read their outstanding pieces on the ‘WOTM’ Google site HERE

Entries for the September competition need to be shared with your English or Literature teacher no later than 3.30pm, Tues, 13 September. Please note the early submission deadline due to the school holidays.

Keep up the fantastic writing, McKinnon students!

Liz Pentland

Writer of the Month Coordinator

MACBETH INCURSION

As an introduction to our play analysis this year, the Year 10 cohort were lucky enough to watch a rendition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, performed by the Complete Works Theatre Company.  

Due to the long duration of the play, the actors performed the scenes that were most vital to the storyline. The Shakespearian language made it slightly tricky for us to follow along with the plot; however, the actors analysed and explained the key components of each scene once they had performed it. This enabled the audience to comprehend and appreciate the language and intended themes of the play, and more easily follow along with the dialogue. 

The play discussed the importance of ambition, guilt, and corruption of power, along with the relationship between gender roles and society. These key themes will also be prevalent whilst reading Macbeth in our classrooms over the coming term. 

Following the performance was a Q&A with the cast, in which the Year 10s were given a chance to ask any questions they had about the performance, language or themes of the play. During this, the actors gave many insights into their own thoughts, and feelings about their characters, and their motivations. Overall, the play ensured that we would feel more comfortable in the classroom and did a good job of entertaining the audience. 

This was an incredible experience and although the language was a barrier to our understanding, the actors did a wonderful job easing our confusion for us. The entire cohort was captivated and intrigued by the play, which piqued the interest of the Year 10s, to study the text throughout the semester. 

Aarushi Kandula & Phoebe Rodda

Year 10 Students