English

It has been a productive start in English this year with students delving into their first units. In Year 7, students have been working on developing a short narrative which must have a focus on the theme of new experiences.

Year 8, students have read and analysed the text Runner by Robert Newton, whilst in Year 9 students have been analysing the Australian text Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden.

We are looking forward to a successful year in English, and cannot wait to share with you many highlights and achievements along the way.

Year 7 - Narrative Writing

Please read below the start of the narrative The Wisp

The sky had been as grey as stone. There was no breeze, and the air was humid. I had been sitting under a gnarly old tree in the new backyard of my new house in the new neighbourhood that I hadn’t wanted to move to. I was staring bitterly at my watch, watching the seconds tick by. In only a minute, I was to see the thing that would start the most interesting experience of my life, but I did not know it yet.

I was twelve years old when I first met the Wisp…

Sammi Willems

Year 8 - Text Analysis

In this unit of English, we are doing a text analysis on the novel Runner, written by Robert Newton. The novel tells the story of Charlie Feehan, a fifteen- year- old boy who not only is living in poverty but is thrusted into adulthood after losing his father to the Spanish Flu. Throughout the unit we have completed many activities which have helped us gain a deeper understanding of the setting, characters and themes. Some of the rotations included creating a wanted poster for Squizzy Taylor, exploring the slums of Richmond in 1919, and looking at the three main themes: friendship, growing up / loss of innocence and poverty / choices. Following these activities, we have used our knowledge to develop a text analysis on a chosen prompt. While writing the essay, the teachers have given us support and guidance and we have received feedback to improve our essays and general understanding of a text analysis task.

Addi Jones and Darcy Briscoe – Year 8 Leaders

Ms Emily Phibbs

English Coordinator