English

“After four gruelling laps, the race had come down to a sprint.”  Runner by Robert Newton. Pg. 206

As we come to the end of Term 3, students are busy completing their final assessment tasks. 

Year 7 students have been engaged in researching the products we use on a daily basis in their unit of Global Issues.  Research included tracing the origins of the product and investigating the conditions of the employees.  Products included coffee, tea, clothing, technology, toys, and sports equipment focusing on the human and environmental impact of producing these products. Students showed their ability to research their chosen topic and then present it in an interesting manner demonstrating their proficiency in the use of ICT conventions.

All students in Year 7 have continued their fortnightly library classes. Collaboration between English and Library has enhanced student learning. Two PowerPoint “Unpacking websites” and “Global issues” –were prepared and delivered via Zoom and Teams by our Teacher Librarian, Mrs Jane Viner to support their classroom work.

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” Robert Frost    https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/topics/top-10-poetry-quotes Accessed 15/9/20

Year 8 students have been exploring their creativity with the study of poetry this term. As a result of successfully completing this unit, students are able to understand the common techniques underlying the various forms of poetry, and have been busy creating their own poetry as well as completing research into famous poets. Some students have submitted their poetry to the “St James College Writes 50”, the theme for our remote Book Week this year. These poems which include submissions from Year 7 and 8 students will form part of the archival history of St James College. In writing their own poetry, students allow their minds to reflect, imagine and wonder. Writing poetry enables the students to change how they see the world and how they see themselves.

Year 9 students have been delving into the world of Australia in the 1920’s through the study of Robert Newton’s novel ‘Runner’. The novel tells the story of Charlie Feehan and is set in Richmond, a working class inner city suburb of Melbourne in 1919. The Spanish Flu epidemic reached Australia in late 1918, which resulted in about 40% of the population falling ill, and approximately 15,000 deaths in Australia. This situation can easily be compared to our experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic this year and made for interesting online class discussions. Life was different growing up in the 1900’s. There was less transition between child and adult, and when families could no longer afford to send children to school, they were sent to work or to stay at home to look after siblings. Low income families had the greatest struggles. The students work through the myriad of themes presented in the novel and complete several written tasks illustrating their understanding.

Year 10 students have been tackling worldly themes such as friendship, discrimination and racism. Study has been focused on John Steinbeck’s novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, and the film ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ directed by Robert Mulligan, and based on Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Although both novels are set in the 1930’s during the Great Depression, the themes they bring out are as relevant today.  The ideas of maintaining friendship under adversity and standing up for what is right in society are still relevant in 2020. These texts have been used to spark debates and discussion at home between parents and students. They present an opportunity to discuss the literary perspective of the text, and to understand the history underlying the stories, as well as relating them to our world both national and international. The messages that are revealed can be applied to our modern day society and to our current situation with the COVID-19 Pandemic and the many issues that it raises. 

It was most pleasing to learn during Parent Teacher Interviews that many families were showing a genuine interest in the topics being studied by their sons. Parents were keen to discuss the two texts being studied in Year 10 this year.  Parents are always a tremendous resource and students are encouraged to discuss the novels they are studying with their families. Parents have a wealth of life experiences and worldly knowledge which can be shared. The remote learning situation accompanied by the lock down in Melbourne gave many families the opportunities to not only converse but also to bond over the study of literature.

Maryanne Stefaniw

English Domain Leader