English Excursion

Fancy a day at the beach? 

This term Year 9 English students are studying A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove, a novel set in an Australian costal town, which centres around the coming-of-age story of Carl Matt. As the GEC students made their way to Frankston beach to further develop their understanding of the novel, they were lucky to have such lovely weather. 

While others were enjoying the lovely weather at the beach, GEC students were hard at work taking part in the sensory workshop. 

After completing this, and the character workshop, the students then completed their own creative response. They drew on the sensory workshop and their character observation study to create a piece of writing in the first and third person omniscient. 

Finally, we left Frankston beach. Before we arrived back at GEC, we stopped for lunch.

Here are two samples of the writing completed from 9A and 9E. 

9A – Gabriel

James looked at the ocean and sees a false calm at the water’s edge, but he knows the ocean’s truth. The ocean’s rage is just on the horizon. He looks left, smells the calm fresh air, and takes in the golden radiating light from the sun. A moment pass, birds squawk, before he looks the other way and heads to his fishing boat to start his day at work.

The man stood on the beach, and stares into the ocean with a worried look on his brown haired face. A fisherman always knows the ocean and this man was probable seeing past the calm as well.  As he turned back, his look softened as all backs unknowingly do when presented to warm sunlight on a cold windy day. As he returned to his walk with his fishing rod he had a look on his face that showed that his break was over and it was back to work. 

9E – Akino

I strolled across the new bridge, breathing deeply and reminiscing about my childhood here. I was born near this beach and lived here with my sister and dad until I was 12. Mum passed away and Dad couldn’t bear to stay here, resulting in us moving closer to the city. And there I stayed for the majority of my life. Shifting back into reality, I realized my eyes were closed. I opened them to see the shimmering waves, rolling one after the other. They were getting closer and further from the boardwalk on which I stood. Children’s laughter and the sounds of various birds squawking surrounded Jerry and I. Eventually all the sounds merged together, creating an ambient atmosphere. 

Ana reached the boardwalk and gazed at the wide horizon. She stood there for a few moments, taking in her surroundings, until she made the decision to get a closer view of the waves. “Come on, Jerry” she said. She picked him up from out of the pram and let him explore the sandy shore. He dashed away, to take in this strange new scenery. Taking her jogging shoes off, Ana walked slowly to the shoreline. She smiled, as she thought how the beach was the one thing that stayed the same. 

A lovely day at the beach had by all. 

Eleanor Lindberg

English Teacher