English/Literacy

Year 9 English – Jacob DeKunder and Tim Chapman 

Year 9 English students have been trialling combining classes to help have richer discussions and build their learning. Two classes trialled this recently by removing the retractable walls in the new C-Wing building to create a larger learning space for them and their two teachers. 

While drafting for their recent creative writing CAT, students were given the opportunity to read drafts from students in the other class, share their own work and provide feedback. This also allows for students to be exposed to new ideas from students and teachers beyond their usual viewpoint and classroom setting. Students reported that the trial lesson was engaging and a great opportunity to share their work with friends and peers in other classes. 

As we continue into our next unit exploring the text “Flowers for Algernon,” these combined sessions are set to continue in line with the curriculum to allow for interesting discussions and engaging group work. This, in turn, will result in a deeper understanding of the text across the cohort.

Year 7 English – Julia Dowse 

In Year 7 English, students have been focusing on summarising, inferencing and using expressive language within their writing. To facilitate this, First Nations students Ryekan J and Sam S (both in Year 9) attended Year 7 classes to explain the Creation Story that is embedded in the Town Square. 

Students summarised the story before writing it in story format, writing in clear detail and using their inferencing skills to add details.  Below are some of the fantastic final stories by some of our Year 7 students.

At the beginning of time, there was a small white star that plummeted down from the night sky and fell atop a mountain. This small star's name was Dara. This star then transformed slowly into a big brown bird named Bunjil the Eagle, with short rough feathers and a dark brown beak. 

Bunjil then flew out of the mountains where he came from and soared through the night sky until he came down to earth, starting to scratch and claw at the cold dirt, he blew on the dirt and sprung from the ground came Mother Nature. 

The two came together and created the land's first animal, a fierce serpent known as Mindi the Snake, Lord of the Land. Mindi was a long white snake and had a sharp tongue. She then came together with Bunjil and they created a small black bird known as Waa the Crow, and a fierce animal with a tall body known as Marram the Kangaroo, who had light brown fur and black eyes and nose. 

The last animal created from their power was a bat who had the name Ballayang the Bat.   Ballayang then scratched the bark off a gum tree nearby, and from that bark grew the first human male, Kulin. 

All the animals went down to the waterhole, a big circle of water near some cliffs, to celebrate their first human creation, but then from the mud rose a woman, the first, named Lubra. 

The animals celebrated and cheered for the beginning of mankind, and after their parade, Bunjil flew back to the mountains, and lay in his first home, where he became Bunjil the Eagle, and returned to his first form, known as Dara the Star. 

Bunjil did this because he felt he needed to thank Dara for the life he was given and the power he had stored inside his heart. He laid in the wet soil and sunk into the dirt, hoping that Dara would shine once again. 

Ella, 7A

Long ago, a massive, bright star named Dara fell rapidly from the starry night sky. It came crashing down into the dry, cracked desert floor with a massive thud. It created a huge dust cloud that went on for kilometers. Through the dust, a silhouette could be seen - the figure of a large bird. He emerged from the cloud, and outstretched his dark, brown wings. It was Bunjil, the wedge-tailed eagle. 

Bunjil the Eagle scratched the red soil and blew air from his beak. Mother Nature was created, and she looked at Bunjil. They both came together, and then they created Mindi, the brown snake. Mindi was a warm brown on the top of her body, like the colour of a gumtree's bark. On her underbelly, she was a lighter brown, like the colour of the dirt. Mindi was the law of the land. If someone did something wrong, she would punish them. She kept the balance. 

Soon, Mindi had created Waa the Crow. Waa was a very big bird, with smooth black feathers that reflected the sunlight. His black beak was very sharp and pointy. Mindi then created Marram the Kangaroo. Marram was very big, with strong legs that could leap very far, had an excellent sense of smell and a long tail for balance. He was the same brown colours as Mindi, with soft fur. His ears could pick up even the tiniest of sounds. 

Mindi then created Ballayang the Bat. Ballayang was the same colour as Waa - but his wings were smaller and he could move faster because he was so nimble. Ballayang had very good ears and eyes and could hear even further away than Marram.  Ballayang was flying around the land and he landed on a piece of bark that had fallen off a nearby gumtree. Suddenly, the first man was created - his name was Kulin. 

The animals were thrilled and they went down to the waterhole to celebrate. But then, the animals were frightened as the mud began to rise - but then a silhouette stood in the middle of the mud. It was Lubra, the first woman. 

Bunjil soon went back to his mountain, knowing that the creation had been finished and the balance would be kept. Gliding through the skies with ease, using the wind to his full advantage, he came to land upon the place where the star had fallen, he slowly turned back into his first form, Dara. 

That night, through the millions of tiny white dots in the ink black sky, one star shone brighter than all of the rest.                                                                                                                  Kayla, 7F

It all started by a star called Dara, it was beautiful and glided from the night sky and created the wedge tailed eagle named Bunjil. Bunjil the Eagle scratched the soil and blew on the land to make forest and rivers it was beautiful and majestic. Bunjil and Mother Nature came together to make a brown snake that was brave and strong; Mindi the Brown Snake was now named the lord of the land, then Mindi also created Waa the Crow that was dark and scary. Mindi also created Marram the Kangaroo that was happy and kind. 

After the kangaroo and crow, Ballayang the Bat was created. Ballayang the Bat was very shy, but brave and looked dark and scary. Ballayang scratched a piece of bark off a massive old gum tree, which became the first male human on earth, named Kulin, he was brave and strong. Everyone went to the deep and clear waterhole to celebrate how much they did to this planet and were pleased by what came out of it. But the mud started to rise and made the first women named Lubra, she was strong and fearless. 

Bunjil soon returned to mountains, where he returned to his form, as Dara set out to find a new planet to make alive and healthy.                                                                                                                                                                                        Taylor, 7F