English

Every student can learn; just not on the same day nor in the same way. - George Evans

2018 has already been a busy yet productive year for our students.  In their time at St Bede’s, all students complete at least one English subject; at VCE there is English, Literature and English Language to choose from and our VCAL students complete a Literacy program.

Our VCE English, English Language and Literature students have already completed a number of SAC tasks that will contribute to their final result in their chosen subject. Consequently, it has been pleasing to notice how many students are sourcing extra help and resources from their dedicated classroom teachers, and from Br Quentin, in order to prepare them for the SAC tasks they are addressing.

In Years 7, 8 , 9 and 10, students have been working hard on classwork that has involved writing up responses such as Text Response essays to set novels such as, “Now”, “Runner” and “Of Mice and Men” and films like “The Shawshank Redemption.” They have also submitted assignments that are either persuasive or informative Oral Presentations delivered to the class or assignments that are more creative in nature. As a result, detailed feedback has been provided to parents on their son’s progress in these areas.

In addition to this, students of Years 7-9 have been working on their Grammar and Literacy skills during designated English Skills lessons, using the online resource ‘Education Perfect’. According to the website, the feedback has been mostly positive from the students involved:

“I like Education Perfect because it is a fun way to learn.” – Anton Cipin

“This helped me understand complex sentences.” – Brady McNeill

“Really gave me a better understanding of Symbols and why we use them.” – Joshua Crouch

The RAD program, coordinated by Linda Wilkinson in conjunction with classroom teachers, has been running smoothly and strongly. Each class from Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 has one lesson per fortnight scheduled in the Resource Centre RAD area. Through this, students are encouraged to read widely and for enjoyment, and this goal is being addressed by the introduction of a RAD Reading Passport for each student. This initiative, co-run by the Resource Centre and the English Learning Area teachers, challenges our students to be more discerning with their wide reading selections and to complete a Literacy-based task at the completion of each novel.

The rest of the school year holds many interesting events and outcomes in the English Learning Area:

• Guest speaker and author Tristan Bancks is scheduled to speak to Years 7 and 8.
• The Units 3&4 English students will be treated to a theatrical interpretation of key passages from “Year of Wonders” and “The Crucible”.
• More opportunities for your son to work on his writing, reading and comprehension, language conventions or speaking and listening skills!

Thanks, and we look forward to more literary adventures in 2018.

Ms Kalli Dimitrokalis and Ms Robyn Kensley

(English Learning Area Leaders)