Humanities and Social Sciences

HASS changes in 2018

2018 will present three pivotal changes across different year levels and streams within the Humanities and Social Sciences Learning Area:

• Year 10 course structure
• Years 7 to 10 class-list changes
• Years 7 to 10 assessment outline

The most noticeable change will be in the Year 10 course structure. Each class will have a specialised teacher for the subject taught in order to provide all students with teaching strategies that reflect more consistently the Senior School structure. Ultimately, the reason behind this change is to maximise St Norbert College teaching staff and enhance students’ understanding of the requirements for the HASS ATAR courses more clearly.

The second change in the HASS Learning Area will involve changes in class lists between Year 7 and Year 10. The HASS Learning Area encourages students to put their best efforts into their studies at all times and reminds all families that academic results and work ethic defines ATAR entries, rather than their belonging to a specific stream.

The final change in the HASS Learning Area for 2018 will be the inclusion of two assessments per term: a research (followed by validation task) and an end-of-term test. This is in order to avoid over-assessing students and enhance teaching feedback.

The Humanities and Social Sciences Learning Area wishes all families of St Norbert College a joyful Christmas and relaxing holidays. We look forward to seeing students back in 2018 for new learning adventures and understanding of the world.

Dr A Runco (Head of Learning Area -

Humanities and Social Sciences)