Term 4 has arrived, and there is no sign of learning slowing down in our English classrooms! Read on for some insight into the varied texts and concepts we’ve been examining this term across the different year groups.

Year 7 English 

Students have been engaging in a study of classic fairy tales and considering how and why they have evolved across time. They have engaged with fairy tales ranging from the gory tales of Brothers Grimm, to the ever-popular Disneyfied princess stories, through to Roald Dahl’s revolting rhymes and finally the more modern satirical approach of the film Shrek.

Ask your Year 7 child which fairy tales they have read: they may have a gruesome version of Cinderella or Rapunzel to share with you.

Year 8 English students are engaging in a unit studying how and why non-fiction texts, such as print articles, speeches and documentaries, can persuade audiences through rhetorical devices, structure and content. Students are exploring the ways in which these texts inform, educate, challenge, manipulate and control audiences for different purposes, and will apply this in creating their own persuasive texts.

Year 8 students are also participating in a wide reading program. Reading is fundamental to developing minds; It builds competence in writing, speaking and control over syntax. It also develops knowledge of the world and other cultures, values and beliefs, which is core to building empathy.

Ask your Year 8 child to tell you about the book they are reading at the moment.

Year 9 students are engaging in a close study of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, drawing on their experience of viewing a stage production earlier this year. Students are exploring how the Elizabethan context influences Shakespeare’s representation of a range of themes including violence justice and gender.

Ask your Year 9 child how experiencing the live performance of Romeo and Juliet has influenced their engagement with the text in class.

Year 10 English students have just completed their study of s suite of poetry by Wilfred Owen. This unit required students to develop their skills in the annotation, analysis and appreciation of poetry. Students composed a multi-modal presentation analysing the representation of war within these texts, and demonstrated rich, empathetic insights into the experiences communicated by Owen.

Ask your Year 10 child which Wilfred Owen poem they found the most moving.

Our Year 11 cohort have embarked upon their HSC studies, diving headfirst into a study of the representation of the human experience in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (Advanced) or Jane Harrison’s Rainbow’s End (Standard). English Extension One are engaging with a study of Literary Worlds while English Extension Two have just begun the composition process of their Major Work.

Ask your Year 11 child how they are going about establishing positive habits such as organising their course materials and planning their study schedule.