by Katrina Ferguson

English and Languages

What’s happening in English and Languages this term?

Year 11 students have started their Level 1 Connections assessment by watching Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge.

Image by: Katrina Ferguson

This looks at how we view moral convictions and standing up for your beliefs. This will lead into a similar theme across several different texts to write our Connections essays. Some Year 11 students are also involved in our Essential Numeracy and Literacy Course where they are working towards literacy and numeracy credits via portfolios.

Year 12 students are engaged in a film study on Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down looking at courage in the face of fear. It has been great to see the commitment and ideas coming through from students as they engage in the learning process.

Image by: Katrina Ferguson

Year 13 students are focusing on director Peter Jackson as they learn about film techniques, mise en scene and colour theory through The Lovely Bones and Heavenly Creatures. At Level 3 is it vital that students can confidently talk about why directors have made certain decisions across their work and how this is displayed to us as the viewer.

Image by: Katrina Ferguson
Image by: Katrina Ferguson

Staff have been bringing classes through to our wonderful library regularly this term for learning opportunities, reading, researching, and issuing books which has been great to see. Our librarian Mrs Ealam has a knack for figuring out recommendations that students consistently enjoy. We also have two student librarians and five clubs that use the library often for meetings or events. The library is the the heart of our kura and it is amazing to see it being used to its full potential this term.

We are looking forward to having Ms Branaye Wylie return to us at the beginning of Term 2 but an enormous thanks to Ms Sarah Anderson who has stepped in during her maternity leave to teach some of our Year 11s and 12s for this term.