Year 6 -12 Class
Well here we are in week 10, let’s have a look at the happenings of English and HASS.HASS
We have just finished a study on the Black Plague of 14th century Europe…who knew how topical and relevant that would become! The students all enjoyed learning about the causes, consequences and symptoms of the disease and they also learned about the part hygiene played in the spread (and how important it continues to be!). We studied the part that doctors and dentists played, and how it helped shape modern medicine today with research and development. Students were all very fascinated with the first use of biological warfare by the Mongolians when they threw dead bodies at the Chinese to infect them, and have asked to look further into Mongolian warfare in the future. After looking into this, I feel it may be a little too traumatic! Let’s just say they were imaginative in their brutality!
After completing a historical essay on the Black Plague we have now moved onto Geography. We have started with learning about the Great Artesian Basin, looking at the importance of water and the ecosystems supported by springs across the area of the Basin. Geography is a bit tricky to include all curriculum for all year levels in one topic, so going forward we will be splitting into two groups. The older students will focus on weathering and erosion, and the year 6/7’s will look at liveability and place. These units of work are ready to go both in the classroom and as take home packs should these be required.
ENGLISH
We are taking a bit of a break from constant writing at the moment. The class have been working hard on essay writing, narrative and persuasive writing, producing some good work and also highlighting the areas we need to work on further. At the moment we are reading the novel Mahtab’s Story, by Libby Gleeson. This novel is based on a true story and tracks the journey and experiences of a young Afghani girl and her family as they escape persecution in Afghanistan and travel to Australia. So far the students are enjoying the story and it has started some great discussion. They will continue to work through reading the story, completing questions at the end of each chapter. At the conclusion of the book, students will complete a written assignment as their final assessment. Again, this is available as a take home option if necessary.
Year 11 (SACE)
Year 11 English has begun very productively, with completion of the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This was followed up with a written assessment which produced excellent results. The next task will be a persuasive text which will hopefully be completed by the end of term.
That’s it for the term so far. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride for my first one but I think we’ve all come through relatively unscathed! Thank you to the parents who have made contact and made me feel welcome in my new role, also thank you for trusting me with their kids! Let’s see what next term will bring in this crazy mixed up world.
Look after yourselves.