Year 6 - 12 Class
We’ve made to the end of another busy term in the secondary class. Here’s a quick run down of what we have been up to…
English – We have focused a lot on poetry this term, if you listen carefully on a Thursday morning I’m sure you will be able to hear to the groaning of teenagers being forced to appreciate literature! But seriously, they haven’t hated it. We have studied some modern Australian slam poets (slam poetry is a spoken word performance poetry that’s a little like hip-hop) who have encouraged us to think and reflect. We’ve made some beginning attempts at writing our own modern poetry, which has been a challenge, but we will keep working on it.
HASS – Geography has been the focus in the latter part of the term. Having 4 year levels means 3 different topics when it comes to geography, as the curriculum varies a great deal between year levels. The year 6/7 group have been focusing on water, its management and conservation. The year 8’s are studying landforms and landscapes, they are concentrating on one Australian landform (such as Uluru or Wilpena Pound) and are conducting an in depth study of it’s formation, conservation and links to Aboriginal culture. The year 9’s are looking at the worlds biomes, and are also conducting an investigation into one type of biome (such as a desert, or a tundra). This has been a challenge to teach and also be taught, but thanks to some independent workers and help from our trusty SSO Letisha, we’ve made it work.
Home Ec – We have continued to enjoy cooking a variety of simple dishes during Home Ec. A favourite has been spaghetti bolognese, and also cupcakes with Stef Teague. In theory lessons we have been studying food over the past 70,000 years in Australia. We’ve looked at traditional bush foods, and how diets and health changed with the introduction of European food. We are also looking at what modern Australian Cuisine actually is, and are working toward developing our own modern Australian menu. This will involve meal planning, recipe writing and costing, as well as looking at the origins of the food and how we have developed it into something uniquely Australian.
HPE – The past few weeks have been all about sports day. We’ve been practising high jump, discus, shot put, hurdles and running the 400m. I was really pleased to see all students take part in some events on sports day and lead the rest of the school with their example. Well done especially to Annabelle who won the team spirit award for cheering on her team mates, and even running the 400m with younger students to encourage them to finish. Well done Annabelle.
For health we have been taking a close look at what a Growth Mindset is, and how important it is to our learning and everyday life. We’ve looked at the difference between a fixed and growth mindset, and discussed how the brain is elastic, and can continue to learn, even when you’re old like me!
F-2 HPE – Like the big kids, the junior primary class has been involved in getting ready for sports day. We have had lots of fun practising sack races, egg and spoon races and team games. We’ve even had a go at learning how to triple jump, although this is a work in progress! A special mention goes to Bayley for his leadership and teamwork which saw him awarded with the team spirit award for the junior primary students, well done Bayley! During health we have been looking at self esteem, what it means and how we get it!
SACE Stage 2 English – Stage 2 English is progressing well, with 3 assessment tasks completed and 2 currently almost done. All work has been of an excellent standard. The next phase is the comparative analysis which forms 40% of the overall grade. This is a huge task, which we will begin next term.