Welcome to the English and LOTE Department

As part of our recent rejuvenation of the department and the introduction of the 2002 Senior and 2005 Junior Syllabi, we are endeavouring to create units of work which are student-centred and engaging for the pupils at the school. Units such as the “Untold Stories” project in Year 9 give our students the ability to test their knowledge in a real context by involving students in their community.

Junior English

Year 8

Novel Unit – titles include ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ and ‘The Hobbit’

Children’s Literature – Students design and create their own children’s story book

Science Fiction – Film Study, including titles such as ‘Independence Day’, ‘War of the Worlds’ and ‘The Day After Tomorrow’

Popular Culture – Students look at the current trends in society and look at reasons for their success

Year 9

Novel Unit – titles include ‘Holes’ and ‘The Giver’

Myths and Legends – identifying myths and looking at the modern myth through Urban Legends and ‘Mythbusters’

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous – What is fame? What does it mean to be famous?

Representations of Australia – What is a ‘real’ Australian? How has the Australian identity been constructed?

Year 10

Novel – titles include ‘Tomorrow When the War Began’

Poetry – We look at the importance of song lyrics in the development of poetry through the ages

What Happened to the Classics? – ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ to ‘ 10 Things I Hate About You’ – same story? We look at the adaptations of the ‘Classics’ to the modern era, focussing on the film ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’.

Job Search – Linked unit to Social Science – focuses on job skills and students are put through a ‘mock interview’ with industry.

Senior English

As part of the Senior School, we have created units which evolve from the Junior school and will further develop students’ skills.

Year 11

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? – An introduction to critical literacy, using fairy tales as the focus.

Let’s Rock and Roll – Poetry unit, building on the skills from Year 10

Who Dunnit? – Looking at the Detective genre and the rise of Forensics as a popular culture, focussing on CSI. Students may also complete a novel study during this unit.

Big Brother Is Watching – The rise of reality TV, as well as increasing debate around personal freedoms is the focus of this unit. Students may also complete a novel study during this unit.

Year 12

Shakespeare as Storyteller – Shakespeare’s stories are retold through the ages and their themes continually reappear in literature. Unit focuses on ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Gladiator’, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ’10 Thing I Hate About You’, ‘Hamlet’ and ‘The Lion King’, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘You’ve Got Mail’, as well as other texts.

Language as Power – The use of parody and satire in language is a powerful tool.

Facts and Fantasy – Students look at a non-conventional narrative (eg: ‘Sliding Doors’, ‘Memento’) as well as look at a novel and film study. Finally, students create a Eulogy of a character from their novel.

Senior English Communications

In 2004, the Senior English Communications programme was developed to give some students a more streamlined approach into their studies.

Japanese

In the Junior School, Japanese is offered through the classes as a cultural link to the sister city programme. The school participates in the Japan trip biennially. In the Senior School, Japanese is offered through the Virtual Schooling Service.