English with Ms Elif and Ms Nadia T3 2020

This term, students in year 7 had the opportunity to deconstruct a number of poems. They were exposed to a variety of poetry including Australian and international poets and they had the opportunity to learn about the poet's context. Students were taught by both Ms Nadia and myself, where each teacher exposed students to different elements of poetry. Students were asked to write their own poems and most enjoyed exploring their own style. They were asked to deconstruct poems for meaning and to write many PETAL paragraphs that presents their own interpretation of the poems. Both Ms Nadia and I hope our students enjoy their well-earned break.

Year 9 students were involved in a drama study unit, where our focus was on Shakespeare's renowned 'Romeo and Juilet'. Students read the play, acted out some scenes and presented a speech on their chosen themes. Once we completed certain acts from the drama, we watched modern appropriations, which assisted students to craft their own interpretations of the play. Students were then involved in their own script writing, where they were asked to appropriate the text to their own context and present to the class their play.

This term, students were involved in a film study, where the focus was on truth and the manipulation of truth. They watched, analysed and deconstructed the film 'The Hurricane' and learned about racial discrimination within the American context. Students were exposed to concepts deeply rooted in social justice and were asked to present a speech on their own findings within the text and 2 other related texts. Both Ms Nadia and I were very pleased with the level of maturity the students displayed whilst they were engaged with the texts. We then moved on to analysing the film 'The Rabbit Proof Fence' to compare and contrast the Australian and American contexts. Students learned about visual literacies and the impact upon audiences through the picture book 'The Rabbits'.

This term marked the end of our students' preliminary journey, as our students will be commencing their HSC journey in Term 4. They completed Module B: Close Study of Literature, where they were engaged in Michael Gow's play 'Away'. We were able to learn about the context of the play and the author's to create meaning and interpret the text individually. Students completed their yearly exams, where they responded to the content studied throughout the year. I pray they enjoy the much-earned term break and return to school rejuvenated to tackle the next and final hurdle in their high school lives.

May Allah be pleased with the efforts of all our students.