Year 8 is an important time for students to increase their literacy skills and become more actively engaged in their study of English. Below is an outline of the units studied during this year.
Aboriginal Australians and story writing
Students develop awareness and understanding of Indigenous Australian people, including their history, culture and beliefs.
Students learn the importance of storytelling to Aboriginal people. Additionally, students will learn how narratives can persuade responders to take on a specific point of view. There is a particular focus on visual texts and picture books that represent the Indigenous voice.
Author study
Students read a range of texts by a single composer, studying:
- the distinctive features of the works
- how the composer makes meaning within and across texts.
Students develop listening skills through their learning about the composer.
Students will draw conclusions about composer's context, settings, style, themes, issues and characters.
Some authors that are studied include Deborah Ellis, Jackie French, Tim Winton and Morris Gleitzman.
Film study (theme: gender)
In this unit students will study gender and stereotypes. They will discuss their personal values and beliefs. Students will reflect on their own views on gender roles, how gender is constructed socially and the impact of stereotypes on boys and girls. They will undertake a close study of a film and related texts including media texts and analyse how the composers of these texts use film techniques and conventions to explore gender issues. There is a particular focus on the representation of gender in films such as 'Bend it like Beckham', 'Shrek' or 'Mulan'.
Students will also learn how to represent their understanding of texts in the exposition essay form.
Media and persuasive texts
In this unit students will respond to and compose texts in different media and technologies to inform and persuade. They will engage in activities to develop skills to understand and apply their knowledge of language forms, features and structures of persuasive texts.
