The Junior Secondary
program provides opportunities for students to develop literacy skills
through a variety of media and technology. Our curriculum is designed to
be relevant and interesting while centred in real world contexts.
Reading
comprehension and writing strategies are a key focus of the course in
Year 7 and 8. Students are taught explicit reading and writing
strategies and these are reinforced across all subject areas. In
addition, a Literacy Coach works with both staff and students to further
the development of these skills.
Course content
Effective communication and critical
literacy are a major focus of the course. Students listen to, read,
view, interpret, evaluate and perform a variety of written and spoken
texts. Texts studied and created include newspapers, magazines, digital
texts, young adult novels, non-fiction, poetry, biographies, creative
texts and persuasive speeches.
Outline of topics:
Year 7
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 |
Students study Australian Literature, with a focus on Ned Kelly | Students study well known fictional and non fictional characters who can
be perceived as both heroic and villainous. | A unit based on a novel, with a focus on analysing a main character | Students analyse poetry they have created. |
| Narrative Task | Persuasive Task | Analytical Essay
| Spoken Presentation
|
Year 8
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 |
Students study representations and bias in the media | After studying a novel, students create a ‘gaps and silence’ narrative | Students study poetry, with a focus on First Nations poetry | The study of persuasion and current events. |
| Media Portfolio | Narrative | Essay in exam conditions | Spoken Persuasive Task |
Year 9
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 |
| The study of the Speculative Fiction genre of narrative writing. | The study of the Memoir genre and the power of persuasion. | A novel study unit and the representation of teens. | The study of the media and its conventions. |
| Narrative Exam | Persuasive Speech | Analytical Essay | Media Exam |
Special features
Academic Enrichment
Debating Competition
Writing workshops
Reading and Writing competitions
Lunchtime English support club
Sunshine Coast Readers Cup
ICAS English competition
Excursions
“Voices on the Coast”
Accelerated Reader
Writer's Toolbox
USC Creative Writing Excellence Program