Check out 9Q3 and 9P4 in their dramatic interpretation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
1 Comment
Last Thursday twenty students from years 7-10 participated in a GATS driven debating and public speaking day. The all day workshop was run by expert public speaker Peter McNair. Throughout the day students worked on building their English skill and capacity to learn. In particular the focus areas included working on their confidence in public speaking and expanding their knowledge of the elements of debating. At the end of the day all five groups of students battled in separate debates which demonstrated their willingness to achieve and their overall engagement in the day.
Check out this PowerPoint to ensure you are ready for your Authentic Assessment interviews in Week 4.
Check out this fantastic exam revision PowerPoint to help you get ready for your upcoming exams!
Callaghan College Wallsend Campus will hold its first Year 7 and 8 Excellence Awards Assembly on Friday 10th October. The assembly will celebrate the amazing efforts of our junior students in their studies of English. Parents and carers of award recipients are invited to celebrate with members of the executive staff and the English faculty of CCWC as students share and present work from a range of units studied in 2014. The assembly will commence in the hall at 12:30pm and will conclude with afternoon tea in the school’s library.
If you're studying film this term, check out this great link that shows you how to recognise and analyse camera angles and shots in film. Click HERE. Students in 7W were thrilled to be part of a special bush poetry workshop with Carol Heuchan, a bush poet from the Hunter Valley. Carol worked closely with students to develop and refine their poetry writing skills which were then put to the test at the inaugural Year 7 Australian Poetry Slam - an exciting and dynamic poetry competition whereby poets recited their original work. Carol Heuchan is a bush poet, horsewoman, guest speaker, broadcaster and all-round entertainer. As well as having published multiple books, released a number of CDs and won countless awards, she is also the recipient of the richest prize in poetry history, a tractor worth over $34 000! Carol featured in the first episode of ABC television’s Bush Slam, which saw her and another poet given three days to find “the heartbeat of the nation in verse”. After Mrs Muller contacted her, Carol agreed to share her experience from the show, as well as her vast knowledge and expertise in poetry writing. The Poetry Workshop and following "Bush Slam" event were devised by Mrs Muller to offer a wonderful opportunity to our Gifted and Talented students in Year 7 at Callaghan College Wallsend Campus. Carol also mentored students in the composition of their own poems that were inspired by the spirit and ethos of their local community, following a guided walk by the president of the Wallsend Historical Society. Bush Slam winner details and photos to come - stay tuned! Drama students finished off Term 3 with a fantastic insight into Australian theatre. 30 students were part of the audience at the premiere performance of Lachlan Philpott's production, "The Chosen" at Lake Macquarie Theatre.
Even better, was the fact that the playwright, Lachlan Philpott, took the time from his incredibly busy schedule to conduct a "Meet the Playwright" two hour workshop the following day. Our students were the only ones in the region to be a part of this special experience, thanks to Mrs West's powers of persuasion! A huge thank you to Lachlan for the wonderful opportunity he afforded our students! They had an amazing day. In Term Three all students in Year 9 studied the topic of "Cultural Connectedness" in English. They studied a range of nonfiction texts from around the globe, including texts which focused on personal stories related to the Stolen Generation.
In Week 10 we invited two local elders, Uncle John and Uncle Lance, to share their experiences with students. It was an honour to have them with us and students were captivated with their stories. Hello Year 9!
If you're finding it difficult to source a related text for your upcoming assessment task. Click HERE to find a list of suggested texts. Shakespearean Interpretation of Romeo and Juliet's Balcony Scene - Showcasing 8W's Exemplar Work20/8/2014 This term Year 8 are studying William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. For their assessment they have to re-interpret a traditional scene from the play with their own style and flair. The aim of this task was to challenge our GATS students by keeping some elements of the balcony scene however allowing them to adapt and interpret the scene in their own way. This piece was written by Mahkaila Sansom and she has successfully adapted the scene the scene with originality and flair.
Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene Interpretation Juliet’s family had a party in their beachfront mansion in Hawaii. Romeo was in the working class of Hawaii but his friend took him to this high-class party. They fell in love at the party but they can’t be because their families are rivals due to Romeo’s father beating Juliet’s father in the surf competition. Romeo was walking on the beach in front of their property as Juliet was standing on her balcony. “Romeo, Romeo why do our families have to be so competitive. Oh Romeo” Juliet says to herself. Romeo calls out “Oh Juliet just because our parents are doesn’t mean we have to.” Juliet whispers “What are you doing here?” Romeo declares “I love you Juliet, we can’t be apart.” By Mahkaila Sansom Our junior debating team had a win against Maitland High School yesterday. Our team consisted of Jordan Arnott and Elizabeth Farmer Edwards from Year 7, and Lilli Kingdom and Erin McIlwain from Year 8. The girls spoke really well and the adjudicator was impressed with their ability to speak without too much prompting from their palm cards.
The English faculty held its first Step Up this week with selected Year 9 students taking their first confident steps towards building the skills needed for Stage 6 English. Step Up is a new faculty initiative - an extension creative writing program designed to foster GATS students in the development of elevated imaginative writing skills. Several members of the English faculty will be serving as mentors to guide Step Up students towards a polished and engaging creative or critical portfolio of work. The group, who meet during breaks, have so far shown an enthusiastic and collaborative approach to growing their already impressive knowledge and aptitude in their English studies. Check out the Step Up weebly website for further information. If you wish to know more about the program or would like to apply to participate in Step Up, please see Miss Hancock or Mrs Bevin in Staff House 1. Click on the year groups below to access a copy of the relevant assessment task notification for Term 3. The week for each task is also clearly outlined below. Visit the school's calendar for specific assessment dates. Year 7 - in-class task on Australian poetry and a related text - Week 8 Year 8 - interpretation of a Shakespeare scene and logbook - Week 8 Year 9 - oral presentation based on a nonfiction related text - Week 9 Year 10 - in-class essay based on power in Macbeth and a related text - Week 9
Our Campus entry in the Newcastle Herald writing competition, ‘The Wallsend Eagle’, was published on Tuesday July 22nd. Our team of journalists, editors, photographers and cartoonists did a commendable job. Well done to the following students: Jessica Henderson, Chloe Steel, Chelsea Beeston, Sophie Benfell, Tana Dickson, Madison Lee, Elise Thumath, Aleesha Jurd, Daynah Simmons, Isis Leaver, Emily Wade, Shay Alexander, Rebecca McLure, Leili Mohu and Alex Butler for their involvement in the competition. Check out our wonderful entry HERE and HERE. Coordinator – Jessica Byron Years 7 and 8 have their major assessment tasks in Week 8 and Years 9 and 10 have their major tasks in Week 9. Please click on the links below to access a copy of the relevant assessment task notification. This will provide a detailed overview of the task as well as the marking criteria and information regarding feedback and in-class preparation in the lead up to the task.
Please don't hesitate to contact your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions. If your child knows they are going to be away on the assessment task date they should submit a misadventure appeal form to apply to complete the task on an alternate date. Year 7 "Stand Up, Speak Out" Assessment Task Notification Year 8 "Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins" Assessment Task Notification Year 9 "Imagined Worlds" Assessment Task Notification Year 10 "Perspectives of Youth" Assessment Task Notification The following assessment policy notes are relevant to formal major assessment
tasks in English for students in Years 7-10. This policy is printed on every assessment task notification for students to read: If you are aware that you will be absent on the date of the task due date it is your responsibility to see your classroom teacher and negotiate an alternate time to complete/submit your task before your absence. If you are absent on the day of an assessment task you must submit an illness/misadventure form signed by your parent/guardian to the HT English on your first day back at school. Be prepared to complete/submit your task on your first day back. Non submission of an illness/misadventure form will result in zero award. A zero award will be recorded for not making a genuine attempt of an assessment task. An N Award warning notification will be generated for failing to make a genuine attempt at a task. Students who plagiarise from other texts or the internet will receive zero marks for the task. If a student fails to complete a task and a misadventure appeal is not upheld, the student must still make a genuine attempt at the task. They will receive zero award, but will have shown they made an attempt to meet the course requirements. FIND A COPY OF THE SCHOOL'S MISADVENTURE FORM HERE. Print and complete the form and return it to Mrs Bevin - HT English. The form requires a parent signature. The ABC’s annual Heywire competition is calling for stories by Year 10, 11 and 12 students from rural and regional Australia. Callaghan College Wallsend Campus will be entering Year 10 students who can work on and produce a personal narrative about any aspect of their life, in any format (narrative, poetry, film, photos). Text: 400 words Video: 2-4 minutes Photos: 10 images Audio: 2-4 minutes If you’re in Year 10, this is your opportunity to show the rest of Australia what life is like for young people in your part of the country. Recent units in our Year 10 curriculum, including Human Rights and Perspectives of Youth, are the perfect inspiration to get your creative juices flowing. As the English Faculty's Creative Coordinator, I will be happily mentoring and assisting any student with their ideas and submission. Submissions close Monday 16th September 2014. Miss Hancock Congratulations to our Year 9 debaters who won their first debate in the Premier's Challenge against Hunter School of the Performing Arts today. The topic was, "That contact sport should be banned for people under the age of 18". Our team took on the negative side and were extremely convincing in their well-structured arguments. A huge thank you to their coach Miss Laura Pettit. Well done team! |