Art
Year 7
Students are introduced to the formal art elements and ways to integrate the design process in the creating and making of art. Using a variety of media, students are exposed to a diverse range of techniques and develop a folio of 2D and 3D work in response to specific subject matter. An integrated appreciation programme enhances understanding of artistic styles and practices.
Year 8
Students continue to extend their understanding of the design process and ways to creatively generate and manipulate image to create specific effects. Observation skills are extended and students are encouraged to advance the visual communication of their ideas through the generation of personal concepts and the refinement of visual and technical skills using a range of media.
Drama
Year 7 and Year 8
This course aims is to move beyond game-playing and improvisation into the types of activities which require greater technique and invention.
Students experience: creative movement; ensemble performance and analysis; experimentation with stereotypes; characterisation and verbal/physical expression; more complex forms of improvisation; voice control and role play. The basis for much of their improvisation and role play is their interpretation of the function of individuals within groups. They learn to observe the physical/verbal dynamic in groups more closely and use dramatic elements to express ideas and creative responses.
Geography
Year 7
There are two units of study Water in the world and Place and liveability.
Water in the world develops students’ understanding of the concept of environment, including the ideas that the environment is the product of a variety of processes, supporting and enriching human and other life. Place and liveability examines factors that influence liveability and develops students’ ability to evaluate the liveability of their own place and investigate whether it can be improved through planning.
Year 8
There are two units of study, Landforms and landscapes and Changing nations.
Landforms and landscapes examines the processes that shape individual landforms; the values, meanings, hazards and management of these and explores the significance of landscapes to people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Changing nations explores the process of urbanisation and draws on an Asian study to show how urbanisation changes the economies and societies of countries. The redistribution of population resulting from internal migration is examined through case studies of Australia and China, and is contrasted with the way international migration reinforces urban concentration in Australia.
History
Year 7
In Year 7, students develop their understanding of History through inquiry-based learning and unpack three lines of inquiry that frame their study for the semester: ‘What death teaches us about life’, ‘Out of Africa – What is a civilisation really?’ and applying their understanding of the concept of civilisation to a historical investigation into the impact and legacy of one further ancient civilisation.
Year 8
Students will investigate three thought-provoking civilisations from the end of the ancient period to the beginning of the modern period, c.650AD (CE) – 1750. Students will examine the nature of exploration in each civilisation as it leads to conflict and colonisation and go on to analyse and compare the results of encounters between the conquerors and the conquered. Students will learn to apply historical concepts and skills such as sequencing chronology, using historical sources as evidence, identifying continuity and change and analysing cause and effect. They will also explicitly develop 21st century competencies such as: critical thinking; collaboration; in-depth research and inquiry skills; innovation; and presentation skills.
Philosophy & Religious Studies
Years 7 and 8
The Middle School Philosophy and Religious Studies curriculum is grounded in three foundational areas: Introduction to Philosophy, the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, Christianity and other World Religions. Students are introduced to the academic discipline of Philosophy (from Greek philosophia, ‘love of wisdom’) by positing some of life’s big questions: what is real? what does it mean to live a good life? can I prove God’s existence?
Drawing on the great philosophers, and grounding complex concepts in contemporary culture, students are given the tools to think about thinking and consider where they fit within various ethical frameworks. Our studies of the Jewish and Christian scriptures then provide a springboard into an exploration and understanding of the Abrahamic religious traditions: Judiasm, Christianity and Islam.
Design and Technology
Year 7
This course develops understanding about materials, use of technology in design and production. Students examine the social, environmental and aesthetic effects of products, generating design solutions combining traditional design skills with that of CAD (Computer Aided Design, using computers to draw and design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing using computers and machinery to build the products). Students will experience working with computers, wood, metal, plastic, textiles and computer driven machinery.
Year 8
Students create their own design proposals, organise and implement the production process to a range of structured projects. Students consider the social and environmental implications of their actions whilst working in range of resistant materials. Considerable emphasis is given to the implementation of safe working practices whilst working with wood, metal, textiles, plastics, and the CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled: Machines run by computers such as the 3D printer, Laser cutter and Router).