Students have the opportunity to devise, interpret and perform different styles of drama to communicate meaning. They learn how to use the four expressive skills of voice, movement, gesture and facial expression to portray different characters and how to use conventions of performance styles to convey status, relationships and intentions. They use stagecraft and design elements to shape and focus relationships with an audience.

The Year 8 English Curriculum encompasses three areas of content and skills; reading and viewing, writing and speaking and listening. The explore language features, images and the ways in which vocabulary affects meaning. They explain issues and ideas from a variety of sources, analysing supporting evidence and implied meaning. They select specific details from texts to develop their own response, recognising that texts reflect different viewpoints.

Students will draw on personal knowledge, textual analysis and other sources to express or challenge a point of view. They create and analyse texts showing how language features, text structures, and images from other texts can be combined for effect. They create structured and coherent texts for a range of purposes and audiences. Students explore a range of stimulus texts, including novels, film and other print.

Food Technology at North Geelong Secondary College is a sequential program that allows students to explore food related issues through a range of practical experiences and to apply aspects of the technology process to given design briefs using different technologies. The aim of Year 8 Food Technology is to continue to develop the student’s knowledge and skills in a range of areas. These include making healthy food choices; developing management skills; as well as learning about correct food handling and processing techniques to prepare a range of simple meals (for example, drop scones, pizza, tacos and decorated mini cakes). Students will focus on the various groups of foods, their properties and how to prepare them into a meal.

Guten Tag! By Year 8 students have already gained the basic conversational German so that they can talk about themselves. Year 8 German is all about learning to talk about the world around us in German. Topic include hobbies and sports, school, birthdays and the body.

When we move into the second workbook our skills are lifted to the next level! Finally we begin to talk about going places and by the end of Year 8 students will be able to give someone directions to a place! Toll, eh? This subject is building the skills and vocabulary to tackle Year 9 German and beyond!

Bis dann!

Year 8 focuses on three phases of Physical Education. In the first semester we establish a core level of fitness with our involvement in athletics and fitness testing. In second semester the focus shifts more towards an understanding of the skills of such sports as softball, AFL and basketball.

Health is studied for one semester in Year 8 for 3 periods a week. Health at Year 8 focuses on types of communication, self-esteem, identity, type of families and relationships. We also learn all about puberty, the changes of adolescents, risk taking activities and the effects of alcohol and drugs can have on our bodies.

Running concurrently is our active involvement in interschool sport which emphasises the importance of regular participation and sportsmanship as its goals. The final unit is swimming which focuses on water safety and enjoyment in our local aquatic environments.

In Year 8 Japanese, students expand their knowledge of Japanese culture and traditions while studying topics including ‘School Life in Japan’, ‘Japanese Food’, ‘My Town’ and ‘Weather and Seasons’. They will be able to order and purchase meals, talk about their daily routines and personal preferences and ask others about theirs. Students will become more confident in reading and writing Japanese script and continue to have contact with our counterparts in Japan.

Sugoi desu ne! すごいですね！

Woodwork at Year 8 focuses on learning the basics of designing and producing small projects – which you will take home. You will work in our purpose built woodwork room where you will learn to safely use hand tools, cordless power tools and large industrial machinery to produce exceptional projects. You will learn how to use stain to change the colour of your project, burn patterns or names and spray it with glossy clear coats.

Projects include a napkin holder for outdoors and a small chest with your personal flair added.

The Year 8 mathematics course offers students the opportunity to develop their maths skills in a wide range of topics. Students will use a range of technology including calculators, graphing software and spreadsheets to facilitate their learning. The following topics are covered at Year 8:

• Number skills

• Statistics

• Measurement

• Percentages, Rates and Ratios

• Linear Relations

• Probability

• Expanding and Factorising

• Congruence

Students listen to, compose and perform music in a wide range of styles. Listening underpins all music learning. Students compose and perform music using the voice, body, instruments, found sound sources and digital technologies. As composers, they create music in different styles and forms exploring personal interests and given ideas. Students develop their ability to identify and describe aspects of the music they listen to, compose and perform through the use of the elements of music.

Have you ever wondered what the energy stars on fridges and televisions mean? How they put the sugar into your soft drink? Why water is written as H2O? In Science at Year 8, we will answer these questions and many more.

The course follows the four main studies of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth and Space Science. Projects are set to enable students to develop their research skills and extend their learning. Practical work is used every week, not only to build the students investigative skills, but to reinforce and explore the science that is being studied.

The Visual Art course is built around two strands, making and responding. Together the strands focus on a holistic approach to both creating art works and appreciating the history and culture of the Visual Arts. Students will develop knowledge, practical understanding and skills as artists and designers by making Visual Art works. They will also study a wide variety of cultural histories and contemporary perspectives in the Visual Arts. Students will engage in a number of art making activities that will utilise a wide variety of media, materials and technologies.