Section outline

  • Term 1: Week 1















    Welcome!
    Hello and welcome 7F2! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and I can't wait to hear all about it!

    I look forward to teaching you this year as we move towards an enriching and rewarding 2020. This year, English classes will involve us getting to know each other better as well as exploring new and exciting topics. 

    Our context for this term is "Turangawaewae" - Where Do We Stand? This means investingating who we are, where we come from and embracing our place in MHJC and in the community as a whole. It is about identity and the expression of who we are becoming. 

    The overall working plan for English this term will look something like this:*

    - An introduction to formal essay writing: What do we need to work on going into E-asTTle testing at the start and end of this year? (2 WEEKS)

    - Poetry analysis and creation: A broad look at cultural poetry, an exploration of the language features and techniques used to create meaningful poetry and then a few exercises in creating poetry of our own using our new skills. (2-3 WEEKS)

    - Creative writing and reading creative pieces: An introduction to creative writing and using inspiration from the environment we live in. I will explain this in more detail in person. (4-6 WEEKS)

    - Potential Assessment for this term: An 650(MAX)word short story on a character who overcomes an issue and grows from the experience. I will likely be assessing how well you can use the conventions of story writing (what we will learn) to convey (express) an important message or moral.*

    * I take into account your opinions and interests when I design a plan for the term so if most of you would rather not do a creative short story, there will be other options we can discuss and explore. 

    Success Criteria for Term 1: We are learning to...

    1) Recognize and use the basics of formal writing:

         - Understand what PEEL paragraphs are and how to write them

        - Understand an Introduction Triangle and using it to start an essay

        - Using an Essay Checklist format 


    2) Analyse at least 3-4 different forms of cultural poetry and to determine what made the poem successful/meaningful - Specifically Maori and Pacific pieces of poetry 

    3) Understand the meaning of the author's or poet's purpose

    4) Create our own pieces of cultural poetry using the knowledge we have gained through poetry analysis

    5) Name the conventions and recognize the language features and techniques used in creative writing - using these to create our own short stories

    6) Draft short story plans and edit our own writing 


    Activities for week 1:

    Tuesday (S1) - ADMIN Day

    Thursday (S4) - Waitangi Day 

    Friday (S1) - Welcome! Introduction to English and Octagon poem activity