Year 8 Term 1 Learning Overviews

Religious Education

Unit title: Disciples, Martyrs and witnesses to the faith

Unit Overview: Students come to an understanding of the key events and people whose influence shaped Christianity, including Paul’s role as the ‘Apostle to the Gentiles’, and they will examine the men and women who were martyred and persecuted as witnesses to the faith. Students will be challenged to reflect upon the role of the Spirit in their life and the enduring challenges for all Christians.

Unit Title: The Teachings of Jesus

Unit Overview:In this unit, students will explore further the loving relationship between God and humanity through the particular lens of Jesus’ teaching and lived example. They will examine Jesus’ use of parables to communicate an understanding of the Kingdom of God and relate it to their own lives.

Mathematics

Unit Title: Percentages & Financial Maths, Ratios and Rates and Algebraic Techniques 

Unit Overview: Students will apply percentages in a range of practical contexts, including problems related to GST, discounts and profit and loss. Students will become familiar with the concepts of ratios and rates, and apply these when solving problems. They will also review algebraic foundations and extend their skills to include substitution , factorisation  and expansion of algebraic expressions.

HSIE: Geography

Unit Title: Place and Liveability

Unit Overview: Students discuss factors that influence people’s perceptions of the liveability of places. They investigate features and characteristics of places across a range of scales that support and enhance people’s wellbeing such as community identity, environmental quality and access to services and facilities. Students assess the liveability of places and propose strategies to enhance the liveability of a place in Australia. 

HSIE: History

Unit Title: Depth Study 1: The Vikings (c. AD 790 - c. 1066) including elements of the Modern World Overview

Unit Overview: The fall of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity and Islam will be examined in relation to the impact it had on the world leading into the medieval period, and rise of the Viking Age. Students will learn who the Vikings were and where they came from. They will explore viking society and the achievements that lead to their expansion and the enormous influence they had on the development of Europe.  They played a prominent role in the 300-year period historians call the Viking Age (c.790–1066 CE). Viking religion and beliefs will be investigated. Students will learn about Viking conquests and the relationships they had with subject peoples, including monks and the Norman invasion. Students will also examine the role of a significant individual in the expansion of viking settlement and influence. They will develop an understanding of the medieval world as well as conquest and settlement.

Creative and Performing Arts

Visual Arts

Unit Title: Cubist Creations

Unit Overview: Throughout time, various artists and art movements have assisted in shaping, impacting and directing the course of art history. The work of Pablo Picasso and his influence on Cubism continues to inspire the art world today. During the course of this unit, using the Frames and Conceptual Framework, students will investigate the work of Picasso, whilst also looking at how Picasso drew from the world around him as a source of inspiration. Students will also investigate how various cultures around the world use artmaking as a part of ceremonial and everyday life. Students will engage with the medium of ceramics to create their own Cubist masks. Students will draw inspiration from the work of Pablo Picasso and African masks in order to design and construct their artworks. 

Music

Unit Title: Rock and Pop

Unit Overview: 

In this unit, students will be introduced to the genres of Rock and Pop music. Students will engage in a number of Composing, Listening, and Performing activities throughout the unit.  They will learn about the roles instruments play within these genres. They will explore the various roles on both the acoustic guitars and the keyboards through a range of repertoire and forms of musical notation, including chord charts, guitar tablature and traditional notation. Performance opportunities will allow them to develop both solo and ensemble skills.

Japanese

Unit Title: Watashi - All About Me

Unit Overview: This unit of work will provide students with a general introduction to the culture, geography and language of Japan. Students will learn basic greetings and etiquette, and develop an understanding of basic Japanese grammar and vocabulary. Through this unit they will be able to ask and answer questions associated with basic information about themselves. This unit develops students’ understanding of the Japanese language and provides an introduction for students to engage in conversations using Japanese.