Year 8 Term 2 Learning Overviews

Religious Education

Unit Title: The Teachings of Jesus (continued)

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.

Unit Title: Alive In Christ

Unit Overview: Every baptised person has an ongoing responsibility to follow Jesus’ way of life in their thoughts, words and actions. In this unit students will investigate the counter-cultural nature of Jesus’ ministry and how his actions reflect the love of God. They will reflect upon the call to be an authentic witness to a life of faith.

English

Unit title: Have you go the full story

Unit overview:In this unit, students will focus on their critical thinking skills (evaluating information and arguments) in examining the news of the world, whilst also focusing on the GC citizenship (using technology for learning). Students will reflect on how they absorb information and develop skills to navigate the digital world of news. Students will undertake a critical enquiry into commonly known tales and how they have been developed for purpose. This unit will explore the concept of subjectivity and objectivity in a world of instant news as well as argument and authority within seemingly harmless texts. Students will explore how texts stage their ideas and feelings to position their audience and influence their response. Students will decide whether the ways composers represented these tales reinforce or challenge their own values and be given opportunities to critically reflect on how the unit has impacted their thinking.

Mathematics

Unit Title: Equations and Pythagoras’ Theorem

Unit Overview: Students will use their algebraic foundations and develop further skills with indices to solve linear equations. Students will use Pythagoras’ Theorem to calculate the side lengths in right angled triangles and solve related problems.

Science

Unit Title: Not So Embarrassing Bodies!

Unit Overview: Students will explore the many systems within the human body including the circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive system and excretory system, and how these systems work together to produce a multicellular organism. Students will have the opportunity to dissect some organs within these systems, to explore more closely the relationship between structure and function.

HSIE

Geography

Unit Title: Interconnections

Unit Overview: Students focus on the connections people have to places across a range of scales. They examine what shapes people’s perceptions of places and how this can influence their connections to places. Students explore how transport, information and communication technologies and trade link people to many places. They explain the effects of human activities, such as production, recreation and travel, on places and environments in Australia and across the world and investigate sustainability initiatives and possible futures for these places.

History

Unit Title: Depth Study 2: The Black Death in Asia, Europe and Africa (14th Century Plague) incorporating elements of the Modern World Overview.

Unit Overview: Students will be undertaking an in-depth investigation of the Black Death in Asia, Europe and Africa to explore the interaction of societies in this period. Students will investigate the living conditions of the 14th century, the role of expanding trade between Europe and Asia, the causes and symptoms of the black death, as well as the impact of the plague across different continents. Students will explore the Renaissance as a bridge to the modern world.

Unit Title: Depth Study 3: Japan Under the Shoguns

Unit Overview: Students learn about the way of life in Shogunate Japan, including the social, cultural and economic features of the time. They learn about the feudal system in Japan and the role of the Tokugawa Shogunate in reimposing it. Students will gain an understanding of the changing role of the Japanese Emperor during this period and the role of the Samurai.

PDHPE

Unit Title: The Risky Side, Basketball and Netball

Unit Overview: Students investigate the impact of risk taking behaviour by using the decision making model to assess risk and subsequent consequences. Students propose strategies to reduce risk and to limit their exposure to risky situations. Assertive behaviour is recognised as a valuable tool to assist in this process and students practice the communication skills required to establish and maintain respectful relationships including those required to negotiate safe intimate relationships including; consent. Within the practical component of the course students develop specialised movement skills and understanding required for net and court cames.

Course requirements:

Hat and drink bottle for all PE Lessons

Creative and Performing Arts

Visual Arts

Unit Title: Good Enough to Eat

Unit Overview: In this unit, students will explore the vibrant world of Pop Art through food! Students will journey through the colourful and captivating works of Pop Art legends Andy Warhol and Wayne Thiebaud. Students will learn to apply the style and techniques of Pop Art to works in 2D and 3D forms. Students will learn how everyday objects can be transformed into extraordinary art. Students will focus on the idea of consumerism and the elevation of mundane objects into high art through references to Warhol’s iconic soup cans and Thiebaud’s oeuvre of food related artworks like gumball machines and cakes. Students will also explore contemporary representations of everyday culinary delights through the study of sculptor Peter Anton. In the Critical/historical course students will analyse and respond to a variety of art works and complete a written analysis of a Pop Art artwork.

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.

Technologies

These Units are Semesterised: Half will do these in Semester one and the other half in Semester two.

Unit Title: Herb is the word

Unit Overview: Students will participate in a range of experiences that will develop their knowledge of food and fibre production in Australia and the importance of these industries in the Australian economy. They will develop skills in the safe preparation of food and in the growing of a food product of their choice that can be used in the creation of an individualised food product.

Students learn about nutritious food items (and recipes) suitable for adolescents that incorporate a farm to table philosophy by utilising ingredients grown by students using a home or school garden. They will develop a self-watering system for use when growing their herbs.

Unit title: Need for speed!

Unit Overview: The Engineered Systems context focuses on how force, motion and energy can be used in systems, machines and structures. Students are provided with opportunities to experiment and develop prototypes to test their solutions. They understand how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour and performance of engineered systems, machines and structures. Knowledge of these principles and systems enables the design and production of sustainable, engineered solutions. Students will have the opportunity to work in teams to plan, design, test and build a CO2 powered racer.

Japanese

Unit Title: Kazoku - My Family

Unit Overview: This unit follows on from About Me in regard to grammatical structures and syntax. Students will examine how to expand on the structures they have learnt by talking about their family and friends. More complex structures will also be examined with the use of adjectives to describe physical characteristics and personality. Students will also learn to join sentences and use conjunctions to express their ideas.

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