Year 8 Course Information

The College Timetable

The timetable will consist of 5 lessons per day in a 10 day cycle.

Each lesson will be 60 minutes.

Year 8 Curriculum Structure Table

The Table shows the allocation of the 50 lessons available per cycle for Year 8 students.

Year 8 Studies

Religious Education

(Prescribed study)

Marist-Sion College is inspired by the traditions of the Marist Brothers and the Sisters of Sion in its commitment to providing an education which integrates faith, learning and life in a welcoming community. The College affirms and promotes a Christian philosophy which values a faith-centred approach to life and upholds the uniqueness, integrity and dignity of all those involved in its community life. The Religious Education program is the formal and most obvious means by which this philosophy is passed on to our students and is an integral part of the College curriculum. Our students are invited to put faith into action, value learning for life and flourish as people. Religious Education at Year 8 level is studied in accordance with the Curriculum of the Diocese of Sale, by focusing on four content strands: Triune God, Life and Mission of Jesus, A Sacramental Church, and Christian Life and Catholic Social Teaching. Alongside the academic content, students are also given opportunities to broaden their own faith experience and to experience prayer, liturgy and reflective activities.

English

(Prescribed study)

The study of English is central to the learning and development of all young Australians. It helps create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens. At Year 8, students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view, interpret, evaluate and perform a range of spoken, written and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These include various types of media texts including newspapers, magazines and digital texts, early adolescent novels, non-fiction, poetry and dramatic performances. Students develop their understanding of how texts, including media texts, are influenced by context, purpose and audience. Students create a range of informative and persuasive types of texts, for example narratives, performances, reports and discussions and are beginning to create literary analyses and transformations of texts.

Humanities

(Prescribed studies in Humanities - Geography and History)

Geography

In Year 8, Geography students examine the processes that influence the characteristics of places. They consider spatial distributions and patterns and their implications and consider interconnections between and within places and changes resulting from these. This further develops their understanding of geographical concepts, including place, space and interconnections.

Students’ conceptual thinking is developed through two sub-strands:

• Landforms and Landscapes

• Changing Nations

History

In Year 8, students study the period from the end of the ancient history period to the beginning of the modern period, spanning between c. 476 – 1750 CE. This time period is one where major civilisations around the world encountered each other, seeing great changes and challenges to the social, economic, religious and political beliefs. The significance of this period and the ideologies and events within, pave the way for the modern world to begin to take shape. Topics investigated include Europe in the Middle Ages, the Vikings, Renaissance in Italy, European exploration and the conquest of the Americas.

Health and Physical Education

(Prescribed studies in Health and Physical Education and Sport)

Health and Physical Education

The Year 8 Health and Physical Education program aims to develop students' knowledge, understanding and skills in order to strengthen their sense of self and to build and manage satisfying relationships. The program provides opportunities for students to explore various topics, such as nutrition, social and mental health, decision making and health promoting strategies. Students will also develop and use critical inquiry skills to research and analyse the knowledge of the field and to understand the influences on their own and others' health, safety and wellbeing.

House Sport

The Year 8 Sport program at Marist-Sion provides opportunities for students to develop their physical, social and emotional health, through participating in various individual and group sports and recreational activities. The program aims to provide students with the tools and strategies to improve their own health and fitness, whilst empowering them to take responsibility for their own wellbeing and performance; now and into the future.

Languages

(Prescribed studies in Japanese)

The Year 8 Japanese curriculum enables students to further develop their language skills, acquiring new grammatical structures, expressions and vocabulary and learning how to write the Japanese script katakana and some kanji. Students become confident and able to express themselves on a range of topics including food, sports and hobbies, school life, making comparisons between Japan and Australia. A focus on the acquisition of cultural knowledge remains central to all Japanese classes.

Mathematics

(Prescribed studies in Mathematics)

The students in Year 8 work with integers, fractions, percentages, decimals, measurement and geometry, algebra, rates and ratios, equations, inequations, linear graphs, statistics and probability. Through the use of an explicit teaching and differential model, the students work through problems based on the topic areas to develop the mathematical proficiency of understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning. All students will develop their independent learning skills and habits including
meta-cognition and knowing when and how to request assistance.

Science

(Prescribed studies in Science and Digital Technologies)

Science

The Science curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of important scientific concepts and processes, the practices used to develop scientific knowledge, the contribution of science to our culture and society and its applications in our lives. The curriculum supports students to develop the scientific knowledge, understandings and skills through their studies of: Biology (the study of cells as the basic structure of living things with specialised structure and function, and of body systems including the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems); Chemistry (understanding the states of matter, the differences between elements, chemicals and mixtures and the formation of new substances through chemical change); Earth and Space Science (the study of the rock cycle and the formation of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks) and Physics (the study of different types of energy including light and sound).

Digital Technologies

The Digital Technologies curriculum enables students in Years 7 and 8 to gain understanding of digital solutions. It provides practical opportunities for students to explore ‘block based coding’ using visual computer programming techniques, to systematically and innovatively transform data into digital solutions.

The Arts

(Prescribed Studies in Performing Arts and the Visual Arts)

Performing Arts

Music

This subject outlines the History of Rock from the 1950s until present day. Students sing and play music in different styles and use music terminology, demonstrating listening, technical and expressive skills, performing with accuracy and expression for audiences. They use evidence from listening and analysis to interpret, rehearse and perform songs.

Drama

Students will be introduced to different techniques across the Junior level that will eventually equip them with the knowledge and skills required at higher levels. They will complete a range of tasks aimed at enhancing their skills in team building and working collaboratively with others. A range of stimulus will be given to students, allowing them to analyse and reflect on their drama work. This allows for personal and community reflective learning. The main practical techniques that Year 8 Drama students will be taught are expressive skills, movement, voice, focus and active participation.

Visual Arts

Visual Art

With a focus on 2D artwork, students will use a variety of media, materials and technologies. Students will experiment with imaginative and innovative ways of using contemporary and traditional skills, techniques and processes. Students will cover the dimensions of creating and making, and exploring and responding. Students will learn and explore a range of art forms. Areas studied in this Unit: Lino Printing, Painting, Drawing and Digital Art.

Technology

(Prescribed Studies in Food, Materials Technology and Textiles)

Food Technology

Students analyse how characteristics and properties of food determine preparation techniques and presentation when creating solutions for healthy eating. They will effectively and safely use a broad range of materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to produce design solutions. The course follows the independent development of criteria for success to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions and their sustainability.

Materials Technology

Students will expand on the experience and learning from Year 7 by creating designed solutions across a range of technologies contexts. They develop criteria for success, including sustainability considerations, and use these to judge the suitability of their ideas and designed solutions and processes. They create and adapt design ideas, make considered decisions and communicate to different audiences. They achieve this by using appropriate technical terms and a range of technologies and graphical representation techniques. Students apply project management skills and document using project plans to manage production processes. They independently and safely produce effective design solutions for the intended purpose.

Textiles

Students apply their newly learned hand and machine sewing skills in a creative manner to produce individualised work that experiments with a range of fabrics and materials, dyeing and stencilling. Alongside this, students complete a workbook to familiarise themselves with terminology and an understanding of how textiles are used in everyday living situations.