Kiama High School
Year 8 Content and text requirements overview
1. Each student in Year 8 should experience a close study of at least:
 Stories/novels/works from one writer
- a wide range of poetry
 Radio as media
- a variety of non-fiction text
 A range of short stories
- an introduction to Shakespeare
 A genre study
- a wide range of humour.
2. In each year students should study examples of:
 Spoken texts
 Print texts
 Visual texts
 Media & multimedia such as radio, TV, newspapers, CD Rom, Internet.
3. Students should have experience of:
 Aboriginal culture/experiences
 Culturally diversity
 Literature from other times and places
 Variety of cultures e.g. pop culture, youth culture
 Picture books
 Everyday texts
 Variety of perspectives i.e. social, gender, cultural.
4. Use a journal to reflect on their learning.
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Page 1 of 7
Modules to be covered in Year 8 Semester 1
Modules
Focus Outcomes
Composing and responding
1. Tell me a story (short stories)
4, 2, 6





imaginative writing
narrative writing
paragraphing
writing from another perspective
comprehension
2. Fantasy - genre study
1, 2, 5, 6, 3





narrative writing
graphs - visual
rhyming poetry
radio interviews
debating
3. To hear or not to hear - radio
3, 4, 8, 7

composing and conducting a
radio interview
researching an aspect of radio
writing from a viewpoint
summarising



4. Oz in poetry - poetry
1, 5, 7, 10




Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
transformation of poetry into rap
analysing
themes
language techniques in poetry
critical analysis
Page 2 of 7
Modules to be covered in Year 8 Semester 2
Modules
Focus Outcomes
Composing and responding
1. Shakin’ all over – introduction to
Shakespeare
1, 3, 4, 5




researching
creating a 3D image
summarising
analysing critically
2. Laughing all the way – humour
1, 2, 6





viewing
writing satire
performing parody
listening
presenting in PowerPoint
3. As it really happened – nonfiction
1, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11






summarising
descriptive writing
comprehension
poetry writing
critical analysis
imaginative/sympathetic/empathetic
writing
4. Close encounter of one kind – close
study of an author
1, 3, 9, 11






researching
analytical reading
prepared speeches
creative drama
re-interpretation of texts
radio interview
Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Page 3 of 7
Scope & sequence
Semester 1
Semester 2
Tell me a story
Shakin’ all over
Rubric – a wide experience of stories from picture books to
Aboriginal stories to express the wide range of contexts.
Rubric – an introduction to Shakespeare and Elizabethan
England using excerpts from Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth and
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Learning experiences
 reading and responding to picture books, Aboriginal
stories and culturally diverse texts
 examining the structure of the narrative
 revisiting paragraphing and syntax
 three level questioning
 developing skills e.g. vocabulary, language
techniques
 composing - imaginative writing from another
perspective
Language modes
Reading, writing, listening
Content and Text Requirements
Aboriginal experiences, cultural heritages, gender
perspectives
Duration - five weeks
Learning experiences
 introducing Elizabethan England through artwork,
video excerpts e.g. Robin Hood
 introducing Shakespeare and The Globe Theatre
 understanding the staging of a Shakespeare play
and the problems associated with this
 researching one aspect of Shakespeare and his time
e.g. dress, architecture, weaponry
 developing understanding of the levels of humour
used by Shakespeare
 creating a mini Globe Theatre
 reading and responding to short excerpts of
Shakespeare
 examining themes, dramatic techniques used by
Shakespeare
Language modes
Reading, writing, speaking
Content and Text Requirements
Cultural heritages, literature from other times, a range of
social, gender and cultural perspectives
Duration - five Weeks
Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Page 4 of 7
Fantasy
Laughing all the way
Rubric – exploration of a range of fantasy from different
parts of the world. Students will be focusing on prejudice.
Rubric – exposure to and enjoyment of a wide range of
different forms of humour such as The Simpsons, cartoons
and radio and transforming their knowledge into new texts.
Learning experience
 reading and responding to a variety of fantasy texts
 building on knowledge of language features, form
and structure of fantasy texts
 composing narrative texts to communicate ideas
effectively
 using visual means to explore ideas, issues and
themes e.g. plot graphs
 exploring poetic features such as rhyme and rhythm
 developing speaking skills through radio interviews
and debating
Learning experiences
 viewing and responding to The Simpsons
 examining the language structure of humour
 viewing All Aussie Adventures and discussion of an
Australian identity
 building on prior knowledge of humour through
interpreting cartoons, such as Road Runner
 listening to current humour on the radio e.g. Triple J
and responding to the type of humour used
 introduction of satire and parody and how these are
crucial to their understanding of humour
 developing and representing a storyboard in a
PowerPoint production
Language Modes
Writing, reading, speaking, listening
Language Modes
Writing, speaking, listening, reading
Content and Text Requirements
Literature from other countries and times, cultural heritages,
a range of cultural perspectives
Content and Text Requirements
Media and multimedia texts, Australian texts, popular
cultures
Duration – five weeks
Duration – five weeks
Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Page 5 of 7
Semester I
Semester 2
To hear or not to hear
As it really happened
Rubric – responding critically to a wide range of radio
texts in order to develop listening and speaking skills
Rubric – wide reading of a variety of non-fiction texts such as
documentaries, and diary entries to expose students to the
ideas of sympathy and empathy
Learning experiences
 develop understanding of the different purposes Learning experience
and audiences of radio
 building on knowledge of language, forms and features of
nonfiction tests
 examining aspects of radio e.g. talkback,
community radio and commercial radio
 examining themes and issues arising from personal
experience
 examining and responding to bias in radio –
point of view, shaping of public opinion and
 how perspective is formed and shaped through personal
advertising commitments.
experience
 comparing and contrasting different coverages of
 develop an understanding of sympathy and empathy
the same story
 compose texts that reflect personal experience linked to
 compose and conduct a radio interview for a
their world
specific audience and purpose
 accessing the internet to expand their knowledge of
 researching one aspect of radio, such as
famous people
advertising, music style, language style
Language modes
Language modes
Writing, speaking, reading
Listening, writing, speaking
Content and Text Requirements
Content and Text Requirements
Nonfiction
A range of social, gender and cultural perspectives;
everyday texts, multimedia texts, popular cultures
Cross-curriculum Content
Difference and Diversity, Aboriginal and Indigenous, Gender
Duration – five weeks
Duration – five weeks
Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Page 6 of 7
Semester 1
Semester 2
Oz in poetry
Close encounter of one kind
Rubric – expanding student knowledge of Australian
poetry, especially Aboriginal poetry and deconstruct poetry
into its various forms and features.
Rubric – close study of an author through selected
readings and extensive research
Learning experiences
 reading and responding to poems for enjoyment,
understanding and interpretation
 investigating the ideas, issues and values of the poet
by analysis of poems
 listening to recorded poems
 modelling of poetic forms, features and terms e.g.
similes, metaphors, parody
 re-interpretation of a favorite poem in song form e.g.
rap
 performance of song to class
Language modes
Reading, writing, speaking, listening
Content and Text Requirements
Texts that give insight into Aboriginal experiences, cultural
heritages, a range of cultural perspectives, poetry
Duration
5 Weeks
Learning experience
 responding and analyzing to variety of texts from one
author
 revising language forms and techniques which shape
the text
 composing a speech linking own experiences to
texts
 accessing various sources such as internet, articles,
books in order to compile a research portfolio on the
author
 develop a dramatic performance re-interpreting one
aspect of a text
 composing a radio interview with their author for a
specific audience
Language modes
Reading, writing, speaking, listening
Content and Text Requirements
Multimedia, nonfiction
Cross-curriculum Content
Difference and Diversity
Duration – five weeks
Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Page 7 of 7