Westlake Boys High School

Transcription

1 Westlake Boys High School Year 9 Subject Information Booklet 2016

2 Index Full Year Courses Page English 3 Mathematics 4 Physical Education 4 Hauora 4 Science 5 Social Studies 5 Students must select a Language from the choices below: Chinese 6 French 6 German 7 Japanese 7 Te Reo Maori 8 One or Two Term Courses Art 9 Compulsory Music 9 Performing Arts Drama 10 Technology - Design & Visual Communication (DVC) 10 Technology - Electronics 11 Technology - Information & Communication Technology 11 Technology 11 Specialist Programme Music Institute 12 Music Option 13 Sports Institute 13 Support Programme ESOL 14 Learner Support 14 1

3 This subject information booklet provides a brief outline of each course offered to Year 9 students in Year Curriculum All students have a core set of compulsory subjects. These courses will run for the entire year. English Language (one of Chinese, French, German, Japanese, or Te Reo Maori) Mathematics Physical Education Social Studies Science Hauora A further set of compulsory subjects will run as either one term or two term courses. Art Computing Electronics Design & Visual Communication (DVC - Graphics) Technology Music Performing Arts Gifted and Talented Programmes Gifted and Talented Programmes are available in Academia, Music and Sport as part of the curriculum. Extension classes are run in English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science. The programme enriches and extends the students in each of the core subjects. Initial selection band is through the entrance tests which all Year 8 students sit in October Places will be confirmed as a result of the mid year reclassification examinations. All A Band students must select two Languages. Students select one language from two of the groups below: Group A: Chinese or Japanese Group B: French or German Group C: Te Reo Maori Students who select the full year Music course or who gain entry into the Music Institute or Sports Institute will select ONE language only. Mr A Reed 2

4 FULL YEAR COURSES ENGLISH To explore, understand, use and respond to oral, written and visual language effectively. To develop critical thinking and information processing skills. Students learn to use and respond to English language and literature through personal reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and presenting. This occurs both individually and in group situations. Texts include novels, non-fiction, poetry and short stories. Students also study film, static images, public speaking, Shakespearean drama and creative and formal writing. A thematic teaching approach is used for some parts of the course. Regular, formative in-class assessment and standards-based assessment. Common tasks/tests, mid-year and end of year exams. Miss J Thew Mathematics To consolidate the existing Mathematics knowledge of the students and prepare their foundations for the senior school courses and assessments. The content of this course aims to reinforce and enhance students Mathematical skills. Using a mix of both traditional and various electronic devices, students will focus on key Mathematical skills in areas such as Number work, Geometry, Measurement, Data Handling, Algebra and Problem Solving. Students will be required to work both individually as well as collaboratively depending upon the task at hand. Class tests on content and method using both calculator and noncalculator approaches. Mid year and end of year exams. Mr S King 3

5 Physical Education To develop knowledge and understanding of skills and attitudes needed to enhance and maintain personal health and well-being, through: Developing movement skills and a positive attitude to physical activity and health. Understanding movement is integral to human expression and that it can contribute to people s pleasure and enhance their lives. Enhancing social interactions, key competencies, communication and relationship skills with and between peers and staff. Participating in the creation of healthy communities and safe environments by taking responsible and critical action. The course covers ball skills, movement patterns and striking skills through both traditional sports such as Basketball and Football as well as newer activities to our programme such as Ultimate Frisbee and Maori games. Lessons focus on students ability to play, understand, improve and organise themselves and others, in a variety of individual and group contexts. Developing wellbeing and key competencies is central to the course. Health Education covers a range of topics and issues appropriate to the need of the students and aligned closely with the national curriculum. A variety of practical skills assessments, assignments, fitness appraisals and a Level 1 Achievement Standard. Mr C Meredith Hauora For students to develop an understanding of themselves as New Zealanders and as citizens of the world: To improve students sense of wellbeing. To develop students understanding of their own bodies and minds and what it means to be healthy individuals. To develop students understanding of their own identities and the identities of others. The course covers a wide range of subjects, including the full health curriculum. Students will have the opportunity to learn about their bodies and about how to keep themselves healthy in body and mind as young people and as they get older. They will have the chance to explore their identities as individuals and as members of the community. There is no formal assessment in Year 9 Hauora, although NCEA standards will be offered in Year 10. 4

6 Science To develop an understanding of, and to explore, the nature of science in a range of contexts. Science involves people investigating, explaining, and understanding our natural, physical, and material world as well as the wider universe. It involves generating and testing ideas, gathering evidence, carrying out investigations and communicating and debating with others in order to develop scientific knowledge, understanding, and explanations. Students will explore how both the natural, physical, and material worlds and science itself work so that they can participate as critical, informed, and responsible citizens in a society in which science plays a significant role. Students study two topics in each of the following areas of science: The Living World, Material World and the Physical World, as well as Astronomy. Skills and knowledge based assessments in the form of End of Topic tests, mid-year exam and end of year exam. All bands study the same content, and sit the same common tests. The top A band class will do an extended investigation. Mrs C Phillips Social Studies Through the Social Sciences, students develop the knowledge and skills to enable them to: better understand, participate in and contribute to the local, national and global communities in which they live and work; engage critically with societal issues; and evaluate the sustainability of alternative social, economic, political and environmental practices. Students study a range of topics to prepare them for further studies in the Social Sciences: these include Medieval and modern society, global environments and conflicts, New Zealand history and culture, as well as a unit on Economics. Regular, formative in-class and summative in-class assessment. Common assessment tasks. Mid year and end of year exams. Ms N Leighton and Mr N Sullivan 5

7 Languages All students will select ONE language from Chinese, German, French, Maori or Japanese. All Language courses run for a full year. Chinese This course is designed for students who have no prior learning of Chinese. The aim is to develop students' speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in Chinese, as well as cultural awareness and understanding. Language: Culture: Greetings Numbers and counting Time and date Family and pets Describing people Classroom Houses and rooms Food, shopping and money Food & dumpling making Calligraphy One child policy School life Travel in China Regular unit tests, written assignments and online projects. Mid year and end of year exams. Ms T Kwok French Introduction to French language, life and culture. Students will be able to ask and answer a variety of personal questions. They will develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in French as well as experiencing and appreciating French culture. Language: Culture: Greetings Geography/maps Numbers Food, including bakery days Weeks/months/date School life & culture Personal information & interests Cooking Pets & family Music Weather Travelling in France House & home Regular vocabulary tests, end of module assessments, plus Mid-Year and End of year exams. Ms A Kerbellec 6

8 German Introduction to German language, life and culture. Students will be able to ask and answer a variety of personal questions. They will develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in German as well as experiencing and appreciating German culture. Language: Culture: Greetings Numbers Weeks/months/date Personal information & interests Pets & family Weather House & home Geography/maps Food, including bakery days Cooking Music Travelling in Germany School Life and Culture Regular vocabulary tests, end of module assessments, plus Mid-Year and End of year exams. Ms C Bader Japanese Introduction to Japanese language, life and culture. Students will develop basic listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in Japanese. Language: Culture: Hiragana Origami Greetings Geography/maps Numbers Food Days, dates, times, age Calligraphy Weather Other traditional aspects Countries / nationalities In the classroom Going places Food and drink Family, home Sports and hobbies Likes & dislikes Regular tests and assignments. Mid-year and end of year exams. Dr Ai-Hsin Ho 7

9 Te Reo Maori To introduce students to Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori Māori language and customs. The course will enable them to: develop competencies in aural, oral, reading and writing Te Reo Māori gain an understanding of Tikanga Māori various Māori customs such as whanaungatanga (family), manaakitanga (fostering) and wairuatanga (spirituality) Students learn to read, write and speak about various situations pertaining to family, school, home, greetings and general tasks Regular vocabulary tests. End of module assessments. Mid year and end of year exams. Mr H Te Wano 8

10 ONE OR TWO TERM COURSES All students will study the following courses: Art Two Terms Students will develop skills in visual perception and aesthetics. They will learn how to think creatively in order to develop, communicate and express their ideas. They will learn skills in observation, critical thinking and visual analysis. Students will learn core skills needed to generate their own artwork by using drawing and either painting or sculpture. They will learn how to respond to the artwork of others and begin to understand the importance of art in their culture and society. The report mark includes drawing tests, classwork and homework. Mr M Masterton Compulsory Music One Term This is an introductory Music course, designed to encourage discriminate use of Music in everyday life. A study of sound through listening, aural analysis, and performance. Ongoing internal assessment Mr W Robinson 9

11 Performing Arts Drama One Term To give students an introduction to Drama and the theatre. To encourage participation in a practical subject. Basic principles of space, movement and voice. Some theatre sports, improvisation and team-work and an introduction to stage design, lighting and sound. This is a completely practical course. On-going in-class performance assessment Mr N Brown Technology Design & Visual Communication (DVC Graphics) Two Terms DVC is a recognised subject in preparation for study in a wide variety of design areas which can lead to Product and Media Design, Engineering, Architecture and Landscape Design plus many others. This course prepares students with Technical Drawing, freehand sketching and rendering presentation skills for higher learning. Students learn formal technical drawing skills as well as freehand sketching along with the use of various kinds of media and presentation skills for product design. Design is a major part of DVC and students work through design tasks to solve problems with consideration given to function and aesthetics. This includes three design briefs based on the design process. Regular, formative assessment of class and homework will be taken and design briefs will be assessed for report marks. Miss S Stewart 10

12 Technology Electronics Two Terms To raise students' level of capability and awareness of Electronics in their lives. Students solve problems through information gathering, design, applied skills and evaluation and gain an understanding of basic electronic components. Regular in-class assessment. No formal examination. Mr C Clark Technology Information and Communication Technology Two Terms Students will learn practical, life-long skills enabling them to make use of ICT to research and present their work in other subjects. Presentation Software, Spreadsheets, Desktop Publishing, Using the Internet and an introduction to programming. In-class assessment. No formal examination. Ms J Wilkinson Technology Two Terms For students to understand the impact of technology in their lives. Provide a structure for students to think creatively and understand the process of product development. Students work through the design and make process to solve problems and learn basic hand skills in order to manufacture products. Regular in-class assessment. No formal examination. Mr C Clark 11

13 SPECIALIST COURSES At the time of enrolment, students can select these courses: Music and Music Institute Year 9 students have the option of selecting a full year course in Music. All students enrolled in this course will be auditioned and tested at the beginning of the year and then streamed into either Year 9 Option Music or Year 9 Music Institute depending on ability and prior experience. The audition for Music Institute will involve the student playing a piece of music on their main instrument. The test will involve basic written music theory. The full year Option Music course is open to any student who wishes to work on instrumental performance and composition. Places in the Music Institute course are limited to the most advanced players with prior musical experience of at least three years. All students opting for the full year music course should complete a Music enrolment form at the time of enrolment. Mr W Robinson Music Institute This course is part of the Gifted and Talented Programme. Students must apply and trial to gain entry into this course. Full year To offer more advanced opportunities for our most talented musicians. Entry is by application and audition in October of the previous year. Selected students will have a programme of performance and composition working at individual levels of expertise. Aural, theory and history are also covered to 5 th form level. Performance and composition 45%, history (exams 10% and assignments 15%). Theory and aural 30% exams. Mr W Robinson 12

14 Music Option Students must apply for this course when they enrol. Full year To prepare a broad skill base for future senior Music study and to offer more advanced opportunities for our most talented musicians. Entry is by application at the time of enrolment (candidates for the Music Institute are taken from within this cohort of applicants to the Music Option course). Students will have a programme of performance and composition working at individual levels of expertise on their instrument of choice. In addition, students are introduced to basic keyboard and guitar skills, aural, theory and history. More advanced students work at a faster pace through the Music Institute course. Performance and composition 40%, history (exams 10% and assignments 15%). Theory and aural 35% exams. Mr W Robinson Sports Institute The Sports Institute is an exciting programme for our talented young sportsmen. We offer the following sports: Basketball, Cricket, Hockey, Football and Rugby. Students must apply to be part of the Sports Institute - a separate application form must be completed. A trial is run for all sports after the ballot is held to select the students for each of the codes. The date for the trials is Wednesday 21 st October Mr R Taylor Sports Institute Full year To enhance the level of performance from a selected group of talented young sportsmen and expose boys to quality coaching. Each sport provides a practical programme which covers all training areas of their sport. In 2016 the Year 9 Sports Institute programme includes the following sports: Rugby, Football, Basketball, Cricket and Hockey. Mid-year skills/practical assessment and end of year exam skills/practical assessment. Mr A McBride 13

15 SUPPORT COURSES English Language Programme Students from a second language background can access extra language and curriculum support from the ESOL Department instead of choosing a language. The team in the ESOL Department provides specialised support for boys who have difficulty in English and with the language demands in other subjects. Students are tutored in language comprehension and literacy strategies as well as vocabulary and essay writing. The programme is designed to provide cross curricular support for students from second language backgrounds. ESOL (English as a Second Language) Full year Students will progress to full English courses when they prove that they have the ability to do so and with the approval of the HOF of English. To improve students' reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in English. To develop students' critical thinking. To strengthen students' understanding of New Zealand history, geography and culture. Students read a wide range of texts including novels, short stories, poetry, newspaper articles and non-fiction. Writing genres include Information Text, Formal Letter Writing, Procedural Writing and Transactional Writing. Other topics are Static Image, Speech, Film Study and Advertisement. Weekly spelling test, regular in-class assessment, mid-year and end of year examinations. Mr D Syme Learner Support Where students need help from the Learner Support Department to catch up on essential skills, they will not be required to select a language. The team in the Learner Support Department provides specialised support for boys who have difficulty in English and Mathematics. They provide small group tutoring in Literacy, Mathematics and reader/writer support for boys who have a documented learning difficulty. Teacher Aides are also available to support boys in the classroom where appropriate. Mr T Strydom 14