Year 8

Introduction to the study of Dance as a Performing Art: technique, performance, composition and appreciation as an audience.

If you have ever wanted to learn how to dance, this is your opportunity! By the end of year 8, students will have the chance to learn various styles of dance including Hip Hop, Contemporary and Cultural Dance. Through practical workshops and theoretical lessons students will:

• Apply the “Elements of Dance” and choreographic devices to create their own compositions in groups
• Evaluate how different cultures from around the world and throughout time communicate and express themselves through Dance
• Analyse Dance company performances to identify how technical and production elements create aesthetic appeal
• Perform their own choreographed sequences and learn the technical and expressive skills appropriate to various dance styles

ASSESSMENT

Participation in workshops, group composition tasks, performance, process journal and written reports using IBMYP criteria aligned with the Australian curriculum.

By the end of Year 8, students will have explored mime, voice, improvisation and movement in a practical learning environment. They will also be introduced to the technical side of theatre and gain a basic insight into stagecraft elements such as lighting, sound, costume and set design. Students will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge in drama to make and perform. They will also explore different cultures, times and places and communicate their understandings through drama. Students will collaborate with one another to devise, interpret and perform drama. Students will manipulate the elements of drama, narrative and structure to express and communicate meaning. They will apply different performance styles and conventions to convey status, relationships and intention. Performance skills and design elements will be applied to shape and focus theatrical effect for an audience.

ASSESSMENT

Workshops, mime, improvisation, performance, written reviews, reflective journals and written reports using IBMYP criteria aligned with the Australian curriculum.

Media arts involves creating representations of the world and telling stories through communications technologies such as television, film, video, newspapers, radio, video games, the internet and mobile media. Media arts connects audiences, purposes and ideas, exploring concepts and viewpoints through the creative use of materials and technologies.

Students will develop their knowledge of how ideas and intentions are communicated through media arts. They will build on and refine their knowledge, understanding and skills through media arts practices such as film and photography.

ASSESSMENT

Finished Media Arts works and process journal, folio of skill development on Photoshop and Adobe Creative Cloud, and written reviews using IBMYP criteria aligned with the Australian curriculum.

Music in Year 8 provides an opportunity to explore and play a variety of musical instruments through practical workshops and equips students with the fundamentals of music theory and history. A range of music technology is used as a part of the composition component of the course and students will enjoy the satisfaction of creating their own pieces. Students will also have the opportunity to rehearse and perform songs as a class and in small groups. This course caters for students of all ability levels and experience.

Instrumental lessons are provided to all music students for a variety of instruments free of charge. These lessons will take place within school hours and are required to support students with the practical component of the course. If a student is already receiving lessons privately, school based instrumental lessons are not necessary.

ASSESSMENT

Participation in group composition tasks, performances, tests and written assignments using IBMYP criteria and aligned with the Australian curriculum.

Students explore how Artists communicate.

Knowing: the Elements of Art, artworks from different cultures/times/places, communication techniques.

Developing Skills: using a range of media- painting, drawing, mixed media, printing. Exploring techniques and processes.

Thinking Creatively: plan their art making in response to exploration of techniques, and creating meaning.

Reflecting: responding to artist’s works, and their own works.

ASSESSMENT

Finished art pieces, written and oral responses that demonstrate a student’s specialized vocabulary, IBMYP process journal.

NOTE: This subject is chosen as 1 Term elective.  Two Terms of Arts Electives build a Semester of Art in Year 8. Students must choose two different electives with two reserve choices.

The course develops familiarity with a range of materials, tools, machines and processes as well as skills in design, problem solving, decision-making, researching and the application of information.

Students are given experience in working with various materials and systems (wood, metal, plastics, electrical circuits and Computer Aided Design). Students design and make projects as well as learning about tools, processes, materials and electricity. Working cooperatively and safely is emphasised.

ASSESSMENT

Students are assessed in the areas of the design cycle, practical skills and knowledge as well as environmental concerns and safety.

Digital Technologies empowers students to shape change by influencing how contemporary and emerging information systems and practices are applied to meet current and future needs.

This subject is an integrated approach to teaching technology. The Digital Technologies Curriculum is introduced to students via the following:

· Block Coding using Web-based Learning Tools – code.org

· General-purpose Programming Language – Python

· Pseudo Code – Plain English planning using both Written & Graphical means

· Data & Networks – Binary Code & Data Transfer within Networks

ASSESSMENT

Students will be assessed using the ‘Design Cycle’ approach to projects, design, make, evaluate using IB

The main two areas of study are:

Food: Students are introduced to issues related to safety and hygiene in the food area. Fundamental food preparation techniques are used during practical lessons to design, plan and produce quality healthy lunches and incorporate principles of the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

Textiles:  Students will have the opportunity to use appropriate techniques and sewing machine equipment to create a textile item. They will learn compare and evaluate similar textile products, draw patterns, concepts and design as well as an appreciation of textiles and its uses.

ASSESSMENT
Assessment in each area is based on the Design Cycle using IB Criteria:

• Inquiring and analysing
• Developing Ideas
• Creating the solution
• Evaluating

Assessment Types include:

Assessment tasks, practical work and analysis of work completed

In Year 8 English, students will read, view and analyse a range of texts eg Poetry, Prose, Drama, Visual, Short Pieces, Multimedia and Electronic texts

Listen to, evaluate and produce a range of spoken texts, eg Anecdotes, Debates, Multimedia Presentations, Poetry Performances, Formal Speeches and Social Issue Reports

Compose a range of texts – written and multimedia for particular audiences, purposes and contexts.

The nature of the texts students study and produce will become more complex from Year 8 to Year 9. There will always be an emphasis on exploring issues relevant to adolescents and an approach that allows students to engage with aspects of our society including its diverse cultural aspects. At each year level, students will develop skills in understanding the language of different texts and acquire strategies to help them compose their own texts.

ASSESSMENT

Students will be assessed according to the International Baccalaureate Assessment Criteria and will:

• Listen to spoken texts, examine spoken texts and produce spoken texts
• Read and view texts
• Compose written and multimedia texts
• Engage in associated language activities.

In year 8 students will study one semester of History and one semester of Geography:

History: The course consists of an overview and 3 in-depth studies. Students will study the Ancient to the Modern World (c.650 – c.1750) including Medieval History, Feudal Japan and the Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs. A strong emphasis will be placed on bringing history alive and examining relevancy of how the past informs the present.

Geography: The course adopts an inquiry-based approach to Landscapes and Personal and Community Geographies. A strong emphasis will be placed on the interactivity of geography and the way we live in and with the world.

ASSESSMENT

Students will be assessed according to the International Baccalaureate Assessment Criteria and will complete Source and Data Analyses, Investigative reports, Immersive Assignments, Imaginative and Analytical Essays, Visual and Oral Presentations.

“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.” – Flora Lewis (Journalist)

Speaking another language is possible for everyone!  This course provides opportunities for students to further develop their confidence and fluency in Indonesian through a range of topics that build on their previous year’s learning. Prior knowledge of the language is valued but not essential, with a range of language-learner backgrounds and experience being catered for.

Students’ increase their ability to speak, listen, read, and write in Indonesian, as well as their skills in English and problem-solving.  This strengthens and reinforces learning from their other subjects.

A variety of cultural experiences are also provided which, along with their language skills, create inter-cultural competence for our learners – a highly sought-after attribute in the world today.

 ASSESSMENT

Students will be assessed using the IBMYP Criteria in the following areas:

• Comprehending spoken and visual text
• Comprehending written and visual text
• Communicating in response to spoken, written and visual text
• Using language in spoken and written form

In Year 8 Mathematics, students solve everyday problems involving rates, ratios and percentages. They describe index laws and apply them to whole numbers. They describe rational and irrational numbers. Students solve problems involving profit and loss. They make connections between expanding and factorising algebraic expressions. Students solve problems relating to the volume of prisms. They make sense of time duration in real applications. They identify conditions for the congruence of triangles and deduce the properties of quadrilaterals. Students model authentic situations with two-way tables and Venn diagrams. They choose appropriate language to describe events and experiments. They explain issues related to the collection of data and the effect of outliers on means and medians in that data.

Students use efficient mental and written strategies to carry out the four operations with integers. They simplify a variety of algebraic expressions. They solve linear equations and graph linear relationships on the Cartesian plane. Students convert between units of measurement for area and volume. They perform calculations to determine perimeter and area of parallelograms, rhombuses and kites. They name the features of circles and calculate the areas and circumferences of circles. Students determine the probabilities of complementary events and calculate the sum of probabilities.

CONTENT

The following topics provide the framework for learning in Year 8 Mathematics:

• Integers and Indices
• Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
• Rates and Ratios
• Algebra
• Measurement
• Statistics and Probability
• Linear Graphs and Equations
• Geometric Reasoning

ASSESSMENT
Evidence of student achievement will be gathered through tests, investigations and other assessment tasks.

In semester 1 students will complete a research task on integers and indices and how this relates to units of temperature, represent statistical data using fractions, decimals and percentages, and use algebra to calculate doses of medicine to be administered at different ages. Students will be tested on their knowledge and understanding of integers and indices, fractions, decimals and percentages, and algebra.

In semester 2 students will complete a research investigation into the value of pi. They will also be tested on their knowledge and understanding of measurement, statistics and probability, linear graphs, and ratio and rates.

Students are assessed against the IB MYP Science assessment criteria:

Criteria A: Knowing and understanding

Criteria B: Investigating patterns

Criteria C: Communicating

Criteria D: Applying mathematics in real-life contexts.

The Healthy Lifestyle unit of Physical and Health Education is a compulsory curriculum for one semester for all Year 8 students at Le Fevre High School. Students will continue to build on leisure and social knowledge, understanding of movement skills and take positive action to enhance their own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing. Students will continue a semester of compulsory Health and Physical Education in Years 9 and 10 as well as have the opportunity for further Physical Education experience by selecting an additional elective semester of Physical Education in Years 8 to 10.

CONTENT

MYP physical and health education aims to empower students to understand and appreciate the value of being physically active and develop the motivation for making healthy life choices. This course will provide students with opportunities to learn about and experience aspects of health and physical activity. The focus is on developing skills and improving performance in games and sports, fundamental movement challenges, tactical learning and spatial awareness as well as a lifelong healthy lifestyle. Topics covered in this course include:

• Active/Minor Games
• Striking/Fielding Games: Avoid getting out
• Tactical Development: Moving to Space & Defending space
• Skill Development: Data collection
• Safety; Smoking and Vaping
• Health Benefits of Physical Activity
• Relationships & Sexuality (Shine Program)

ASSESSMENT

Students are assessed using the MYP assessment criteria and levels of achievement. Students are assessed on the following:

• Knowledge and Understanding
• Planning for Performance
• Applying and Performing
• Reflecting and Improving

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

It is expected that students change into the PE uniform for all practical lessons and wear appropriate footwear, as directed by their PE teacher, they will be required to change back into their school uniform at the conclusion of the lesson.

This unit of Physical and Health Education is an elective unit for one semester for any Year 8 students wishing to select a second unit of Physical Education at Le Fevre High School. The course is designed specifically to extend student’s knowledge and understanding of movement skills, which will provide the foundations of learning to be successful in Physical Education in Year 11 and Year 12. Students will still be required to complete a semester of compulsory Health and Physical Education in Years 8 to 10 in addition to this elective subject.

CONTENT

MYP physical and health education aims to empower students to understand and appreciate the value of being physically active and develop the motivation for making healthy life choices. This course will provide students with opportunities to learn about and experience aspects of health and physical activity. The focus is on developing movement skills and improving performance in games and sports, fundamental movement challenges, tactical learning and spatial awareness as well as a lifelong healthy lifestyle. Topics covered in this course include:

• Active/Minor Games
• Invasion Games: Create Space & Defend Space
• Tactical Development: Moving to Space & Defending space
• Skill Development: Data collection
• Maintaining & Regaining Possession

ASSESSMENT

Students are assessed using the MYP assessment criteria and levels of achievement. Students are assessed on the following:

• Knowledge and Understanding
• Planning for Performance
• Applying and Performing
• Reflecting and Improving

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

It is expected that students change into the PE uniform for all practical lessons and wear appropriate footwear, as directed by their PE teacher, they will be required to change back into their school uniform at the conclusion of the lesson.

This unit of Physical and Health Education is an elective unit for the year for any Year 8 students wishing to select a second unit of Physical Education with a specialist element of Football at Le Fevre High School. The course is designed specifically to extend student’s knowledge and understanding of movement skills with relation to Football, which will provide the foundations of learning to be successful in the Football program in Year 11. Students will remain in this class to complete the compulsory elements of the Health and Physical Education curriculum in Years 8 to 10 in addition to this elective subject.

 CONTENT

The Specialist Football Program enables students with a passion for soccer to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in all aspects of football including playing, rules, and fitness components and training principles. Students within the program are given the opportunity to receive specialist skills coaching, fitness development and access to quality training facilities. Topics covered in this course include:

• Skill and Performance development
• Performance Analysis
• Fitness
• Nutrition for Football
• Injury Prevention and Management

ASSESSMENT

Students are assessed using the MYP assessment criteria and levels of achievement. Students are assessed on the following:

• Knowledge and Understanding
• Planning for Performance
• Applying and Performing
• Reflecting and Improving

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

It is expected that students change into the PE uniform for all practical lessons and wear appropriate footwear, as directed by their PE teacher. There is a $100 (plus GST) course fee for Football in Year 8, which will include the purchase of a School Football uniform which will be worn during lessons and competitions throughout the five years.

In Year 8 Science, students compare physical and chemical changes and use the particle model to explain and predict the properties and behaviours of substances. They identify different forms of energy and describe how energy transfers and transformations cause change in simple systems. They compare processes of rock formation, including the timescales involved. They analyse the relationship between structure and function at cell, organ and body system levels. Students examine the different science knowledge used in occupations. They explain how evidence has led to an improved understanding of a scientific idea and describe situations in which scientists collaborated to generate solutions to contemporary problems. They reflect on implications of these solutions for different groups in society.

Students identify and construct questions and problems that they can investigate scientifically. They consider safety and ethics when planning investigations, including designing field or experimental methods. They identify variables to be changed, measured and controlled. Students construct representations of their data to reveal and analyse patterns and trends and use these when justifying their conclusions. They explain how modifications to methods could improve the quality of their data and apply their own scientific knowledge and investigation findings to evaluate claims made by others. They use appropriate language and representations to communicate science ideas, methods and findings in a range of text types.

CONTENT

The following topics provide the framework for learning in Year 8 Science:

• Life Under a Microscope
• Functioning Organisms
• Making Things Happen
• The Nature of Matter
• Making New Substances
• The Changing Earth

ASSESSMENT

Students are assessed through a range of tests, assignments and practical reports.

In semester 1, students research nuclear power and whether it should be used in Australia. Students observe different types of chemical reactions, and measure the energy found in different foods. They investigate how enzymes aid digestion. Students research organ donation and how cancer may be treated or cured in the future.

In semester 2 students investigate how changing temperature affects rates of reactions and the causes of different crystal sizes in rocks. They research an element from the Periodic Table and how its uses have changed over time.

Students are assessed against the IB MYP Science assessment criteria:

Criteria A: Knowledge and Understanding

Criteria B: Inquiring and Designing

Criteria C: Processing and Evaluating

Criteria D: Reflection on the Impact of Science