Warners Bay High School

Quality Education for All

Telephone02 4954 9488

Emailwarnersbay-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

English

03 Jul 2025

It’s been a busy and engaging second half of Term 2 in English, filled with dynamic lessons, lively class discussions, and plenty of opportunities to build reading and writing skills. Students have explored a range of texts and themes, developed critical thinking, and worked on expressing their ideas with clarity and creativity.

Year 7 English

Year 7 have just completed their ‘Text, Land and Culture’ unit of work with a focus on developing their understanding of First Nations peoples’ connection to culture and land through the study of a variety of texts by Aboriginal composers including TV series, poetry, picture books and song.

Students presented a speech on what they have learned this term, demonstrating their personal response to texts and intercultural understanding. Well done on completing your first semester of high school, Year 7!

Year 7 Reading Program Update – NAIDOC Week focus

In order to celebrate NAIDOC week this year, all Year 7 classes have participated in Aboriginal literature reading circle groups this term, with a focus on reading Aboriginal picture books and connecting thematic elements to this year’s focus, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy. Students completed these tasks collaboratively and approached their reading and interpretation with cultural understanding and enthusiasm.

Year 8 English

Year 8 English have been studying a class novel this term with a focus on how composers have crafted engaging and dynamic characters.

There were a range of exciting novels studied including; Animal Farm, Percy Jackson, Lockie Leonard, Two Wolves and Alex Rider.

Well done to all of Year 8 who attempted their first critical response!

Pictured are 8B’s children of Poseidon creations.

Year 9 English

Year 9 have just completed their close study of Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, with a focus on the enduring value of Shakespeare’s text for contemporary audiences.

They have been working hard to interpret Shakespeare’s powerful prose and connect these complex warnings and messages about human relationships to 2025 audiences.

Pictured are 9GW’s ongoing creative sword creations, 9GA’s visual representations and 9BB’s story maps, both creative expressions of the play.

Year 10 English

Year 10 students have been introduced to the concept of Conflict through the close study of a drama text this term.

Through close reading, analysis and interpretation, students have been working towards completing an analytical response exploring how various types of conflict are represented in the text (internal, external, societal) to provoke a deeper understanding of the human condition.

Year 11 English Standard & Advanced

poster for Narratives that Shape Our World

Both cohorts have just finished up their study of Module A (Standard – Contemporary Possibilities and Advanced – Narratives that Shape our World) exploring exciting texts such as the BBC’s Sherlock series, Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, McTeigue’s V for Vendetta, Davis’ Lion and Oliver’s Real.

Students in both courses developed multimodal presentations to present their understanding of the module and texts studied this term, and their teachers look forward to listening to their creations.

Year 12 English Advanced

“Can honor set to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honor hath no skill in surgery, then? No. What is honor? A word. What is in that word "honor"? What is that ‘honor’? Air.” Falstaff

Year 12 have been critically reading Shakespeare’s play King Henry IV Part 1 this term for their final unit of study – Module B.

We have been closely interrogating the truth of power and leadership during periods of sociopolitical upheaval and making connections between characters, ideological concerns and the enduring relevance of Shakespeare’s texts.

Well done to the entire Advanced cohort who have taken to their study with focus, an open mind and willingness to play and read roles in class.

Save the date! Year 12 Holiday Tutorial

Miss Wilk and Ms Bates will be running a holiday tutorial focused on Paper 1 during the holidays.

All Standard and Advanced students are welcome to join these teachers in the Library from 9:30am-11:30am on Thursday, 17th July (second week of the holidays).

Stage 6 Debating Journey

Well done to our Stage 6 Debating Team for performing excellently in each of their debates this year.

While they were unfortunately defeated in Round 3 of the competition, in which they competed against Illawarra Sports High School, the students are to be commended for their efforts throughout the tough debate. Arguing for the Negative position over whether we should require all kids to obtain a surf life saving certificate, our team did their best to counter and disprove the opposing school's decidedly strong case.

Excellent effort to the team - Heidi A, Madison M, Isabelle N and Sophie E.

Year 10 Subject Selection Night

Thank you to Ms Bates, Ms Cummins and Ms Mulligan who assisted with the Year 10 subject selection stall during Week 9.

2026 sees the NEW HSC syllabus beginning for all Year 11 English courses, offering new and exciting text choices and patterns of study.

All students must choose an English pathway from Studies, Standard and Advanced English, and those looking for an extra challenge, the 1-unit Extension course is for you.

For our dramatists, the Drama course offers an exciting opportunity to develop a variety of skills including practical performance, collaboration and critical analysis.

Students are encouraged to seek advice from their English teachers if they are still deciding on the best pathway for success in Stage 6.

Shelf Indulgence: English Teacher Book Recommendation

This bulletin’s recommendation comes from Mrs Bates.

The Sky So Heavy, Claire Zorn

What happens when the world as you know it ends overnight?

In The Sky So Heavy, Claire Zorn delivers a powerful and thought-provoking young adult novel set in a chillingly realistic Australia (Blue Mountains, Sydney) after a nuclear winter devastates the country.

Told through the eyes of teenager Fin, the story follows his fight for survival while caring for his younger brother, facing moral choices no one should ever have to make. Zorn captures the terror and courage of young people in a world turned upside down, exploring themes of family, resilience, and the human will to endure. The writing is fast-paced and compelling, making it hard to put down.

I recommend The Sky So Heavy to students in Years 9–12 who enjoy dystopian fiction like Tomorrow, When the War Began or The Hunger Games. It’s a gripping and moving read that will stay with you long after the last page.