Guthridge Campus Curriculum 7 -9
Years 7 and 8 Curriculum
The Year 7 curriculum is structured to provide the smoothest possible transition from Primary to Secondary School. The Year 7 curriculum already integrates Key Learning Areas to maximise students time with a core team of teachers in a home base room.
From 2010 the Year 7 model will be extended to Year 8. The Year 8 curriculum will then be delivered by a small core of teachers who specialise in teaching at only one year level and as a result combine pastoral care and curriculum in a manner which is best suited to the needs of the student.
Teaching styles incorporate the latest understandings in Middle Years education, focusing on whole learning, an understanding of students’ individual learning styles and value adding to students’ prior educational achievement and skills base.
Sale College provides a high quality curriculum covering the eight curriculum areas of English, Maths, Science, Technology, Humanities, LOTE, Art, Health and Physical Education. Victorian Essential Learnings Standards are now a focus in curriculum planning and assessment.
Curriculum Details
YEAR 7 |
YEAR 8 |
Art/Music 2 ppw |
Drama/Graphics 2 ppw |
English/Humanities integrated 6 ppw |
English 4 ppw |
Health/PE 2 ppw |
Health/PE 2 ppw |
LOTE 2 ppw |
LOTE 2 ppw |
Maths/Science/IT integrated 6ppw |
Maths 4 ppw |
M&S/Textiles 2 ppw |
Science 2 ppw |
|
Humanities 2 ppw |
|
M&S/Food 2 ppw |
|
Pastoral 1 ppw |
20 ppw |
20 ppw |
PPW = Periods per Week. Each period is of 75 minutes duration.
At Year 8, students will be developing their Learning Technology skills through their work in
every key learning area.
- PE/HE/SP = Physical Education, Health, Sport
- Humanities = History, Geography and Economics and Civics
- Technology includes Information Technology, Materials and Systems Technologies (Electronics, Woodwork, Metalwork, Textiles and Food Studies)
- LOTE - Language Other Than English (Japanese)
At years 7 and 8 Sale College provides a core curriculum that allows all students to experience all Key Learning Areas.
In addition there is
- an Acceleration Process in which selected students can complete
Years 7 - 10 in three years
- a Literacy and Numeracy Support Program which concentrates on improving standards of literacy and numeracy for selected students
- a special literacy program ‘RESTART’ is available for students with literacy needs
Year 9 Curriculum
At Sale College we encourage a balanced approach to curriculum delivery that combines a mixture of core and elective units at Year 9, to ensure breadth and depth in learning together with the opportunity for students to select elective units that are based on learning strengths (intelligences) and needs.
We offer a wide range of units to ensure that students are given every opportunity to develop their intellectual, personal and social competencies. Elective choices should reflect student intelligences, learning and thinking styles, interests and needs. This will help to achieve the best possible learning outcomes for all students.
Consideration should be given to developing general future needs around strengths but we do not encourage specialization which may restrict options in the future if a student has a change
of mind. Students receive course counseling and course selection booklets also contain advice on pathways indicating some future study options and Multiple Intelligences are shown for each unit.
From 2010 Year 9 curriculum will then be delivered by a small core of teachers who specialise in teaching at only one year level and as a result combine pastoral care and curriculum in a manner which is best suited to the needs of the student.
Teaching styles incorporate the latest understandings in Middle Years education, focussing on whole learning, an understanding of students’ individual learning styles and value adding to students’ prior educational achievement and skills base.
Minimum Subject Requirements:
Year 9 students are required to undertake units from the range of Learning Domains as indicated below.
These units will be taught over four days each week (four and a half days from 2010).
- One English unit per semester
- One Maths unit per semester
- One Science unit per semester (Core 1 and Core 2)
- One Humanities unit per semester (Core 1 and Core 2)
- A minimum of one unit from each of Technology, Physical Education and Arts over both semesters
- Free Choice Electives (including LOTE
Or if they take Languages Other Than English (LOTE), they do so for both semesters, resulting in one less choice from other Learning Domains (except English and Maths).
Back to top
Buckland Program
The Year 9 Buckland Program is a unique program that runs for one day each week in 2009 and half a day in 2010. It’s underlying philosophy provides students with self-paced project style learning where they have the ability to negotiate aspects of their curriculum.
In each of the four terms a different module theme runs. In 2009 the modules were:
Term 1 - Wellbeing - Mind, Body, Safety
Term2 - Environment - Fire, Earth, Air, Water
Term 3 - Culture - Self, Your town, the world
Term 4 - Past, Present, Future
In each module theme, several different units are offered to students. Each unit contains several project options that cater for a whole range of leaning styles, stages, needs and preferences. Choice and the opportunity to negotiate tasks and projects enables student’s learning experiences to have obvious and meaningful links to their world.
Civics and Citizenship
Throughout the Buckland Program students complete core activities that focus on developing their understanding and foster community engagement. These activities are integrated into all modules throughout the year and enhance students’ awareness of the political process and community agencies.
Choices runs as part of the Buckland Program for one period each Wednesday. It is a core unit that focuses on developing and broadening students’ decision making abilities in regard to their personal life and career development.
Back to top