Writing Revision and Science Fiction
After completing the e-asTTle testing it was necessary for both Years 8 and 9 to revise the various language tools needed with particular relation to writing. This included different aspects such as word classes, sentence structure including learning about dependent and independent clauses, the use of conjunctions, how to use the Oxford comma, using apostrophes to show possession (and as a contraction), and direct speech.
This week the Year 9 students have been exploring a Science Fiction story entitled “There Will be Soft Rains”. It is a haunting story, written in the 1950s by Ray Bradbury, exploring the decimation caused after a potential nuclear bomb. The students are tracking the time period over the story and deeply analysing what was ordinary at particular times and what was unusual; frankly, it turns out to be everything!
Shakespeare Festival: Planning Begins for The Scottish Play
Students have started work on an SGCNZ Shakespeare Festival entry for Term 1 2027, reading the play and learning soliloquies.
Years 7 and 8 English: Play Scripts, Book Reviews and Exam Preparation
Year 7 are writing their own short plays, Year 8 are studying A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and both classes welcomed back the mobile library.
Years 7 and 8 English: Play Scripts and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Year 8 are exploring A Midsummer Night’s Dream and writing their own play scripts, while Year 7 study how playwrights use stage directions.
Poetry: Spot Poems, Five-Minute Conversations and Chalk on the Playground
Poetry students wrote Spot poems, turned five-minute interviews into poems for each other, and chalked words across the playground.
Year 9 and 10 English: Fantasy Writing and Exam Revision
Year 9 have been drafting fantasy narratives, with five student extracts below, while Year 10 revised Language and Literature for their exams.
Year 9 and 10 English: Storyboarding Othello and Reading Macbeth
Year 9 have storyboarded Othello scene by scene. Year 10 are working on Macbeth.
Creative Writing: Choosing Genres and Designing Covers
The group are working on original stories in small groups, choosing their own genres and designing covers and illustrations for their books.
Years 7 and 8 English: Building Suspense and Drafting Narratives
Year 7 are drafting their own narratives after studying how authors build suspense. Year 8 have turned When the Mountains Roared into audio drama scripts.
Creative Writing: Openings, Suspense and Pacing
The group is comparing story settings, writing their own openings from visual prompts, and learning how plot structure builds suspense.
Years 7 and 8 English: From Poetry to Adventure Stories
Year 7 have finished poetry and moved on to adventure narratives. Year 8 are studying an extract from When the Mountains Roared.





