Middle School Humanities equip students with two invaluable skills: the ability to understand the lessons and examples of the past and present and apply these to new circumstances in response to new challenges; and a capacity to think deeply, creatively and ethically. This kind of thinking allows our students to evaluate ideas and information, to solve problems, and to apply the lessons of experience. It equips them with the capacity to capitalise on new opportunities, to innovate, and to lead.
A strong, relevant humanities program, embedded in the global realities of today but anticipating the trends that will shape the future which aims to foster empathy and equip our boys for ethical action is the key to developing young men prepared for the world they will inhabit and, indeed, lead.
“People have to be capable of understanding and engaging with a globalised, complicated world, to be equipped to overcome the human propensity for tribalism, limitation, and self-interested short-termism.”
English
Year 7 English comprises of persuasive writing techniques and presenting arguments in a speech. Students are engaged in the study of creation mythology texts from around the world, which show different perspectives and cultures on stories about creation. A piece of work for this unit involves composing a narrative on a creation myth. Novels with themes of friendship and identity that students can relate to the offer boys the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of the novel they studied, by analysing the characters, plot and setting.
Year 8 English students start the year with a novel study and deliver a monologue from a character from their novel. Students learn the art of persuasion in a variety of texts and present their view on a topic of social importance to their peers. After two spoken tasks, students write a narrative in the Fantasy genre, taking their readers on a journey into the unknown!
Year 9 English curriculum supports their acquisition of skills that support them in NAPLAN testing. Firstly, persuasive techniques are studied, culminating in a persuasive essay. Students then write mystery short stories.
Geography
Year 7 Geography students investigate water quality through field testing and learning about how to be more water wise in their own lives. They use found evidence and further research to evaluate water management and learn about the variability of access to fresh water on earth and why droughts and floods are natural hazards that are common to Australia. Year 7 are introduced to important geography skills including mapping, graphing using graph paper and excel, grid referencing, drawing cross sections and creating population pyramids. They learn about liveability and gain insight into how they perceived their own places and why different people make choices about where they live. They are challenged to consider how people live in the developing world, where inequality can lead people to remain in a cycle of poverty, but also how small changes can have a huge impact on how people live.
Year 8 Geography students investigate how erosion is managed and engage with experiential learning where they hear from experts on coastal management from Griffith University, and evaluate first-hand, the measures put in place to protect our coastline. They develop a greater understanding of the issues that come a huge population living on coastlines. The second unit is focused on landscapes and landforms where students are introduced to the power of the planet through tectonic plate movement, earthquakes and volcanoes, delving into the very engine of our earth. They learn about karst landscapes, sink holes and glaciers - the unique landforms on earth and the hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
Year 9 students explore different biomes within Brisbane when they attend local excursions to discover the crucial role that wetlands play in the coast ecosystem, as well as the wide variety of biomes and plant diversity within Australia. Students develop a greater understanding of the importance of plant diversity and how anthropogenic activity has made significant changes to the natural environment. Students also investigate food scarcity and how people in the developing world are more prone to suffer from a lack of food and how this impacts life expectancy and opportunity. Boys research ways that food scarcity can be alleviated and how innovative ideas could be implemented where hunger is an ongoing problem.
History
Year 7 history students are introduced to the historical skills of change and continuity while exploring the Ancient World. Students learn about the different time periods from the ancient past and historical sources on the Ancient Egyptian Society and the Ancient Chinese society are analysed and evaluated. Students gain a better understanding of the important social, political and economic aspects of these societies.
Year 8 historians study Medieval Europe and take particular interest in the torturous punishments of the times for petty crimes. Students learn the reasons behind the crusades and the effects of the Black Death. They master the art of the Samurai in the Feudal Japan unit, and decipher the Bushido Code (the way of the warrior). Students compare the Medieval Knight with the Feudal Samarai and take up a position as to who would win a battle between the two today.
Year 9 students of history learn about the effects of the Industrial Revolution and the movement of convicts to Australia. They then studied the causes and effects of WW1, which include some of the biggest isms of modern history: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism.
