CAPABILITIES

In Year 7 English, the students develop their ability to use both written and oral language appropriately taking into account purpose and audience. The program makes connections between the classroom and the outside world. Listening, speaking, reading and writing activities are designed to encourage effective expression of ideas. Students respond to a variety of text modes, concentrating on building the skills of analysis and reflection. Students continue to develop literacy skills through the explicit teaching of grammar and punctuation.

This course is designed to explicitly develop students' literacy skills; in particular, their reading skills. Students are in smaller class groups that allow for increased individual attention and specific instruction. Students focus on developing skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Year 7 Intervention English leads to Year 8 Intervention English.

Participation in this course is by invitation only.

In Mathematics there is an emphasis on understanding of basic skills. Students cover work in a number of key areas of Mathematics including Space and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability. Application tasks involve applying skills learnt in a practical situation. The use of computer technology is an integral part of the course. Analysis tasks entail finding solutions to non-routine problems.

Foundation Mathematics is a modified course for students with significant numeracy difficulties. Students are in smaller class groups that allow for increased levels of teacher assistance. Students undertake outcome tests and complete set homework on a regular basis. Year 7 Foundation Mathematics leads to Year 8 Foundation Mathematics.

Participation in this course is by invitation only.

Students are presented with a general coverage of the Christian story for the benefit of students who have come from various primary school backgrounds - Catholic and State.

The school story of Parade College is told with special reference to the Edmund Rice story. Edmund's Brothers came out from Ireland to Australia in 1868 and established the Catholic school in Victoria Parade, East Melbourne which came to be known as Parade College, and then the present development of the current Parade College in Bundoora and Preston.

Each year, students examine topics within the following areas of study

• Scripture and Jesus
• Church Communities – including the role of the school community
• God, Religion and Life: a study of Catholic beliefs
• Prayer, Liturgy and Sacraments: the ways people pray and practice their beliefs
• Morality and Justice: moral decision making and working for justice. This also includes the ‘Rock and Water Program’, which helps students to learn about different ways that they can interact with each other and how they can best respond to different circumstances and pressures.

Students are able to experience four major areas of science. Chemistry includes the properties of mixtures and solutions, safety in the lab, identifying laboratory equipment, using the Bunsen burner and chemical and physical separation techniques. Physics introduces forces, including magnetic, electric, gravity and friction, as well as simple machines. The Earth & Space unit covers the structure of the earth, the seasons and interactions between the Earth, Sun and Moon. In Biology, students look at various classification systems for organisms and the interactions within ecosystems. Practical work in the laboratory forms an important part of the learning in this area.

The Humanities in Year 7 involve the study of human societies and environments, people and their cultures in the past and the present. The Humanities provide a framework for developing in students the key ideas and concepts that enable them to understand the way in which people and societies have organised their world under particular conditions and made meaning of it.

Humanities has three core subjects at Year 7: History, Geography and Civics and Citizenship.

HISTORY

Students develop key skills such as source document evaluation, chronological analysis and the study of cause and effect in relation to historical events. History incorporates depth studies on Ancient Rome, Ancient Australia and Ancient China.

GEOGRAPHY

Students examine the world around us and the interconnection between our environment. Students collect geographical data using technology and interpret their findings in the context of the depth studies which are: Water in the World and Place and Liveability.

CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP

Students take on an inquiry exploring what it would be like to run for parliament. In doing so, student learn about how government is formed, the role of the constitution, the role of political parties and the electoral process.

The Humanities take as their subject matter human behaviour. They provide unique ways to understand how and why groups of people have settled where they have, organised their societies, developed means of generating and distributing wealth, developed codes, laws and belief systems, related to other groups of people and interacted with their physical environment.

The Humanities encourage use of research skills and inquiry processes. Students learn to plan an investigation and ask key questions. They question and analyse a range of data and sources including artefacts, photographs, maps, stories, special events, interviews, site visits and electronic media. They form conclusions supported by evidence and present information in a variety of ways.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capabilities are primarily taught within the IT Digital Skills subject (see Technology below). ICT skills are also embedded into the Year 7 curriculum and are addressed through a number of the learning areas. The use of ICT in learning areas adds to the depth and richness of student learning. IT Digital Skills (core) and DigiSTEM (elective) subjects provide the content and contexts within which students truly develop and apply the full knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that comprise ICT capabilities.

In this semester based subject students will be introduced to data and how it can be transformed into information using digital devices. They will, analyse and evaluate data from a range of sources and learn how data can be secured and presented as information within a digital system. They will develop skills in managing and visualising data through the use of word processors and spreadsheets which can be used in other subjects. Throughout the subject students will experience and be taught the expectations of being a cybercitizen including how to behave and the etiquette used when online.

There is a need for schools of the 21st Century to respond to the increasing technological demands placed on society for advanced skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. DigiSTEM allows Year 7 students to develop in these essential areas of the curriculum focusing particularly on using digital devices to create solutions to ‘real world’ projects/problems.

Students who undertake this elective will conduct project-based investigations using devices such as Microbits to solve engaging and challenging problems linked to scientific and mathematical concepts. They will learn how to control digital devices using programming languages and develop their abstract and computational thinking. They will approach new challenges through investigating, reasoning, modelling, visualising and problem-solving and develop an understanding of the importance of data/information and how it is managed.

In Year 7 there are three different languages offered to students. Students choose one of these languages as part of their enrolment procedure prior to commencing at Parade College. Once chosen, students then continue with this language until the end of Year 8 and are unable to change the chosen language course. From Year 9 onwards, students may elect to continue with their chosen language, all the way through to VCE.

Italian

This subject is designed to extend students’ knowledge of the Italian Language and culture. Students will be provided with opportunities to enhance their skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing, through the use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives and functional expressions. They will explore topics such as school, animals and pets.

French

Students are introduced to the French language through the study of basic grammar as it exists in a range of practical communicative contexts, including talking about oneself and friends, family interaction and likes and dislikes. Students are also introduced to French culture around the world.

Japanese

Students are introduced to the Japanese language through a variety of activities such as self-introductions, numbers, basic greetings and expressions. They learn the Hiragana script and are introduced to Kanji. Students also study various aspects of Japanese culture and explore topics such as pets, classroom instructions, classroom objects and weekend activities. (Bundoora Campus only)

In Year 7 Music, every Parade student experiences Music in the semester long compulsory subject. Students participate from three essential points of view: the performer, the composer and the listener. Essential music concepts, music theory and aural skills support the development of practical skills where students learn about the voice as an instrument and develop keyboard skills on glockenspiel. They combine cognitive, kinesthetic and cultural domains which is underpinned by written music notation as it appears on a stave. Music composition software enables students to develop their creative instincts through Music Technology Composition. A broad familiarity and engagement with the extraordinary variety of Music from past and present is encouraged with regular Listening sessions. Year 7 Music equips every student with the essential experiences and knowledge to begin a personal exploration of Music, both in and out of the classroom.

In Year 7, Music Performance is a compulsory, semester long subject and Year 7 Music is elective rotation choice where an instrument of either the Brass or Woodwind families is learnt during the term rotation. Students are also encouraged to enrol in the Instrumental Music Program and Instrumental Music Band Class and extend their skills in the Year 7 and 8 Honours Bands and the music elective subject pathways in Year 8 and beyond.

Health and Physical Education are an important part of the curriculum. Our Year 7 students undertake a program designed to develop fundamental motor skills and game sense through a variety of sports. Students will also receive vital health education on topics such as Basic First Aid, elements of positive relationships and managing change during puberty. At Year 7 the following units are undertaken:

• Invasion Games
• Net/Wall Games
• Strike/Field Games
• Target Games
• Safety
• Puberty and positive relationships

Students will be made aware of various health issues present in our society and especially those relevant to young men of their age group. They will also be equipped with the knowledge and skills to make well informed decisions that will assist in the maintenance of a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle. The unit will take a harm minimisation approach as we understand that these issues are real and that our boys will most probably encounter them, if they haven’t already.

Sport is an important feature in the life of a student at Parade College. Whether it is intra-school sport conducted on College facilities or inter-school sport via the Associated Catholic Colleges (ACC) competition, all students will have the opportunity to be engaged in sport.

Intra-school sport includes traditional sports and activities. Students participate in round robin competition, a house athletics carnival and cross country run for house points. The emphasis of intra-school sport is participation.

Inter-school sport is offered for those students who may wish to represent the College in a more competitive environment. Whilst the College acknowledges that ACC sport is competitive, it also strongly upholds the motto of the ACC at all times; Excellence, Honour and Fairness.

Parade College has been a member of the Associated Catholic Colleges since its inception. Parade fields additional teams at Year 7 & 8. The ACC Sports are as follows:

• Term 2: Football and Soccer
• Term 3: Basketball, Table Tennis and Hockey
• Term 4: Volleyball, Cricket and Tennis
• Carnival Sports: Athletics, Swimming and Cross Country

Other sports in which the College participates are Rugby, Skiing, Cycling, Golf, Badminton and Clay Target Shooting.

Students explore a range of methods to create art such as sculpture, painting, drawing and digital art for creating artwork and designs through activities that develop creativity and imagination. Students are introduced to visual communication and learn to communicate to an audience and answer a brief. All manual work is documented in a visual diary and refined in a folio of work. Students respond to artworks and acquire the knowledge of artists’ use of art elements and principles. In responding to art, students study how artists use the art elements and principles to make meaning and gain the audience’s attention.

In attempting to address Australia’s Obesity Crisis students will acquire a basic knowledge of the six essential nutrients – Water, Carbohydrates, Minerals, Vitamins, Fats and Protein. They will apply this knowledge of basic nutrition to design and develop diets to meet the needs of specific diets. The course will cover the following Food Safety, Changing Food Patterns in Australia, Food Fads, Fast Food, Food Labelling and Packaging, Health and Nutritional Requirements across the lifespan and Positive Body Image. Each theory class will be followed by a practical class which will further enhance the theory component of this course.

Materials Design and Production at Year 7 level introduces students to the basics required for working with different materials in a safe workshop. These materials include wood, plastic and metal. The students produce a “brief” which is a statement of a design for the article they will produce. They investigate various solutions to the design and decide on the best one. Finally students are shown how to safely use basic hand tools in the workshop. They evaluate their final product to see if it is a solution to their design brief.

In Drama at Year 7, students who undertake the subject have the opportunity to develop the basic aspects of performance skills. The focus is on building confidence and self-esteem, from working in front of or with a group of their peers. Drama allows students to develop a love and appreciation of working with their voices and bodies to develop meaning through character. Students will come to use a range of dramatic terms and techniques and build an understanding of a variety of genres.

In Year 7, students who undertake Music Elective further develop their musicality through a range of inter-related activities. Students develop performance skills on a brass or woodwind instrument and perform a variety of music. They explore their creativity through a Music Technology Composition assignment and develop an understanding of the elements of music, music notation and written theory. Year 7 Music Elective equips every student with the essential experiences and knowledge to begin a personal exploration of Music, both in and out of the classroom. Students can extend their skills in the Year 7 and 8 Honours Band and the music elective subject pathways in Year 8 and beyond.

Year 7 students may also wish to try out for a place in sport electives which will take the place of a non-sport elective. Places in sport electives are limited and choosing to preference a sport elective is entirely optional. Students can only complete a maximum of two sport electives to cater for a breadth of studies and curriculum requirements, however, there are no restrictions as to how many sport electives a student can nominate for.

Please note: Sport electives are optional and are in addition to our PE/Sport program, which is a core subject that all Year 7 students take part in.

Sport Development electives include:

AFL Football Development Program (Term 1)

This program seeks to enable talented players to develop their AFL skills, physical capabilities and an understanding of high-performance approaches to training. Practical classes will key focus on preparation (mental and physical), skills, game awareness and tactics. Supporting theory lessons will cover an introduction to Sports Nutrition, Fitness Testing and Analysis specific to Australian Football. Students will be required to trial in order to gain preferential entry into this elective.

Basketball Development Program (Term 2)

This program seeks to enable talented players to develop their Basketball skills, physical capabilities and an understanding of high-performance approaches to training. Practical classes will focus on preparation (mental and physical), skills and game awareness and tactics. Supporting theory lessons will cover an introduction to Sports Nutrition, Fitness Testing and Analysis specific to Basketball. Students will be required to trial in order to gain preferential entry into this elective.

Cricket Development Program (Term 3)

This program seeks to enable talented players to develop their fundamental cricket skills, physical capabilities and an understanding of high-performance approaches to training. Practical classes will focus on preparation (mental and physical), technique and game awareness. Supporting theory lessons will cover an introduction to Sports Nutrition, Fitness Testing and Analysis specific to Cricket. Students will be required to trial in order to gain preferential entry into this elective.

Tennis Development Program (Term 3)

This program seeks to enable talented players to develop their fundamental tennis skills, physical capabilities and an understanding of high-performance approaches to training. Practical classes based, with key focus areas of preparation (mental and physical), technique and match awareness. Supporting theory lessons will cover an introduction to Sports Nutrition, Fitness Testing and Analysis specific to tennis. Students will be required to trial in order to gain preferential entry into this elective.

Athlete Development (Strength & Conditioning and Training Principles) Program (Term 4)

This program seeks to enable students to develop an understanding of fundamental strength and conditioning principles with a view to enabling students to enhance their physical capabilities and apply them to their chosen sporting pursuits. Practical classes will utilise Parade College’s sporting facilities, based around the Bedford Centre. Supporting theory lessons will introduce Strength and Conditioning and Training Program principles.