Year 9 options

At the end of Year 8 students are invited to select Options in the manner outlined below:

choose three from: Art & Design, Music, Design & Technology, Italian and Latin. In order to assist students in their choice of subjects, a brief résumé of the courses on offer is outlined below.  


Music
Those who take Music in Year 9 will develop their skills in composing, performing and listening in a series of set projects.The composition element will take the form of group projects or individual pieces where students will use their own instruments, keyboards, computer technology and modern synthesizers to create imaginative music. Compositions can be printed out using computer music programmes and recorded onto CD and mini disc. All students will be encouraged to develop performing skills as individuals and in groups. Students are not required to take instrumental lessons or to have passed a particular grade in music, but it will be an advantage if they do learn to play an instrument and/or sing in a choir.


Italian
A 'romance' language, Italian holds strong links with Latin and French and would be appropriate for students with a genuine interest in modern foreign languages who already have the intention of pursuing their GCSE studies in more than one modern language. Italian could also offer an alternative to students who want to start afresh, or those who already had a 'taste' of it in OpAL in Year 7 or Year 8. The course consists of an introduction to Italian language with many links to Italian cultural. It will start from the basics, with the aim to understand and speak Italian in everyday situations such as, for example:

Introducing oneself and others; use of classroom language; talk about likes and dislikes; giving and asking for personal information; asking for drinks and food; understanding numbers and prices. There will be a balance between grammar based and communicative activities, with equal importance given to the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students opting for Italian in Year 9 are likely to have the opportunity to take a GCSE Italian exam at the end of Year 11 and possibly AS/A Level after that.

Latin
The Latin course in Year 9 aims to build on the strong foundations developed in Years 7 and 8 in terms of understanding of the language. There is also an opportunity to pursue individual interests as students prepare independent projects on aspects of the Roman culture. We aim to prepare students for the various skills required at GCSE in which 50 percent of the marks rest on the language and 50 percent on the study of literature in the original Latin. This last section comprises extracts from Roman historians and poets.

Art
Students of Year 9 will continue to develop their skills across a wide range of media, such as acrylic, watercolour, oil painting, computer graphics and art history. Students will also build upon the foundation studies of Years' 7 and 8 with lessons consisting of one double per week throughout the year. All work will be supported with an understanding of relevant art history and the applications of IT skills.The new Arts centre will provide improved facilities and students will be encouraged to develop their skills in a range of media. There will be the opportunity for single and group work in cross-curricular study.


Design & Technology
Students will have been introduced to a wide variety of tools, machines, materials and processes during their D&T sessions in their first two years. They should also have acquired some of the skills required to communicate their ideas on paper, via their design portfolios.The Year 9 course seeks to build on students' previous experience and knowledge, taking them into more technological areas such as electronics and CAD/CAM. As in previous years, teaching will be project based. Lessons will be mainly practical and it is expected that students will use their regular homeworks to add contact to their design portfolios.
An important aspect of the work undertaken in Year 9 is the CREST Award scheme. Students will enter one major piece of work this year and may gain either Pass, Merit or Distinction certification at Bronze level.The Year 9 course is a demanding one, requiring the ability to be well organised and self motivated. A positive commitment towards the subject will be expected.