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Middle School
Middle School Curriculum
In Year 7 we begin by building the Foundations for Excellence. We have a comprehensive induction program to ensure the students are settled, make new friends and connections, and become comfortable with secondary school routines.
Year 8 is about Exploration and Experiences as students continue to learn within our connected Curriculum, balancing subject-specific rigour with real-life examples linking knowledge and big ideas.
As our students move to Year 9, and become the leaders of the Middle School, we encourage them to be Future Builders. They more thoroughly explore links in their learning and begin to look beyond themselves, considering innovative solutions to local and global issues.
Lourdes Hill College’s Academic Program both supports and challenges students. In Years 7 – 9 students are exposed to a breadth of study to equip them to make informed choices as to their personal strengths and interests.
Students are encouraged to consider the world through a global lens by understanding Relationships and this can be seen by engaging in real-life issues and ideas in English, History, Religion, Geography and the study of Language.
In our Investigation subjects of Maths, Science and Business, there is the opportunity for students to focus on the core understandings and concepts of these disciplines. They also undertake cross-subject projects that explore the links between Scientific ideas with Maths and Economics/Business principles.
Our Curriculum Program supports the General Capability of Creativity with every Middle School student undertaking Visual Art, Music, Drama, Design (Food Nutrition and Textiles), and Health and Physical Education throughout the Middle School years.
Structures and specialist staff support the enhancement of learning in key areas:
A small number of students may be offered the opportunity to participate in extra Literacy classes following testing undertaken by the College.
The English curriculum is built around the 3 interrelated strands of Language, Literature and Literacy. Together, the 3 strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. Learning in English is recursive and cumulative, building on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years.
In Years 7, 8 & 9 learning in Mathematics builds on each student’s prior learning and experiences. Students engage in a range of approaches to learning and doing Mathematics that develops their understanding of and fluency with concepts, procedures and processes by making connections, reasoning, problem-solving and practice. Proficiency in Mathematics enables students to respond to familiar and unfamiliar situations by employing Mathematical strategies to make informed decisions and solve problems efficiently.
The Year 7 Curriculum involves the study of 2 sub-strands.
Water in the world – focuses on the many uses of water, the ways it is perceived and valued, and the hazards associated with environmental processes. Students examine the distribution of its different forms as a resource, its varying availability in time and across space, and its scarcity. They also explore the ways water connects and changes places as it moves through the environment, and the impact of water-related hazards on human-environment relationships.
Place and liveability – focuses on the factors that influence liveability, how it is perceived, and the idea that places provide us with the services and facilities needed to support and enhance our lives. Students examine the distribution of these spaces, and how they are planned and managed by people. They also consider the ways that the liveability of a place is enhanced and how sustainability is managed.
The Year 8 Curriculum involves the study of 2 sub-strands.
Landforms and landscapes – focuses on the processes that shape individual landforms, the values and meanings placed on landforms and landscapes by diverse cultures, and hazards associated with landscapes. Students explore the distribution of Australia’s distinctive landscapes and significant landforms. They also consider the ways that the sustainability of significant landscapes and the impacts of hazards are managed.
Changing nations – focuses on the changing human geography of countries with the process of urbanisation, the reasons for the high level of urban concentration in Australia, and the influences of internal and international migration. Students can examine the distribution of population in Australia compared to other countries and shifts in population distribution over time. They also focus on the ways that sustainability of Australia’s urban areas is managed.
The Year 9 Curriculum involves the study of 2 sub-strands.
Biomes and food security – focuses on the biomes of the world, their characteristics and significance as a source of food and fibre. Students examine the distribution of biomes as regions, and their contribution to food production and food security. They consider the effects of the alteration of biomes, and the environmental challenges and constraints of expanding sustainable food production in the future.
Geographies of interconnections – focuses on how people, through their choices and actions, are connected to places throughout the world in a wide variety of ways, and how these connections help to make and change places and their environments. Students examine the nature of these connections between people and places through the products people buy and the effects of their production on the places that make them. Students consider the management of the impacts of tourism and trade on places.
The Year 7 Curriculum provides a study of History from the time of the earliest human communities to the end of the ancient period, approximately 60,000 years ago – c.650 (CE), and a study of early First Nations Peoples of Australia. It was a period defined by the development of cultural practices and organised societies. The study of the ancient world includes the discoveries (the remains of the past and what we know) and the mysteries (what we do not know) about this period of history, in a range of societies from places including Egypt, Greece, Rome, India and China.
An overview of the study of the ancient world's earliest societies requires students to develop a broad understanding of the context and chronology of the period, the patterns of historical continuity and change over time, and related historical themes.
The Year 8 curriculum provides a study of history from the end of the ancient period to the beginning of the modern period (c.650–1750 CE). This was when major societies around the world came into contact with each other. Social, economic, religious and political beliefs were often challenged and significantly changed. It was the period when the modern world began to take shape.
An overview of the study of the periods that led to the emergence of the modern world requires students to develop an understanding of the context and chronology to the end of the ancient world, particularly in Europe, as well as the broad patterns of historical continuity and change over this time.
The Year 9 Curriculum provides a study of the history of the making of the modern world from 1750 to 1918. This was a period of industrialisation and rapid change in the ways people lived, worked and thought. It was an era of nationalism and imperialism, and expansion of European power, which had significant effects on First Nations Peoples globally. The period culminated in World War I (1914–1918), the “war to end all wars.”
An overview of the study of the making of the modern world requires students to develop an understanding of the context and chronology of the period, and the broad patterns of historical continuity and change from 1750 to 1918, such as European imperial expansion and the movement of peoples within and between countries, and the impact this had on the Australian continent.
The Year 7 Curriculum gives students the opportunity to further develop their understanding of Economics and Business concepts by exploring what it means to be a consumer, a worker and a producer in the market, and the relationships between these groups. Students explore the characteristics of successful businesses and consider how entrepreneurial behaviour contributes to business success. Setting goals and planning to achieve these goals are vital for individual and business success, and students consider approaches to planning in different contexts, while also considering different ways to derive an income. The emphasis in Year 7 is on personal, community, national or regional issues or events, with opportunities for concepts to also be considered in the global context where appropriate.
The Year 8 Curriculum gives students the opportunity to further develop their understanding of Economics and Business concepts by exploring the ways markets – including traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander markets – work within Australia, the participants in the market system and the ways they may influence the market’s operation. The rights, responsibilities and opportunities that arise for businesses, consumers and governments are considered along with the influences on the ways individuals work now and into the future. The emphasis in Year 8 is on national and regional issues, with opportunities for the concepts to also be considered in relation to local community or global issues where appropriate.
The Year 9 Curriculum gives students the opportunity to further develop their understanding of Economics and Business concepts by exploring the interactions within the global economy. Students are introduced to the concept of an ‘economy’ and explore what it means for Australia to be part of the Asia region and the global economy. They consider the interdependence of participants in the global economy, including the implications of decisions made by individuals, businesses and governments. The responsibilities of participants operating in a global workplace are also considered.
The Year 7 Curriculum builds on each student’s prior learning. During this time, a major influence on students is the world around them, and their peers become a key source of motivation and support when managing their health and wellbeing.
In these years, Health and Physical Education plays an important role in maintaining physical activity participation, through opportunities for skill development in a variety of movement forms that enhance performance and competence, as well as providing enjoyment and a sense of achievement.
The Year 8 Curriculum builds on each student’s prior learning. During this time, a major influence on students is the world around them, and their peers become a key source of motivation and support when managing their health and wellbeing.
In these years, Health and Physical Education plays an important role in maintaining physical activity participation, through opportunities for skill development in a variety of movement forms that enhance performance and competence, as well as providing enjoyment and a sense of achievement.
The Year 9 curriculum builds on each student’s prior learning. During this time, students refine their understanding of how they can contribute to individual and community health and wellbeing. Students have frequent opportunities to participate in physical activities, including in outdoor settings, to value the importance of active recreation as a way of enhancing their health and wellbeing throughout their lives.
In Years 7, 8 & 9 learning in Music builds on each student’s prior learning and experiences. Students learn in and through the music practices of listening, composing and performing. They use their music knowledge and skills in purposeful and creative ways, and continue to develop their connection with and contribution to the world as composers and performers and as audiences. They work individually and in collaboration with peers and teachers.
Students explore music in local, regional, national and global contexts such as music used in multi-arts, trans-disciplinary or hybrid forms, or music from countries or regions of Asia. They take opportunities to engage with living composers and performers, and expand their awareness of the diversity of music practices, genres and/or styles.
In Year 7, learning in Visual Arts builds on each student’s prior learning and experiences. Students learn in and through visual arts practices. They use visual arts processes and available analog/physical and/or digital materials in purposeful and creative ways, and continue to develop their connection with and contribution to the world as artists and as audiences. They work individually and in collaboration with peers and teachers.
Students explore Visual Arts in local, regional, national and global contexts, such as Visual Arts in countries or regions of Asia, including use of Visual Arts in multi-arts, trans-disciplinary or hybrid forms. They take opportunities to engage with living visual artists and expand their awareness of the diversity of artworks and Visual Arts practices.
In Year 8, learning in Visual Arts builds on each student’s prior learning and experiences. Students learn in and through Visual Arts practices. They use Visual Arts processes and available analog/physical and/or digital materials in purposeful and creative ways, and continue to develop their connection with and contribution to the world as artists and as audiences. They work individually and in collaboration with peers and teachers.
Students explore Visual Arts in local, regional, national and global contexts, such as Visual Arts in countries or regions of Asia, including use of Visual Arts in multi-arts, trans-disciplinary or hybrid forms. They take opportunities to engage with living visual artists and expand their awareness of the diversity of artworks and Visual Arts practices.
In Year 9, learning in Visual Arts continues to build on each student’s prior learning and experiences as students develop their capability and confidence across the practices of Visual Arts. They continue to use visual conventions, Visual Arts processes and materials in purposeful and creative ways that are informed by their engagement with the work of living visual artists, Visual Arts practices and arts spaces in local, regional, national and global contexts such as countries or regions in Asia, including use of Visual Arts in multi-arts, trans-disciplinary or hybrid forms. This awareness of the diversity of Visual Arts practices, forms, styles and representations informs their own Visual Arts practice. They work collaboratively with peers and teachers.
In Year 7 students explore the diversity of life on Earth and continue to develop their understanding of the role of classification in ordering and organising information. They use and develop models to represent and analyse the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems and explore the impact of changing components within these systems. They investigate relationships in the Earth-sun-moon system and use models to predict and explain events. They extend their understanding of the particulate nature of matter and explore how interactions of matter and energy at the sub-microscopic scale determine macroscopic properties. They consider the effects of multiple forces when explaining changes in an object’s motion. Students make accurate measurements and analyse relationships between system components. They construct and use models to test hypotheses about phenomena at scales that are difficult to study directly and use these observations and other evidence to draw conclusions. They begin to understand the relationship between science and society and appreciate the need for ethical and cultural considerations when acquiring data
In Year 8 students are introduced to cells as microscopic structures that explain macroscopic features of living systems. They connect form and function at an organ level and explore the organisation of a body system in terms of flows of matter between interdependent organs. They continue to develop a view of Earth as a dynamic system, in which change occurs across a range of timescales. They classify different types of energy and describe the role of energy in causing change in systems, including the role of energy and forces in the geosphere. They learn to classify matter at the atomic level and distinguish between chemical and physical change. They understand that chemical reactions also involve energy. Students use experimentation to isolate relationships between components in systems and explain these relationships through increasingly complex representations. They consider the magnitude of properties and events and use appropriate units to describe proportional relationships.
In Year 9 students consider the operation of systems at a range of scales and how those systems respond to external changes in order to maintain stability. They explore ways in which the human body system responds to changes in the external environment through physiological feedback mechanisms and the reproductive processes that enable a species to respond to a changing environment over time. They are introduced to the notion of the atom as a system of protons, electrons and neutrons, and how this system can change through nuclear decay. They learn that matter can be rearranged through chemical change and that these changes play an important role in many systems. They are introduced to the concepts of conservation of matter and energy and begin to develop a more sophisticated view of energy transfer. They explore these concepts as they relate to the global carbon cycle. Students begin to consider how well a sample or model represents the phenomena under study and use a range of evidence to support their conclusions.
In Year 7, learning in Drama builds on each student’s prior learning and experiences. Students learn in and through the practices of Drama: creating, performing and responding. They use drama processes in purposeful and creative ways, and continue to develop their connection with and contribution to the world as artists and as audiences. They work individually and in collaboration with peers and teachers.
Students explore drama in local, regional, national and global contexts such as drama in countries or regions of Asia, including use of drama in multi-arts, trans-disciplinary or hybrid forms. They take opportunities to engage with living performers and drama-makers, and expand their awareness of diverse drama practices, genres and/or styles.
In Year 7, learning in Drama builds on each student’s prior learning and experiences. Students learn in and through the practices of Drama: creating, performing and responding. They use drama processes in purposeful and creative ways, and continue to develop their connection with and contribution to the world as artists and as audiences. They work individually and in collaboration with peers and teachers.
Students explore drama in local, regional, national and global contexts such as drama in countries or regions of Asia, including use of drama in multi-arts, trans-disciplinary or hybrid forms. They take opportunities to engage with living performers and drama-makers, and expand their awareness of diverse drama practices, genres and/or styles.
In Year 9, learning in Drama continues to build on each student’s prior learning and experiences as students develop their capability and confidence across the practices of Drama: creating, performing and responding. They continue to use drama processes in purposeful and creative ways that are informed by their engagement with the work of living performers and drama-makers from across local, regional, national and global contexts, such as countries or regions in Asia, including use of drama in multi-arts, trans-disciplinary and/or hybrid forms. This awareness of diverse drama practices, genres and/or styles informs their own drama practice. They work collaboratively with peers and teachers.
Middle School students immerse themselves in Japanese, building foundational language skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Through dynamic and interactive lessons, they explore Japanese culture, traditions, and values, fostering intercultural understanding and global awareness. The language program encourages curiosity, creativity, and confidence, preparing students for advanced studies and a lifelong appreciation for language learning.
Religious Education in Middle School encourages students to explore their faith, deepen their understanding of Catholic traditions, and connect spiritual values to their daily lives. Through discussions, reflective activities, and community service, students develop a strong moral foundation, empathy, and a sense of belonging within the Lourdes Hill College community.
Design Technologies equips students with creative and practical problem-solving skills. Through hands-on projects, students learn to design, create, and evaluate solutions using innovative thinking and emerging technologies. This subject encourages collaboration and critical thinking, preparing students to thrive in an ever-evolving world.
