Oh. My. Goodness.
How time flies!
You are now parent to a high school student!
Here’s what you need to know about this transition
The jump from Year 6 to Year 7 can be HUGE. In high school English, the focus shifts from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to think’. Some students, unused to this demand, can really struggle with the transition!
The difference between primary school English and high school English is that in primary school, children are still learning language (reading and writing). They are learning new words, new ways of communication, and how to decode communication. In high school, students are expected to learn and think via English; students learn how to use English and various modes of communication to express meaning in increasingly nuanced ways.
Here are 4 things you can do over the summer (or throughout the year) to help your new high schooler:
MEDIA
High school English places a heavy emphasis on current issues. Help your child get a head start by familiarising them with how issues are written about and discussed! Read and watch a variety of (age appropriate) news media together and make sure they are able to recognise the difference between a news report from an opinion piece, a discussion interview from a debate.
DISCUSS
Once in high school, we expect students to continually develop their logical reasoning abilities in verbal discussion as well as in writing. Use the summer to have meaningful discussions together about things that matter to them, and remember to use your active listening skills. Clearly show them you value what they have to say and respect their opinions, even if they are different from yours!
READ
It doesn’t matter what they read as long as they are reading! This includes stories, articles, books, even poems! Help your child maintain their reading skills over the summer by reading together, ideally about things that interest them.
WRITE
The focus in high school English is the development of the student’s thoughts in writing, yet many students have learnt that writing is boring and hard. The key is to make this a meaningful writing activity, that is, it has to be of worth to your child! Instead of asking them to write in response to generic prompts, can they write to persuade you to spend a day at the beach? Is there a writing competition they can join? Is there an interstate or overseas cousin they can write to? Do they enjoy writing fanfiction?
VOCABULARY
High school students are expected to grow their vocabulary throughout the high school years. Our Essential Vocabulary Pack contains 200 words that all junior school students will need to learn throughout Year 7 and 8!
Every list of 10 words contains a word search, a simple matching definition exercise as well as an application-in-context activity so that the words are modelled in appropriate contexts. Perfect for students who want to get a head start in Year 7!
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