Year 9
Teaching and Learning
The Middle School is where students are encouraged to further develop their own identity by solving real world problems to develop those key 21st Century skills.
At Greenvale Secondary College Year 9 represents an important moment for our young people. Year 9 is a critical step towards the future, both at school and beyond, where learning is characterised by agency, independence and responsibility. Ultimately, we want our students to see themselves as active contributors and participants in local and global communities, and to know that they have the capacity to dream, believe and achieve.
In Year 9 our students are given the chance to extend, challenge and apply the core skills and knowledge they have built in Year 7 and 8, and to engage with the community and world beyond the school in more significant and more authentic ways. By the end of our Year 9 program students will:
- Be effective, independent and self-directed learners
- See feedback as an opportunity to improve
- Be active and positive community and global citizens
- Know what success looks and feels like
- Be prepared for senior secondary school
Curriculum Structure
We have devised a model across Year 9 and 10 that ensures all students cover the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum at the same time as maximising choice. This allows our students to do more of the things they enjoy, specialise in deep knowledge of an area, or engage with a broader set of learning opportunities.
Year 9 Sessions per cycle
| English | Humanities | Mathematics | Science | Health & PE | G5 Mentor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| G5 Connect | Elective 1 | Elective 2 |
|---|---|---|
6 | 6 | 6 |
G5 Connect Program
To prepare learners to be lifelong learners who are generous, active, and informed citizens, all Year 9 students will participate in the G5 Connect Program. This course involves students researching a topic of their choice related to making a positive impact in their community, collaborating with peers to develop and present a workshop to Year 7 and 8 students, learning more about and preparing for future careers and volunteering in their local community. As part of the Year 9 Program, students will also participate in a leadership camp, the My Career Insights program and excursions to universities.
G5 Connect is a year-long course undertaken by all Year 9 students. The G5 Connect course focuses on students developing leadership skills and making a positive impact in their community. Students participate in four units across the year.
- Unit 1 | Leading your own learning: Students choose a topic that they are passionate about and is related to making a positive impact in their community. Students research this topic and write a literature review.
- Unit 2 | Leading others: Students work in groups to plan and deliver a workshop to Year 7 & 8 students related to their chosen topic.
- Unit 3 | Preparing for your future: Students consider careers they may be interested in pursuing in the future. They learn about employability skills, writing a resume and cover letter, job interviews and budgeting.
- Unit 4 | Contributing to your community: Students learn about the importance of volunteering; the skills required to volunteer and spend time volunteering in their local community.
Elective Subjects
Elective Subjects are important for students in trialling areas of study which may become future pathways. Students can choose to continue with Chinese or Italian in preparation for possible international trips and the subsequent study of one of these languages in Year 11 and 12.
They may select food or digital technology studies from the Technology Learning Area, or a range of courses from the Arts Learning Area. With the exception of languages, each elective subject is a semester in length and runs for six sessions per cycle.
Each Elective Subject is designed to give students a taste of that course’s content in VCE, which will support students to make informed choices in the Senior School.
