Each of the four options is for five hours a fortnight for one semester (two terms).
Students complete four options each year, two options in Semester 1 (Terms 1 and 2), and the other two in Semester 2 (Terms 3 and 4).
In choosing these options, students and parents are reminded that Year 7 – 9 is a time for choice, challenge and opportunity. Much of the overall learning programme is covered in the six compulsory core subjects.
We are keen to encourage our students to continue to have as much breadth as possible in their learning. This is a time to experiment with choice. There is no problem with choosing something to try for one semester only. Students are encouraged to choose some option subjects that may support their leisure interests.
Please note that each of these courses is designed to be stand-alone, for example, students do not have to study one Art course before the other. The exception to this is the languages where the expectation is that students who are intending to study either language in year 10 should complete the 1 & 2 courses in order prior to the end of Year 9.
Students must choose a total of four options with at least one from the Arts Column and at least one from the Technology Column each year. Te Reo Māori must be chosen once in these three years. This course is Te Whakatōtanga.
Pacific Patterns
This course provides students with the opportunity to explore Pacifica Pattern in the context of our natural environment a wide range of interesting art practices. These include:
Still Life
Drawing, Painting and Print in the context of everyday objects, Imaginative creatures, and Maori Design Elements. This course provides students with the opportunity to explore a wide range of interesting art practices. These include:
Exploring Portraiture
This course provides students with the opportunity to explore Portraiture in Both Realist and Abstract Contexts -
This includes:
Drama
This Drama option offers the opportunity to explore experiences involving drama
Musical Theatre
This Drama option offers the opportunity to explore experiences involving performance and production.
You will:
Live Music Performance
This option is focused on developing skills in live performance and sound engineering. It involves learning instrumental and/or vocal skills and building on existing skills in vocals, keyboard, guitars (acoustic, electric and bass) and drums, culminating in solo and group performances of students' own compositions and covers.
Music Technology and Production
This option develops skills in computer-based composition and recording. It involves developing instrumental and/or vocal skills and developing or building upon existing recording and production skills, including remixing the school song, developing compositional skills in producing music for games and film, and computer-based music using an online Digital Audio Workstation.
Stylistic Performance and Conventions
This course is designed to explore the different styles and contexts in which music is performed from rock and roll and reggae to waiata and western art music. You will explore key music genres through group performance on instruments, composition (instrumental or computer-generated), and research.
Media and animation
Digital Media is about how things look on the screen and on paper. This course covers the design and presentation of images, animations, movies, and sounds. You will do some of the following: create and manipulate images; create logos, posters, and infographics, write an interactive story, develop an animation, make a movie, create and edit sounds.
Electronics and Coding
Programming is how computers get a job done to control what is around us or get information from our environment. In this course you will learn about programming in Scratch and other languages. You will study electronics and sensing and control systems (the Internet of Things!).
Robotics and coding
Robots are being used in many different areas now, including making cars and all sorts of other factory processes, especially when the work is too hard, too repetitive, or too dangerous for people. In this course you will learn to build and programme robots to do a variety of tasks.
3D Modelling
This course would cover what goes into designing products, from initial ideas, concept development Drawing and Modelling techniques and use of computers to create 3D models and being able to 3D print them on our printers. There will be an aspect of presenting ideas using photoshop and illustrator.
Introduction to Architecture
Have you ever wanted to design a house? This course would cover an introduction to Spatial design. From a bit of history through research, idea generation, conventions. Drawing and Modelling techniques, and use of computers to create a 3D model of their designs. There will be an aspect of presenting ideas using photoshop and illustrator.
Jewellery
The design and making of an item of jewellery including a presentation jewellery box. Skills involved would include; drawing, use of hand tools, Sanders, drill press. Materials to be used; Pewter (Metal casting), Wood.
Maker Space
The design and making of a product (currently a Cell phone stand.) Skills involved would include; drawing, use of hand tools, Drill press. Materials to be used; plastic, wood.
Waka Huia
The design and making of a Taonga storage box using woodworking skills such as carving, joining, sketching.
Eat well, feel fantastic
Food, glorious food. An opportunity to learn about what food is made up of, and look at cooking for health and pleasure. Learn basic cooking techniques that leads on to planning and making your own meals. Learn new skills while extending your current knowledge.
Food for Life Technology
In this course you will look at planning and implementing design of a food product/s. Looking at ready-made products and making your own, having the opportunity to create and alter your decisions to come up with a product that meets your specifications. Ice Cream is a context that has been used for this process. It will continue to develop your food knowledge and cooking skills.
Creative Fabric Craft
Learning how to use sewing Machines and equipment to create unique designs on fabric. This will include the use of fabric paints, screen printing and other ways of applying designs to fabrics and other personal items. A fun course incorporating the learning of lifelong skills.
Fashion – Make it, Wear it
Using the Design process to research, plan and make your own items. As part of this sustainability and recycling of fabric items will be explored to create new and exciting products. Students learn essential skills for completing basic garments and fabric items.
French 1
This course is for students who have no prior knowledge of French. We use a methodology from Canada called AIM which stands for Accelerated Integrative Methodology. Each word has a gesture a bit like sign language. Students quickly master high frequency words and by the end of the two terms they are able to read aloud in French confidently an abridged version of 'The Three Little Pigs' 'Les Trois Petits Cochons'.
French 2
Students will have already completed two terms of French and mastered the story of 'The Three Little Pigs.' The same AIM methodology (Accelerated Integrative Methodology) will be used with the second story 'Comment y aller?' 'How do I get there?' This story is about a teenage girl living in Canada and a teenage boy living in Paris. The story together with other activities is used to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in French.
German
This course is for students who have no prior knowledge of German. The course will develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing although in the first instance the emphasis will be on confidence in the area of speaking. Through the use of story together with pair activities and games students will master introductory phrases and vocabulary which would enable them to communicate with a student of a similar age in a German speaking country.
Te Whakatōtanga
Building on what students have learned in our foundation integrated studies course, more emphasis in this programme will be placed on speaking Te Reo Māori (language). Students in Te Whakatōtanga will practice having introductory conversations in te reo (He Kōrero Mihi) and be aware of the cultural conventions that operate in interpersonal communication. Tikanga Māori topics such as hākinakina (traditional and new games) and marae kawa (protocols) and visit to Āraiteuru marae are highlights.
Te Tupuranga
This course follows on from Te Whakatōtanga. The focus for this course is learning to write and speak Te reo Māori (Māori language) to Level 2-3 and exploring ngā tikanga Māori (Māori customs). Students will improve their skills and knowledge in: kōrero (speaking), tuhituhi (writing), pānui (reading) and whakarongo (listening).
Ngā Kaupapa Ako(learning Topics)
He Rā Whakanui: (A celebration). Communicating about likes, wants, communicating about shopping for kai, price, quantity - numbers, organising a class shared kai linked to a relevant event such as Matariki celebration, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.
Māu te korero! (You can talk!):Describing friends and whānau, describing objects. We will also explore some kīwaha (informal sayings), how to complement, tease and exclaim to your friends in conversation. In a small group you will make a short te Reo Māori skit.
Reo Ōkawa (Formal language) for mihi mai, mihi atu (acknowledging people), waiata tautoko
SAS (Serious About Science)
If you love asking ‘why’ and thinking about how science fits into our everyday life, then this option will help to start answering those questions that we would love you to keep asking throughout your life. We will be working on topics that are relevant to New Zealand such as protecting our wildlife, climate change to name a few.
This semester course will incorporate any of the following:
Farming for Food
Where does our food come from?
Explore the journey food makes on its way to your home! Learn about farming - growing crops and raising farm animals! Investigate the who, when, where, why and how of the wide variety of foods produced around the world. There will be a particular focus on the past, present, and future of innovative NZ farming. (Agriculture & Horticulture base).
Free Writing
This subject will cover a variety of written language skills including formal, creative and poetic writing. Students will learn to explore different styles of writing, text types and genres to broaden their knowledge and appreciation of how to write for publication. There will be a focus on written text conventions such as spelling, grammar, punctuation and structure, skills that will support students with their writing in all curriculum areas.
As well as this, students will be given the opportunity to explore their creativity and imagination with free-writing. There will be an emphasis placed on brainstorming new ideas for creative writing and stepping outside comfort zones to write using different structures and genres. The aim will be to allow students to produce concise and engaging writing for extra-curricular competitions, the school magazine and other publications where student writing is accepted in order to celebrate the ability of Trinity Catholic College.
If you click on each subject below, you are able to read a general outline of the subject. A more detailed breakdown of each module is given to students each year in October to help them make their choices.
For all subjects, there are two or three different standalone modules that a student can choose without having studied the other modules (unless it is a language).
