The Lives of the Famous
The Lives of the Famous
September 25, 2017 at 3:38 PM
Where could you find the scholars of ancient Rome mixing with the music icons of the 21st century? Sporting legends standing side by side with fashionistas? Great adventurers shoulder to shoulder with the greatest academic minds of all time? Easy. In the Goodfellow Centre!
The lives of the famous were brought into sharp focus this morning at the annual Year 8 Famous People presentation. As part of their social sciences unit about famous people, the students worked enthusiastically to research, write and learn a dramatic monologue about a famous person of their choice. They were free to choose whether the person was alive, or now consigned to history, but regardless of their choice, extensive research was required to ensure that the information was both accurate and informative.
The culmination of the unit was a novel presentation in the Goodfellow Centre this morning to visiting families. Dressed in costume, the characters burst into life to make an animated and entertaining speech. Visitors were free to wander and choose their speaker from a startling array of ‘living statues’ on display!
Aside from the entertainment and the fun of dressing up, there were also some important learning outcomes to be achieved. Every year the students are involved in speech competitions as part of the English curriculum. A dramatic monologue differs in the sense that the speaker takes on a theatrical quality. Recognising the importance of presentations in the business world, opportunities such as these help to prepare our young men and women for future roles beyond the College gates. Today’s presentation gave the students sound practice to sharpen and hone their oral language skills, voice projection, stance, eye contact and memory - all attributes that the students were being assessed on.
With each retelling, nerves settled and the students became increasingly more confident in their delivery, transforming the Goodfellow Centre into a showcase of famous people… and talented students!
