Years 7 and 8
In Year 7, students study human prehistory and ancient civilisations developing their enquiry and analysis skills through the sequencing of causes and effects. They will also study business and economics recognising the interrelations between businesses and consumers. Students will then investigate the connections between humans and their environment in their geography unit. Finally they will close the year out with an examination of Australia’s government structure and political entities.
In Year 8, students will participate in the same core topics, but their geographical studies will examine how land forms are shaped and in turn shape us. Their history unit broadly examines history from the fall of the Roman Empire through to the Industrial Revolution. Students in Year 8 will also continue their civics and citizenship study by looking at how people participate in Australia’s political system and broader civic life. They will also continue to examine business and economics by focusing on markets.
Years 9 and 10
In Year 9 and 10, students study a variety of units aimed at giving students a deeper understanding and appreciation of issues facing Australia and the world.
The units studied include:
History - Students cover the period of history from 1750-1918 in the Making a Nation unit, exploring three depth studies on The Frontier Wars, the Industrial Revolution and World War I. The period of 1918 - The Modern Day is also explored through two depth studies: World war II and Freedoms (1945 – the present).
Geography: Students study Geography through the study of Geographies of Interconnections, Global Issues and Geographies of Human Wellbeing. These units focus on how people, through their choices and actions, are connected to places throughout the world in a wide variety of ways and the different concepts and measures of human wellbeing.
Legal Studies: Students gain a foundational understanding of laws and the Australian legal system. With a focus on contracts, negligence, defamation and the relationship between parliament and the courts, in semester 1, and criminal law, investigative procedures and in depth discussions on sentencing and punishment. To engage students further, there are mock trials each semester to test how well they analyse the law.
Financial Literacy and Economics and Business: Students gain a basic understanding of finance, economics and the global financial system. In particular, there is a focus on giving students a practical understanding of personal finance and Australia’s economic performance and standard of living.
Civics and Citizenship: Students examine the legal and political systems of Australia and learn about the ways political parties, interest groups, media and individuals influence government and decision-making processes. They also investigate the features and principles of Australia’s constitution, parliament and court system.
Australian Business Week (ABW)
As part of their Economics and Business studies, Year 9 and 10 Students participate in Australian Business Week. Students learn about teamwork, deadlines, stress, decision-making, creativity, communication and a range of business issues.
Melrose High School has run the popular one-week business simulation event for Year 10 students since 2002. The ABW program is designed to encourage independent and cooperative learning skills and to develop an enterprise mindset prior to entering the workforce or proceeding to further study. It exposes students to the issues of coping with stress and effective time management, both major issues that impact on students in high school and beyond.
During ABW, Year 10 students are divided into teams of 12-14. The teams/companies compete with each other in a simulated business environment and students perform a full range of tasks together over the five days:
● Manage a business through a computer simulation
● Learn from guest speakers from business and the community
● Develop a new product of their own invention
● Create a video and trade display to advertise their product
● Give an oral and written report of the week’s activities
● Interact with business people and teachers as facilitators/mentors
It is a fantastic program that has been embedded in the Year 10 program and has become part of the culture of the school.