English

Curriculum

The Gothic Genre
This topic includes the study of ‘Groosham Grange’ by Anthony Horowitz, a playscript version of ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley, and extracts from other selected gothic texts. Students will learn the conventions of the gothic genre and how, over time, writers have used these conventions to produce rich and engaging texts. Students will then use this knowledge of the genre to produce gothic writing of their own. Writing to narrate is taught explicitly when studying the playscript of Shelley’s classic text.

Texts from Different Cultures
This unit of work centres on the study of ‘The Bone Sparrow’ by Zanna Fraillon. A range of poetry from a variety of cultures is also studied. Writing to express a viewpoint is taught explicitly in this part of the curriculum.

Voices
Students explore a variety of narrative perspectives, initially by studying legendary voices such as Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and extracts from Anne Frank’s diary. Students learn about different types of texts and will prepare a presentation to deliver to the class on someone that inspires them. The second element to this unit of work explores voices on stage through the study of the playscript of War Horse. This unit incorporates drama into the English curriculum and encourages students to write for different audiences and purposes.

Assessment

The Gothic Genre
The reading test is one hour long and is based upon an extract from a gothic text. Students ability to write descriptively is assessed at the end of term when they write to create a gothic setting or character. Speaking and listening are assessed by a variety of activities within lessons throughout the term.

Texts from Different Cultures
The reading test is one hour long and is based upon the poetry studied in this unit. The writing assessment is 45 minutes long and is linked to themes and ideas studied in the novel. The writing assessment requires students to demonstrate their ability to write for different audiences and text types. Speaking and listening are assessed by a variety of activities within the lessons throughout the term.

Voices
Speaking and listening is assessed through students’ preparation and delivery of a presentation on a ‘legendary voice’ of their choice. The end of year assessment is one hour long and requires students to write to describe and to write to express a viewpoint. Reading skills are tested throughout the term by a variety of activities within the lessons.

Progress & Preparation Activities (PPA)

A schedule of Preparation and Progress Activities are given to students at the beginning of each unit of work. They can also be viewed on the school website and monitored by parents via the Parent Portal. Students are expected to complete one piece of written homework per week. They will also be given a list of spellings and meanings of key words to learn. Students are also required to complete 20 minutes of independent reading every evening and complete quizzes regularly on the Accelerated Reader programme so that we are able to track and monitor their progress.

Further Resources

The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for English. You can log in with the following details:

Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their Year 7 curriculum.

• BBC Bitesize: KS3 English – this website provides helpful activities that support students’ development of English Language
• BBC Bitesize: KS3 English Literature – This website provides helpful information and activities that support students’ development of English Literature

Curriculum

History of English
Students will be introduced to a number of texts which have had significant influence historically and are recognised as being part of the English Literary Heritage. These texts include the study of the Old English poem ‘Beowulf’, extracts from Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’, and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by William Shakespeare. Students also learn how the English language has evolved to become what it is today, as well as how and why it is constantly changing.

Nature and the Environment
This unit of work centres on the novel ‘Trash’ by Andy Mulligan. Students also study a range of non-fiction texts relevant to the themes present in ‘Trash’ and are taught the skills of writing to express a viewpoint.

The Detective Genre
Students are taught to recognise the conventions of the detective genre by studying extracts from a range of texts, some of which were first published in the 19th century. Students read extracts from ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and short stories by Roald Dahl. Students also study the 21st-century novel ‘The Ultimate Truth’ by Kevin Brooks. Writing to describe and narrate is also taught explicitly within this unit.

Assessment

History of English
The reading test is one hour long and is based upon an extract from ‘Beowulf: Dragonslayer’ by Margaret Sutcliffe. The writing assessment is 45 minutes long and is connected to the study of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ Speaking and listening are assessed by a variety of activities within lessons throughout the term.

Nature and the Environment
The reading test is one hour long and is based upon an extract from two non-fiction texts. Reading skills are assessed through a speaking and listening task. The writing assessment is 45 minutes long and is linked to the themes of nature and the environment and tests students ability to write to express a viewpoint.

The Detective Genre
The reading test is based upon an extract from a work of detective fiction. The writing assessment is a creative writing task linked to the detective genre. Speaking and listening are assessed by a variety of activities within lessons throughout the term.

Progress & Preparation Activities (PPA)

Preparation and Progress Activities are given to students at the beginning of each unit of work. They can also be viewed on the school website and monitored by parents via the Parent Portal. Students are expected to complete one piece of written homework per week. They will also be given a list of spellings and meanings of key words to learn. Students are also required to complete 20 minutes of independent reading every evening and complete quizzes regularly on the Accelerated Reader programme so that we are able to track and monitor their progress.

Further Resources

The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for English. You can log in with the following details:

Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their Year 8 curriculum.

• BBC Bitesize: KS3 English – this website provides helpful activities that support students’ development of English Language
• BBC Bitesize: KS3 English Literature – This website provides helpful information and activities that support students’ development of English Literature

Curriculum

Fantasy Worlds
This unit of work centres on the study of the novel Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. Students will learn about the conventions of the genre in order to plan ideas for their own fantasy novel. The study of non-fiction texts related to the themes in Northern Lights alongside students’ reading of the novel will help them to develop their ability to write to express a viewpoint. At the end of the term, students will be introduced to film studies to give them an insight to studying the course at GCSE.

Conflict
Students study Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ and then move on to reading poetry linked to the theme of conflict. Students also study a number of short stories linked to a variety of conflicts which have occurred in different times and places in history. The writing focus for this unit is writing to describe and narrate.

Relationships
The main text in this unit is John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’. A variety of poetry, written by contemporary writers and those recognised as part of the English literary heritage, is also studied within this unit. The writing focus is writing to analyse. There will also be a formal speaking and listening assessment during this term in order to prepare students for this element of the GCSE course.

Assessment

Fantasy Worlds
Students complete examination papers in the style of GCSE English Literature Paper 1 and GCSE English Language Paper 2. These assessments are used to inform progress in both reading and writing. Speaking and listening skills are assessed within lessons through a variety of activities as well as through a formal presentation on the students’ creative fantasy world.

Conflict
Students complete examination papers in the styles of GCSE English Literature Paper 1 and GCSE English Language Paper 1. These assessments are used to inform progress in both reading and writing. Speaking and listening skills are assessed within lessons through a variety of activities.

Relationships
Students complete examination papers in the styles of GCSE Language Paper 1. This assessment is used to inform progress in both reading and writing. Speaking and listening skills are assessed within lessons through a variety of activities as well as a formal presentation or discussion related to study of ‘Of Mice and Men’.

Progress & Preparation Activities (PPA)

Preparation and Progress schedules will be emailed to students at the beginning of each unit of work. They can also be viewed on the school website and monitored by parents via the Parent Portal. Students are expected to complete one preparation and progress task per week. Students are also required to complete 30 minutes of independent reading every evening and complete quizzes regularly on the Accelerated Reader programme so that we are able to track and monitor their progress.

Further Resources

The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for English. You can log in with the following details:

Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their Year 9 curriculum.

• BBC Bitesize: KS3 English – this website provides helpful activities that support students’ development of English Language
• BBC Bitesize: KS3 English Literature – This website provides helpful information and activities that support students’ development of English Literature

Curriculum

Students will study the following topics:

• The film form and key concepts taught through the following films:
  • ‘Whiplash’
  • ‘Slumdog Millionaire’
  • ‘Witness’ and ‘Rear Window’ – comparative study
  • ‘Let the Right One In’
  • ‘My Brother the Devil’
  • ‘Submarine’
• Film and screenplay production skills using analysis of the above films to inform production choices.

Assessment

All assessments are taken at the end of Year 11.

Further Resources

The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for English. You can log in with the following details:

Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their Year 10 curriculum.

• BBC Bitesize: GCSE Film Studies – helps you to revise the key concepts and key terminology in film studies.
• Film Education – a range of resources on GCSE film texts for 2017/18.

Curriculum

Students will study the following topics:

• Topic 1 – Aesthetics in UK Contemporary Film
• Topic 2 – Post-Modernism and Intertextuality in US Independent Film
• Topic 3 – Final Production and Editing Project
• Topic 4 – Representation of People and Places – Global non-English Language Film

Assessment

Unit 1 – Key Developments in US film
Written examination – 1 hour 30 minutes – 35% of GCSE grade (taken at the end of Year 11)

Consists of three sections: ‘US Film Comparative Study’, ‘Key Developments in Film and Film Technology’, and ‘US Independent Film’.

Unit 2 – Global Film, Narrative, Representation and Film Style
Written examination – 1 hour 30 minutes – 35% of GCSE grade (taken at the end of Year 11)

Consists of three sections: ‘Global English Language Film’, ‘Global Non-English Language Film’, and ‘Contemporary UK Film’.

Unit 3 – Production
Non-examination assessment (NEA) – 30% (ongoing project submitted at the end of Year 11)

• Production of one genre based film extract (either from a film or from a screenplay)
• One evaluative analysis of the production

Further Resources

The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for English. You can log in with the following details:

Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their Year 10 curriculum.

• BBC Bitesize: GCSE Film Studies – helps you to revise the key concepts and key terminology in film studies.
• Film Education – a range of resources on GCSE film texts for 2017/18.

Curriculum

• Unit 1 – Poetry Section B
  • Seamus Heaney: ‘Field Work’
  • Owen Sheers: ‘Skirrid Hill’
• Unit 2 – Drama Section B
  • John Webster: ‘The Duchess of Malfi’
  • Tennessee Williams: ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’

Assessment

Component 1 – Poetry
Written examination: 1 hour (60 marks) 15% of A level
Section B: Poetry post-1900 (open-book, clean copy)

Component 2 – Drama
Written examination: 2 hours (60 marks) 15% of qualification
Section B: Drama pre/post 1900 (closed-book)

Further Resources

The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for English. You can log in with the following details:

Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their study of this course during Year 12.

• The library is your most useful resource! Our school library houses copies of all of the set texts as well as good quality study and revision guides.
• EDUQAS: English Literature – the examination board’s website is an invaluable revision tool. Here you can find past exam papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports.
• S-Cool – this website covers a range of important topics, including the set texts for this specification. A useful revision tool.
• EnglishBiz – Englishbiz has a number of A Level revision resources available, including this this useful pdf document about how to write an effective essay at A level.

Curriculum

In Year 13, we revisit the units studied at AS. In addition you will study:

• John Donne’s ‘Selected Poems’
• Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’
• Unseen prose and poetry
• Two novels for the coursework element of the course

Assessment

Component 1: Poetry
Written examination: 2 hours (120 marks) – 30% of qualification
Section A: Poetry pre-1900 (open-book, clean copy)
Section B: Poetry post-1900 (open-book, clean copy)

Component 2: Drama
Written examination: 2 hours (120 marks) – 30% of qualification
Section A: Shakespeare (closed-book)
Section B: Drama pre/post 1900 (closed-book)

Component 3: Unseen Texts
Written examination: 2 hours (80 marks) – 20% of qualification
Section A: Unseen prose
Section B: Unseen poetry

Component 4: Prose Study
Non-examination assessment (NEA): 2500-3500 word assignment (80 marks) – 20% of qualification
2500-3500 word assignment based on the reading of two prose texts by different authors, one published pre-2000 and one published post-2000.

Further Resources

The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for English. You can log in with the following details:

Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their study of this course during Year 13.

• The library is your most useful resource! Our school library houses copies of all of the set texts as well as good quality study and revision guides.
• EDUQAS: English Literature – the examination board’s website is an invaluable revision tool. Here you can find past exam papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports.
• S-Cool – this website covers a range of important topics, including the set texts for this specification. A useful revision tool.
• EnglishBiz – Englishbiz has a number of A Level revision resources available, including this this useful pdf document about how to write an effective essay at A level.