English Key Stage 3

In Year 7, students study a range of fiction and non-fiction materials. Pupils read and explore a full contemporary novel, with a focus on the understanding of plot, theme, and character development. Year 7 brings with it many opportunities for writing in a range of genres, forms and in varied voices – for different purposes and audiences. The impetus behind these units is to instill our students with a love of and for the subject, cultivating enjoyment and enrichment. Students are encouraged to plan, edit and re-shape their work whilst consolidating and building on their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary; we also explore a Shakespearean play, “Romeo and Juliet” but recognise the importance of studying contemporary playwrights too, with a focus on Malorie Blackman. In Year 7, we examine the impact of modern poetry to cultivate a love of it and to begin to equip pupils with meaningful analytical skills. Spoken language is developed and speaking and listening is encouraged through each module.

In Year 8, students continue to study a range of texts, further consolidating key concepts and key threads of learning; students are constantly being up-skilled in their analytical craft, whilst refining their portable knowledge. Students explore “Abomination” by Robert Swindells with a keen focus on sharpening their focus on evaluating the impact of language, whilst re-awakening their creative writing abilities. Through the study of journals, newspaper articles and diary entries, students are constantly exposed to a range of texts and voices, consolidating their ability to access a variety of texts. Building on their understanding of Shakespeare, from Year 7, students are challenged to analyse “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, further developing their contextual knowledge of Shakespearean times. Students are exposed to the poetry of World War One, enabling them to enrich the levels of their oracy skills through: debate, role-play and whole-class discussions. Key vocabulary threads are embedded within all units and grammar skills are heightened through a teaching of more sophisticated and complex punctuation skills.

In Year 9, students deepen their knowledge and understanding of fiction through the study of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding; this complex and sophisticated text allows students to heighten their analytical skill and develop further their inferences and deductions when looking at characterisation, themes and plot. The students explore ideas of culture, heritage, and identity through non-fictional works, which seek to challenge and inspire our students to locate their own creative flair. Mature vocabulary and grammatical structures are heightened through the teaching of Macbeth and Poetry of Different Cultures; by exposing our students to these heightened structures, we serve to build students’ resilience. This establishes the firm foundations of analytical autonomy and creative flair, that pave the way for Year 10. Students are exposed to more challenging texts, in the Summer Term, through gothic extracts and 19th century texts, which promote cultural capital and deeper understanding of the contexts in which texts are born.

 

Year 7Year 8Year 9
Key Concepts

To examine deeper connotations of language and analysis, being able to explore the connotations writers’ word choices.

To cement connections between language choices and  its implied meaning, with careful examination of how character, theme and imagery is conveyed.

To explore and critically examine the contextual implications of literary texts, being confident in a cultural and social appreciation of writers’ works.

Autumn Term

(Sep-Oct)

Transition Unit- Fiction- This unit revises, develops and consolidates the skills taught at KS2 and introduces students to the skills needed at KS3 in the form of reading, writing and speaking and listening tasks.

 

Fiction Unit- Abomination by Robert Swindells. Understanding of plot, character and themes with a focus on understanding writers’ language choices and how social contexts shape texts.

 

Fiction Unit- Lord of the Flies by William Golding or The Woman In Black by Susan Hill. This unit develops the mastery of language analysis and evaluation. Students look at the symbolism within texts and how signifers are integral to understanding character, theme and writers’ aims.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1 and 2.

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1 and 2.

Your child will be assessed on reading strand 2.

Autumn Term

(Nov-Dec)

Non-Fiction Unit: Dolmio. This unit explores the modern concepts of advertising and looks to explore the persuasive language features that are inherent in advertising campaigns. Students explore the connotations of presentational features and develop skills in persuasive writing.

 

Fiction- Embedding the Skills for Success. Students continue to develop their close textual analysis skills, looking at the effects that language has on us, as readers. Students then create their own piece of prose, understanding the effects they want to instill in their readers.

 

Creative fiction: A Christmas Carol. Students explore the 19th century historical setting and how this impacted Dickens’ work. Students develop an in-depth appreciation of symbolism through language exploration. Students use these skills to create their own pieces of creative writing.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 2 and 3. In addition, your child will be assessed on writing strands 1, 2 and 3.

Your child will be assessed on writing strands 1, 2 and 3.

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 2 and 3. In addition your child will be assessed on writing strands 2 and 3.

Spring Term

(Jan-Feb)

Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Students study setting, plot and characterisation and the effects of these, understanding how the work of dramatists is communicated through performance.

 

Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s. Students study setting, plot and characterisation. The focus is on the juxtaposition of fantasy and reality.

 

Non fiction unit- writing to persuade, argue and inform. Students begin to look at modern extracts and texts that inspire them to feel passionately about modern issues. Modelling is used to shape and tweak written responses that follow the conventions of writing to argue and persuade.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strand 4.

Your child will be assessed on reading strand 4.

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1 and 3 In addition your child will be assessed on writing strands 3 and 4.

Spring Term

(Feb-April)

“A Monster Calls” contemporary prose. This unit focuses on the close analysis of character, stage directions and theme, using quotations to support and develop inferences in texts. This module also develops students’ spoken word and confidence, by using impressive vocabulary choices and exploring stage based characters.

 

Non-Fiction- Advertisement Industry. Students, through a study of political and influential speeches throughout significant periods of history. Students use these as stimuli to create their own powerful pieces of written work.

 

Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Students develop an insight into the plot, characterisation and themes of this play. Students look closely at the playwright’s language intentions and the effects of the Jacobean and modern day audiences.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1 and 2.

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1, 2 and 3. In addition your child will be assessed on writing strands 2 and 3.

Your child will be assessed on reading strand 4.

Summer Term

(Feb-May)

Poetry- What is Poetry? Analysing language, structure and imagery with a widening focus on contextual knowledge and understanding.

 

Poetry of WW1.Analysing language, structure and themes, students look at the social and emotional impact of war. Students explore the connotations of language and develop their own empathetic skills when crafting diary entries, assuming in personas of those at war.

 

Cluster poetry – students look at power and conflict and love and relationships in poetry. Students explore how poets demonstrate their ideas through imagery, language and structure. Students will explore and develop critically mature interpretations to pre and post 1914 poetry.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 3 and 4.

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 3 and 4.

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 2, 3 and 4.

Summer Term

(May-July)

Research Unit- Making Prose Count. Here, students delve into the world of prose and look at the themes and plot of “Abomination” by Swindells. Students look at how the book hooks us into reading it, before exploring it fully in Year 8.

 

Prose Skills. Students begin to research into the plot and characters of “Woman In Black”, which is the Year 9 fiction module. The historical and social setting of the Victorian era is researched to gain an in-depth appreciation on how social setting directly impacts on literary works.

 

Making drama count (An Inspector calls) Students research key terms: socialism, capitalism, gender inequality, feminism and religious theories that impact modern drama. Students explore how these terms can shape the perceptions of plot, character and authors’ intentions.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on their skills in oracy (role play).

Your child will be assessed on their skills in oracy (discussion).

Your child will be assessed on their skills in oracy (speaking and listening presentation).


Year 7

Key Concepts

To examine deeper connotations of language and analysis, being able to explore the connotations writers’ word choices.

Quality Mark Assessments

Autumn Term

(Sep-Oct)

Transition Unit- Fiction- This unit revises, develops and consolidates the skills taught at KS2 and introduces students to the skills needed at KS3 in the form of reading, writing and speaking and listening tasks.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1 and 2.

Autumn Term

(Nov-Dec)

Non-Fiction Unit: Dolmio. This unit explores the modern concepts of advertising and looks to explore the persuasive language features that are inherent in advertising campaigns. Students explore the connotations of presentational features and develop skills in persuasive writing.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 2 and 3. In addition, your child will be assessed on writing strands 1, 2 and 3.

Spring Term

(Jan-Feb)

Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Students study setting, plot and characterisation and the effects of these, understanding how the work of dramatists is communicated through performance.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strand 4.

Spring Term

(Feb-April)

“A Monster Calls” contemporary prose. This unit focuses on the close analysis of character, stage directions and theme, using quotations to support and develop inferences in texts. This module also develops students’ spoken word and confidence, by using impressive vocabulary choices and exploring stage based characters.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1 and 2.

Summer Term

(Feb-May)

Poetry- What is Poetry? Analysing language, structure and imagery with a widening focus on contextual knowledge and understanding.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 3 and 4.

Summer Term

(May-July)

Research Unit- Making Prose Count. Here, students delve into the world of prose and look at the themes and plot of “Abomination” by Swindells. Students look at how the book hooks us into reading it, before exploring it fully in Year 8.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on their skills in oracy (role play).


Year 8

Key Concepts

To cement connections between language choices and  its implied meaning, with careful examination of how character, theme and imagery is conveyed.

Quality Mark Assessments

Autumn Term

(Sep-Oct)

Fiction Unit- Abomination by Robert Swindells. Understanding of plot, character and themes with a focus on understanding writers’ language choices and how social contexts shape texts.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1 and 2.

Autumn Term

(Nov-Dec)

Fiction- Embedding the Skills for Success. Students continue to develop their close textual analysis skills, looking at the effects that language has on us, as readers. Students then create their own piece of prose, understanding the effects they want to instill in their readers.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on writing strands 1, 2 and 3.

Spring Term

(Jan-Feb)

Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s. Students study setting, plot and characterisation. The focus is on the juxtaposition of fantasy and reality.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strand 4.

Spring Term

(Feb-April)

Non-Fiction- Advertisement Industry. Students, through a study of political and influential speeches throughout significant periods of history. Students use these as stimuli to create their own powerful pieces of written work.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1, 2 and 3. In addition your child will be assessed on writing strands 2 and 3.

Summer Term

(Feb-May)

Poetry of WW1.Analysing language, structure and themes, students look at the social and emotional impact of war. Students explore the connotations of language and develop their own empathetic skills when crafting diary entries, assuming in personas of those at war.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 3 and 4.

Summer Term

(May-July)

Prose Skills. Students begin to research into the plot and characters of “Woman In Black”, which is the Year 9 fiction module. The historical and social setting of the Victorian era is researched to gain an in-depth appreciation on how social setting directly impacts on literary works.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on their skills in oracy (discussion).


Year 9

Key Concepts

To explore and critically examine the contextual implications of literary texts, being confident in a cultural and social appreciation of writers’ works.

Quality Mark Assessments

Autumn Term

(Sep-Oct)

Fiction Unit- Lord of the Flies by William Golding or The Woman In Black by Susan Hill. This unit develops the mastery of language analysis and evaluation. Students look at the symbolism within texts and how signifers are integral to understanding character, theme and writers’ aims.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strand 2.

Autumn Term

(Nov-Dec)

Creative fiction: A Christmas Carol. Students explore the 19th century historical setting and how this impacted Dickens’ work. Students develop an in-depth appreciation of symbolism through language exploration. Students use these skills to create their own pieces of creative writing.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 2 and 3. In addition your child will be assessed on writing strands 2 and 3.

Spring Term

(Jan-Feb)

Non fiction unit- writing to persuade, argue and inform. Students begin to look at modern extracts and texts that inspire them to feel passionately about modern issues. Modelling is used to shape and tweak written responses that follow the conventions of writing to argue and persuade.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 1 and 3 In addition your child will be assessed on writing strands 3 and 4.

Spring Term

(Feb-April)

Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Students develop an insight into the plot, characterisation and themes of this play. Students look closely at the playwright’s language intentions and the effects of the Jacobean and modern day audiences.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strand 4.

Summer Term

(Feb-May)

Cluster poetry – students look at power and conflict and love and relationships in poetry. Students explore how poets demonstrate their ideas through imagery, language and structure. Students will explore and develop critically mature interpretations to pre and post 1914 poetry.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on reading strands 2, 3 and 4.

Summer Term

(May-July)

Making drama count (An Inspector calls) Students research key terms: socialism, capitalism, gender inequality, feminism and religious theories that impact modern drama. Students explore how these terms can shape the perceptions of plot, character and authors’ intentions.

 

Quality Mark Assessments

Your child will be assessed on their skills in oracy (speaking and listening presentation).