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Book Stack

ENGLISH

“If you know how to read, then the whole world opens up to you." 

 

Barack Obama

 

 

Subject Intent:

 

At the heart of our passion for English, as a team of professional subject specialists, we are united in our belief that Literature is the centre-piece of all English study: we learn how to read and how to write from reading great examples of writing. Our curriculum is designed with this belief at its core and is shaped accordingly, with the trajectory to GCSE success as the end goals. Moreover, our curriculum is fully inclusive, enabling all students to access the knowledge and skills regardless of their starting points.

 

We built the curriculum with the intent that students will:

  • Experience a broad, deep and knowledge rich curriculum through an overview of literature over time, enabling students to place texts within their contexts but also to place texts in relation to other texts, with similar and different concerns. This literary timeline constructs our work in KS3.

  • Be literate and numerate through developing language skills within and from our study of literary texts, interleaving a variety of story structures for creative writing. The curriculum focuses on the development of inference skills as the means by which we can understand the complexity of writers’ messages and intentions.

  • Have high expectations for their behaviour and achievement through developing tolerance of, appreciation of and sensitivity towards viewpoints, attitudes and principles across cultures and times.

  • Develop their cultural, moral, social, mental and physical development through contextual links to literature, interleaving discussions and considerations of the world around us in all it richness and diversity, whilst simultaneously understanding how to write non-fiction through this process. In particular, cultural capital is developed through the priority given to Shakespeare – looking at what he wrote, looking forward through literary time at his shaping influence, but also connecting texts back from their contexts to his work.

  • Be prepared for life beyond the school by helping to shape students’ approach to life, with a view to them being accepting and non-judgmental in the modern world.

 

Subject Implementation:

 

  • The curriculum builds from year 7 to 11, focusing, at Key Stage 3, on a literary timeline which is used as a springboard to enable students to look back and look forward within genres and time periods. This develops understanding of the inter-relational nature of literary texts. At Key Stage 4, the curriculum focuses on the Literature GCSE and then the Language GCSE, whilst there is constant emphasis on the inter-connections between the 2 disciplines.

  • Core skills are revisited, however, knowledge is built on foundations from previous study.  Whilst reinforcement and retention of previously learnt knowledge is addressed relentlessly, building a deeper and more coherent understanding is key to preparation for further study. Retrieval and revision are central aspects of our pedagogy.

  • Across both key stages, pupils build a knowledge of the features of different types of literary text including those from different time periods and continents. This allows pupils to develop cultural capital and further establish an interest in literature that reflects changes in society as well as shaping our understanding of the modern world.

  • Writing skills intrinsically linked to the texts studied, allow pupils to develop and craft their own literary techniques and actively encourages the development of personal expression when creating both fiction and non-fiction texts.

  • In class feedback is used to track understanding; allowing bespoke planning to occur as a result. There are regular formal assessments linked to the scheme of learning and the GCSE assessment objectives. On-going assessment occurs through teacher monitoring of classwork and discussions with pupils. Outcomes are analysed and discussed within the department and interventions and extra support implemented where appropriate. Specific groups such as SEND, DP, MA are closely monitored and intervention, where necessary, is planned in order to reduce gaps.

  • A blended learning approach is used to promote and develop independent learning through the medium of Microsoft TEAMS.  TEAMS is used to enhance home learning and is further supported by knowledge organisers, lesson PowerPoints and any additional resources needed. These are all uploaded to TEAMS and are designed to assist students with their blended learning. Teachers will engage with students through feedback which will enable them to continue to develop and make progress.

 

Subject Enrichment:

 

In the English department, we believe that all students, regardless of socio-economic background, are entitled to our enrichment provision. As such, we endeavour to make all enrichment experiences accessible to all, basing as much as we can within school.

 

Enrichment includes:

  • Competitions, often in liaison with the library, to develop reading and writing skills

  • Live theatre in school from touring companies

  • Visits from authors and other guest speakers – such as actors and performers

  • Subscription to ‘The Day’ Newspaper allowing all students to be able to access well written non-fiction texts and news articles along with activities that stretch and challenge thinking skills

  • Homework and life skills clubs are accessible for any students who require further support

  • After school debate club is available for any students who want to strengthen and develop their oracy skills

 

Subject Impact:

 

In English, our curriculum will:

  • Ensure the curriculum builds an understanding of the breadth and wealth of texts that have created our literary heritage.

  • Develop well-read citizens equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to actively engage with adult life. In addition, to provide students with the skills to be able to articulate their viewpoints on a variety of societal issues.

  • Develop pupils with an ability to critically think about the modern world and give them the confidence and skills to interact with the world around them.

  • Provide pupils with a range of vocabulary to become confident writers, enabling them to produce a range of writing styles that will allow them to access further learning and employment opportunities beyond school.

  • Through the study of the history of Literature, develop a cultural capital intrinsically linked to their understanding of what has shaped the world we live in today, allowing them to appreciate how society has shaped literature and the messages we can apply as citizens today.

English Curriculum Map Master 2023.jpeg

Knowledge and Skills –

 

Year 7:

Pupils will develop their knowledge of:

  • How literature has developed through time, the contexts in which texts were shared and written and how language continues to evolve and change

  • Shakespeare’s use of dramatic techniques through the study of scenes from several plays and an introduction to some of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets

  • What life was like in Dickensian England and how Dickens’ writing reflects this with a focus on the techniques used by Dickens to convey messages to the reader

  • Literary techniques used across a range of text types and genres

  • Contexts of poems from a variety of different voices, linked thematically, to the texts studied

  • The power of rhetoric and how politics can be influenced by the power of language

  • Mature themes such as discrimination, racism and grief explored through poetry and a modern text

 

Pupils will develop their skills in:

  • Reading skills, developed through a wide range of fiction with a wide coverage of genres, historical periods, forms and authors

  • Identifying the purpose, audience and context of writing and the use of knowledge to support comprehension

  • Developing and using new vocabulary

  • Making inferences referring to evidence in the text

  • Writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences – both fiction and non-fiction

  • Giving short speeches and presentations and understanding the differences between spoken and written language

  • Reading for meaning to create developed responses to texts

Year 8:

 

Pupils will develop their knowledge of:

  • Shakespeare’s plays focusing on the impact of context, structure, language and dramatic technique in a historical work

  • The novel Jekyll and Hyde focusing on the way context informs Victorian literature

  • A range of non-fiction texts linked to the texts studied, chosen to reflect differing writer's viewpoints and opinions

  • A modern novela, its conventions and how societal factors shape its message

  • Building on prior knowledge of different types of writing reflecting the context and concerns of the time in which they are written

  • Exposing students to a variety of different texts to develop pupils’ knowledge of the way writers use vocabulary, techniques and structural choices to engage readers

  • Cultural capital from a range of time periods and writers

  • Features of successful writing, and how to create settings and characters in their own work, as well as knowledge on a variety of fiction and non-fiction writing structures

 

Pupils will develop their skills in

  • Shakespeare's craft, the genre of tragedy and the value of context

  • Reading full-length works from a range of different time periods examining key features linked to different movements in writing alongside using reading for meaning to create developed responses to texts

  • Analysing the techniques and decisions made by writers to create an effect.

  • Further the use of analytical and comparative techniques in and between texts.

  • Expand pupils’ use of effective techniques in their own writing focusing on developing an awareness of writing to engage a reader.

  • Develop confidence using spoken language techniques to present and discuss texts and ideas.

 

Year 9

 

Pupils will develop their knowledge of:

  • Shakespeare's themes, craft and messages through the play Julius Caessar

  • Writers’ intentions and how they impact a text

  • Poetry through the theme of identity, linked to female voices, marginalised voices and reclaiming power and identity over time

  • A modern play, focusing on the big ideas of social responsibility social inequality

  • The use of modern dramatic techniques in order to engage the reader in ‘big ideas’

 

 

Pupils will develop their skills in

  • Analysis of language form and structure in and between texts linked by themes.

  • Examining how the structure and content of writing have common features and plot types.

  • Building interpretations from texts, linked to context and writers use of techniques in order to enhance understanding.

  • Developing interpretations of the way a text reflects an author’s viewpoints.

  • Implementing a growing understanding of writer's skills by writing sustained and engaging fiction and non-fiction texts for a range of given purposes and audiences.

  • Using spoken language to express a range of opinions on the themes and contexts of literary works.

  • Developing a mature and informed verbal viewpoint on a writer's intentions when creating literary texts.

  • Reading for meaning to create developed responses to texts.

 

Year 10

 

Pupils will develop their knowledge of:

  • A variety of contexts across GCSE literature set texts and how they have predisposed and shaped texts.

  • Poetry, focusing on 15 poems in the AQA poetry anthology all linked by the themes of Power and Conflict. Pupils will understand the inherent meaning within the poems, how a poet uses form and technique to create meaning and how the poems link to the time in which they were written.

  • 19th century literature, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, anthology and unseen poetry as well as a modern play.

  • How and why writers are influenced by the world around them.

  • Authorial intent – the influences and messages presented by authors through their work.

  • Characters and their functions across GCSE prose, plays and poetry.

  • Writer’s crafts and stylistic choices.

  • How to link content to the big ideas present within GCSE texts.

 

Pupils will develop their skills in

 

  • Identifying and interpreting explicit and implicit information and ideas.

  • Analysis of language, structure and methods to achieve effects.

  • Using relevant subject terminology to enhance not drive answers.

  • Approaching analysing and comparing the ideas and language used within unseen texts.

  • Comparative skills, focusing on making clear links between texts.

  • Examining the effects of writer’s methods on reader.

  • Developing and sustaining interpretations.

  • Structuring and developing extended writing linked to the GCSE assessment objectives.

  • Talking and writing about characters as conscious constructs as well as linking these ideas to the writers wider purpose.

  • Writing effectively and accurately about different genres, form and structure.

  • Developing reader response.

  • Linking ideas/concepts to the ‘big ideas’ and contexts in which they were written.

  • Revision skills linked to GCSE literature.

  • Reading for meaning to create developed responses to texts.

 

Year 11

 

Pupils will develop their knowledge of:

 

  • Conventions of a wide range of fiction texts, genre, moral messages and big ideas through the study of the AQA literature.

  • The art of rhetoric and non-fiction text types.

  • Conventions of a wide range of non-fiction text types and purposes linked to societal issues. 

  • Stylistic choices across both fiction and non-fiction texts. 

  • Different types of texts and how they have been influenced/shaped by the contexts in which they were written.

  • Writer’s viewpoints and purposes.

  • Global and national issues through articles – developing cultural capital.

  • The big ideas present within texts linked to the AQA English Language specification

  • Crafting, editing and redrafting creative writing for different purposes, including transactional writing and speaking and listening.

 

Pupils will develop their skills in

 

  • Reading for meaning to create developed responses to texts.

  • Analysing the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects.

  • Using relevant subject terminology to enhance not drive an answer.

  • Developing an understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.

  • Comparing writers’ ideas and perspectives, as well as how these are conveyed, across two texts.

  • Selecting and synthesising evidence from different texts.

  • Using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.

  • Crafting creative writing to communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences.

  • Constructing a piece of writing, focusing on how to select effective language, techniques and structure.

  • Organising and structuring responses for clarity and purpose.

  • Communicating verbally, ensuring that students can confidently convey their ideas in front of an audience.

  • Writing speeches to convey a particular idea or viewpoint.

  • Revision skills linked to GCSE language and GCSE Literature

Contact Head of Department:

Miss Naqshbandi - a.naqshbandi@smithillsschool.net

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