KEY STAGE THREE ENGLISH – YEARS 7 AND 8

In Years 7 and 8, students follow a varied curriculum that covers all strands of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Topics range from Homer’s War with Troy and Shakespeare’s plays to Travel Writing. Private reading is actively encouraged through our Learning Centre lessons and students are given reading targets to spur them on to read more widely. Students are assessed for both reading and writing skills every term to help them develop as writers and to hone their analytical skills. All Key Stage Three assessments are one hour long and are delivered during class time.

YEAR 7 ENGLISH

OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, STUDENTS WILL STUDY:

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

In their first unit, students listen to professional storytellers narrating Homer’s War with Troy as part of the Cambridge Classics for Schools programme. They will produce a piece of creative writing based on an aspect of the War with Troy story. Later in the year, students will study a range of texts from around the world that explore myths and legends, including ‘The Lady of Shallot’. Students write an analytical essay exploring how writers present their ideas.

FICTION AND NON-FICTION READING

Students will study one text from a range of novels, including Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo or The Iron Woman by Ted Hughes. From this, they will produce a piece of analytical writing. During the spring term, in ‘A Lovely Day Out’, students focus on non-fiction reading skills. Students start by developing their speaking and listening skills by participating in a discussion or presentation task. They then study adverts, leaflets and websites of current tourist attractions and compare the ways in which they influence the reader.

OUR WORLD AND A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM  

Students will focus on developing their non-fiction communication skills, while exploring environmental issues in our world through non-fiction texts. At the end of the year, students study A Midsummer Night’s Dream, exploring themes and language and consolidating their reading, writing and oracy skills. Students also explore contextual information about Shakespeare’s life and influences.

YEAR 8 ENGLISH

Across the year, students will study six units of work with an equal split between reading and writing assessments. These units build on the work completed in Year 7.

WRITING ASSESSMENTS

• Monster stories
• Writing to Argue or Persuade
• Travel Writing

READING ASSESSMENTS

• Year 8 Novel: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Animal Farm, or The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
• Shakespeare assessment: Romeo and Juliet
• Year 8: Poetry From Around The World with particular study of Maya Angelou’s poetry

Students in Year 7 and 8 are assessed using skills sheets which track their development. These sheets will be referred to regularly in class and can be used to discuss their progress at home.

KEY STAGE THREE ENGLISH - YEAR 9 

Year 9 continues to inspire a love of literature and enthusiasm for being creative writers, whilst also developing key skills learnt in Year 7 and 8. In Year 9, there is an increased focus on refining essay-writing skills, how to revise for assessments and how to answer questions independently. All assessment questions in the Year 9 course are unseen, so students will be asked to go home and prepare for a range of themes within a topic and will see the question for the first time during the in-class assessment. All assessments at Year 9 are one hour long and will be delivered during class time. In addition, Literature assessments at Year 9 are open book, so students will have a copy of any relevant texts, with the exception of the Unseen Poetry assessment. The English Department will provide access to all of the texts studied in Year 9.

Students will study six units across the year, split between assessments designed to consolidate key skills and knowledge, and ensure they are well prepared for Years 10 and 11.

Autumn term – Novel: ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ OR ‘Of Mice and Men’ AND Creative Writing.

Spring term –Poetry: Mind and Identity. Science and Invention: Reading and Responding to Non-Fiction Texts.

Summer term – Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing AND You're Hired (Non-Fiction Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening).

CLICK HERE FOR GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION PRACTICE