English

Students complete baseline assessments and establish areas for development. Initially content is based around starting school and students develop their skills in transactional writing and poetry. Students then go on to study the novel Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan and consider extracts from 19th century texts such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Students study Shakespeare’s Macbeth and develop their transactional writing skills centred around the idea of heroism. Students study characterisation throughout the play and develop their comprehension and analysis of language and structure. Students build on the theme of conflict established within the play and study poetry centred around the theme of conflict. 

During this term students will further develop their analytical skills by studying poetry from different cultures. Students then go on to build on their skills in transactional writing and study non-literary texts based around the theme of travel. Students are encouraged to see the realistic application of their skills and how these will be beneficial in their life beyond school.    

Students develop their understanding of other cultures from Year 7 through the study of a text that explores life for people in 1930s America. Students will study Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and explore the methods used by the writer to present the key ideas and issues that the text highlights. They look at the writer’s craft in writing effective descriptions of setting and in turn write their own descriptions

Students are encouraged to explore some of the practical requirements for effective communication beyond the classroom. They will use imagination and creativity to design and market their own product. In addition to this, students begin to study poetic forms and how poems can be used to express emotions. A range of poetry is studied including 19th century poems and contemporary poetry. This builds on their skills from Year 7 Autumn Term and Summer Term.

Students study Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and develop their knowledge and skills of studying Shakespeare last year and at KS2. They then go on to consider the theme of revenge and write their own narrative pieces based on this theme. They develop their skills of writing descriptively from the first term of Year 8 and then go on to apply these to a narrative piece, developing their ability to choose language and structure for deliberate effect.

In the first term students develop their knowledge of the key contextual issues of the 19th century, using both literary and non-fiction texts as means to explore this context. They practise their transactional writing skills when looking at 19th century and modern texts. Thy then take the theme of poverty explored through the 19th century non-fiction texts and explore how it is presented in the modern drama piece Our day Out by Willy Russell. Later in the term, students will then go on to explore the conventions of gothic horror and the writer’s craft. Students will study some classic Gothic horror short stories and poetry such as ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ and ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe. They then go on to write their own narrative pieces. 

Students will focus on English Language and practise their skill in transactional writing for the real-life situation of their college applications. They will continue to study poetry from the AQA Power and Conflict anthology and look at a group of poems centred around the theme of power, honour and identity. This term will also allow students the opportunity to revise other literature texts. They work to develop their spoken language skills and transactional writing, by writing speeches and completing their spoken language presentations.

Students revise A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney and deepen their knowledge and understanding of the text by exploring the theme of prejudice. They will also study some more poetry from the AQA Power and Conflict anthology. Students also practise their skills and approach to English Language Paper 1. They also revise A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and English Language paper 2 in preparation for their internal assessments. 

Students will revise all areas required. The revision must be flexible and tailored for individual needs. Students will have their GCSE examinations this term.