English

English as a subject is needed in every society, every career and for every purpose in today’s modern life. English at Blackfen not only equips students in writing and reading skills but in speaking and listening skills also. Being able to express oneself, develop a love for English and to be able to communicate with others with both confidence and articulation is a necessary part of not only growing up but being a successful individual in every walk of life.

Key stage 3

Year 7

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	Growth Mindset Unit and Writing Workshop	A foundation of Growth Mindset to boost resilience and confidence in English, focus on spelling, punctuation and grammar unit leading into an exploration of creative writing.
Autumn Term 2 & Spring Term 1	Modern Novel	Students spend a term reading and working on the novel. E.g. Ruby In The Smoke/ Skellig. Students are introduced to writers’ techniques and understanding how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents and creates meaning.
Spring Term 2	Exploring Fiction	Students look at a range of fiction texts and extracts leading to a piece of narrative writing. Students develop their skills in recognising a range of fiction writing conventions and understanding how these have been used. This is in preparation for the Close the Gap test.
Summer Term 1	Shakespeare	Students learn how to engage with the language and style of a Shakespearean drama, primarily through A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Summer Term 2	Poetry	Students look at different types of poetry and begin to form an understanding of poetic and analytical techniques.

Year 8

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	Poetry – Family Relationships	Based around family relationships, this unit improves students’ ability to engage with the language, form and structure of poems.
Autumn Term 2	Diversity Unit	Students delve into a range of short stories focusing on different cultures, personalities and relationships. This unit aims to break down stereotypes, introduce new ideas and build students cultural capital.
Spring Term 1	Shakespeare- Macbeth	Focus on character, plot and conventions. Developing interpretations using drama, creative writing strategies and analytical writing.
Spring Term 2	Non-Fiction-Literature	Going back to non-fiction works and looking at language with a more appreciative eye, analysing the techniques employed by the writer and using this as a stimulus for creating own writing pieces. This unit is in preparation for Close the Gap in Spring 2.
Summer Term 1 and 2	Modern Novel-In the Sea there are Crocodiles	Bringing political, linguistic and structural analysis whilst reading a modern text. Focus on semi-biographical novel, emulating writers’ styles as well as developing critical writing and appreciation of a writer’s choices within a certain genre or form.

Year 9

Year 9 is viewed as a pivotal year in English and the curriculum serves as preparation for the demands of the two GCSE courses students will encounter at KS4.

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	‘The Outsiders’ S.E. Hinton	Students will study the novel ‘The Outsiders’ which focuses on the story of Ponyboy, a 14-year-old boy in Oklahoma, Texas. Themes covered include prejudice, class, wealth and coming of age. Students will be assessed on their writing and reading skills.
Autumn Term 2	Continue with ‘The Outsiders’ Fiction Language Paper 1	As above Students will study a range of short texts. They will develop their skills of analysis and explore the literal and inferential meanings of language in fiction. They will also use these skills in the development of their own creative writing.
Spring Term 1	Year 9 English Language Paper 1 exam ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ William Shakespeare	Students will be preparing and sitting their year 9 exam within the first two weeks of term. Students will read through selected passages of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. They will learn key context surrounding the playwright and learn to analyse the presentation of characters and themes like love and deception as well as gaining familiarity with Shakespearean English.
Spring Term 2	Continue with ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ Non-fiction Language Paper 2	As above Students will study a range of short non-fiction and literary non-fiction texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st century which express a viewpoint. They will develop their skills of analysis and explore the literal and inferential meanings of language in non-fiction. They will also use these skills in the development of their own writing for the purpose of writing to express a viewpoint.
Summer Term 1	19^th Century Short Stories	Students will engage with a range of short stories like ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ and ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’. Whilst reading, students will learn the craft of story writing with gothic elements and how to add tension and atmosphere to their own writing.
Summer Term 2	‘Power and Conflict’ poetry	Students will study a collection of poems and consider how the writers explore themes such as legacy, death and jealousy. In reading the poems, they will practice their analysis skills and develop their understanding of poetry, ready for their GCSEs.

Key Stage 4: GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature

AQA’s specifications for GCSE English Language and English Literature (for first examination entry summer 2017)

Year 10

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	English Literature: An Inspector Calls	Students read and analyse the 19^th Century play ‘An Inspector Calls’ focussing on character, structure, plot and context. This is a Literature unit and should help heighten awareness around issues of class, gender and social responsibility relevant in a contemporary social climate.
Autumn Term 2	English Language Paper 1	Students begin to navigate the paper comprising of Section A&B focusing on their reading and writing skills. The unseen reading paper will be a fictional extract that they are expected to analyse in terms of language and structure whilst forming a perceptive response. The writing section will focus on their creative and grammatical skills. Begin the Shakespearean unit.
Spring Term 1	English Literature: Romeo and Juliet	Students will continue the Shakespearean study of the tragic play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and focus on plot, context and structure. The play deals with contemporary issues and emotions such as love, friendship, family issues and mental health.
Spring Term 2	English Literature: Poetry anthology Speaking & Listening exam	Students will read, analyse and compare a group of selected poems focusing on different aspects of love and relationships. This will prompt students to analyse language, poetic techniques and contextual influences. Comparative skills will be the focus whilst always revisiting analytical skills regarding form, language and structure. Students will also plan and prepare for their oral examination in the form of giving a short presentation to their peers and teacher.
Summer Term 1 & 2	English Literature: Unseen poetry S&L assessment	The poetry unit continues with a focus on the unseen section C of English Literature Paper 2; students will be given an unseen poem and will be expected to analyse and then compare to a second unseen poem. Analysing form, language and structure will be required as will gaining an understanding of this new text. English Literature PPE preparations. Revision of Section A: An Inspector Calls Revision of Section B: Anthology Poetry Revision of Section C: Unseen Poetry Students finish two weeks early as they leave for work experience.

Year 11

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	Preparation for Section A and B of English Language Paper 2: Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives	Students will study a range of short non-fiction and literary non-fiction texts from the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st century which express a viewpoint. They will develop their skills of analysis and explore the literal and inferential meanings of language in non-fiction. They will also use these skills in the development of their own writing for the purpose of writing to express a viewpoint.
Autumn Term 2	Section B English Literature Paper 1 - Dickens: A Christmas Carol	Students will learn how to develop their skills in evaluating the effects of 19^th century prose language. They will explore the literal and inferential meanings of Dickens’ language and other devices.
Spring Term 1	Continue Section B English Literature Paper 1 - Dickens: A Christmas Carol Preparation for Section A and B of English Language Paper 1: Creative writing	As above Students will study a range of short texts. They will develop their skills of analysis and explore the literal and inferential meanings of language in fiction. They will also use these skills in the development of their own creative writing.
Spring Term 2	Section B English Literature Paper 2: poetry anthology Section C English Literature Paper 2: unseen poetry	Students will continue to study anthology section of English Literature Paper 2, Section B which they began in Year 10 and complete studying all the poems. Students also have the chance to recap on previous poems and the unseen section.
Summer Term 1 and 2	Revision for final exams	Students will revise all of the topics covered under their teacher’s guidance and judgement. Tasks will include: consolidating previous learning, in class assessments and planning.