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 leading into novel study	A foundation of Growth Mindset to boost resilience and confidence in English, focus on spelling, punctuation and grammar unit leading into literary fiction of Benjamin Zephaniah’s Refugee Boy. Students develop their understanding of autobiographical writing as well as engaging with historical and cultural influences on a writer.
Autumn Term 2	Poetry	Students look at different types of poetry and begin to form an understanding of poetic and analytical techniques.
Spring Term 1	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 in Spring 2.
Spring Term 2	Shakespeare	Students learn how to engage with the language and style of a Shakespearean drama, primarily through A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Summer Term 1 & Summer Term 2	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.

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	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.
Spring Term 2	Modern Novel-Animal Farm	Bringing political, linguistic and structural analysis whilst reading a modern text. Focus on persuasive language, emulating writers’ styles as well as developing critical writing and appreciation of a writer’s choices within historical contexts.
Summer Term 1	Shakespeare- Twelfth Night	Focus on character, plot and conventions. Developing interpretations using drama, creative writing strategies and analytical writing.
Summer Term 2	Gothic Short Stories	Students look at a range of short stories and develop their analysis of language and form; students will also evaluate the impact of structure upon the reader. Students will also look for connections and comparisons between texts.

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	Study of Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men	Exploration of character and theme, in preparation for the study of a novel at GCSE for Literature Paper 1.
Autumn Term 2	Exam-style Language GCSE preparatory work.	Preparation for Paper 1 (creative reading and writing) and Paper 2 (non-fiction based reading and writing). Students will tackle reading and writing tasks in the style of the GCSE Language examinations.
Spring Term 1	Shakespeare Study	Students will study a whole Shakespeare play in preparation for the rigours of the GCSE Literature Paper 2 examination. The focus will be on character and theme, in keeping with the GCSE requirements. Students will explore the language of Shakespeare and the context of his plays.
Spring Term 2	Shakespeare Study Continuation
Summer Term 1	19^th Century Short Stories	Exploring character and theme, with a focus upon familiarising students with challenging language, typical of nineteenth century texts. At GCSE students will be exposed to pre-twentieth century language for both the Language and Literature examinations.
Summer Term 2	Poetry Study	A collection of thematic poems will be studied with focus on the poet’s use of language, form and structure. Previously unseen poems will also be analysed. All work is aimed towards the skills needed for the GCSE Literature Paper 2 examination.

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	An Inspector Calls	Preparation for Section A of English Literature Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry. Students will learn how to develop their skills in evaluating the effects of a dramatist’s techniques and the exploration of literal and inferential meanings.
Autumn Term 2	Poetry (AQA Anthology)	Preparation for Section B and C of English Literature Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry. Students will learn how to develop their skills of analysis through a range of poetry. Students will learn how to analyse the effects of poetic devices and language, as well as drawing comparisons between texts.
Spring Term 1	Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet	Preparation for Section A English Literature Paper 1: Modern texts and poetry. Students will learn how to develop their skills in evaluating the effects of Shakespeare’s language and dramatic devices. They will explore the literal and inferential meanings of Shakespeare’s language.
Spring Term 2	Poetry (AQA Anthology) continued	Continuation of poetry study. See Autumn 2.
Summer Term 1	Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing	Preparation for Section A and B of English Language Paper 1. Students will study a range of 20^th and 21^st century prose fiction extracts. They will develop their skills of analysis and explore the literal and inferential meanings of language in prose fiction. They will also use these skills in the development of their own writing for the purpose of narrative and descriptive writing.
Summer Term 2	Literature Paper 2 Pre-Public Exam preparation	Students will revise and consolidate their knowledge as well as learn the necessary skills for tackling a Literature Paper 2 in its entirety.

Year 11

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives	Preparation for Section A and B of English Language Paper 2. 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	Dickens: A Christmas Carol	Preparation for Section B English Literature Paper 1: 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	Language Paper 1 & Lit Paper 2 public examinations preparation & revision
Spring Term 2	Language Paper 2 & Lit Paper 1 public examinations preparation & revision