English
The English faculty follows the AQA exam specifications in both English Language and English Literature. PDF documents detailing both specifications can be found via the links below:
English Language
English Literature
Key Stage 3 English Overview
Year 7
Unit of Work | Core Assessment | Core English Skills | Key Terms/Vocabulary | Core Careers Links |
Classical Influences |
Explanatory Letter: In role as one of the Olympians, write a cover letter to Zeus explaining why you are the ideal candidate to replace him when he retires. /40 |
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topic sentence – affixes – narrative arc – Olympians – patriarchy – polemic statement |
Organising presentations Using formal language Lexicographer |
Shakespeare’s World |
Informative and descriptive letter from Shakespeare’s London /40 |
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tragedy – comedy – history - Elizabethan – Jacobean – neologisms – sonnet – plague – salutation - valediction |
Researcher Administrative Assistant |
‘Julius Caesar’
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Analysis of metaphors in soliloquy from ‘Julius Caesar’ /8 |
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republic – democracy – dictator - soliloquy – metaphor – patricians – plebeians - rhetoric |
Social Media Manager Public Relations Manager Advertising Copywriter |
Rhetoric |
Campaign speech to become year group leader /40 |
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rhetorical question – statistics – anecdotes – repetition – emotive – triples – discourse markers – purpose - audience |
Public Relations Manager Advertising Copywriter |
Autumn Term |
Spring Term |
Summer Term |
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Sep - Oct | Nov - Dec | Jan - Feb | Feb - Easter | Easter - May | May - July |
Classical influences: (including spoken element) This unit covers how our language has been influenced by Greek and Latin roots, and the origins of storytelling as we know it today. Students will also look at each of the twelve Olympians and learn how to make reasoned arguments for the strengths and weaknesses of each of them. The unit concludes with an explanatory speech (in written form) in support of their chosen Olympian.
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Shakespeare’s World: In preparation for later study of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, students learn about Shakespeare’s background and how it influenced his work. This includes biographical information about Shakespeare, particularly his allegiance to James I and the significance of the Globe theatre. This unit is assessed by having students write a letter from Shakespeare’s London, demonstrating the knowledge they have acquired and their ability to construct a letter that is factually informative and uses accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar. Julius Caesar: Students build on their knowledge from the Shakespeare’s World unit by looking at one of his history plays, ‘Julius Caesar’. Students learn about the plot and structure of a Shakespeare play and zoom in on one significant scene. The focus of the assessment is students’ ability to identify metaphorical language and comment on its impact on the audience.
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Rhetoric: (including spoken element) This unit links back to the famous speeches in ‘Julius Caesar’, which are used as models for powerful use of rhetoric. These speeches demonstrate the impact that public speaking can have. This knowledge is then applied to the modern day, and students learn how to construct their own rhetorical speech based on a school-related issue. Students also cover a range of other writing skills which they are expected to demonstrate in their speech. |
Year 8
Unit of Work | Core Assessment | Core English Skills | Key Terms/Vocabulary | Core Careers Links |
Sonnets and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ |
Sonnets and ‘Romeo & Juliet’ /20 |
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Petrarchan – Shakespearean – rhyming couplet – quatrain – iambic pentameter – prologue - epilogue |
Mediator Counsellor |
Nineteenth Century Literature |
Analysis of language used to describe Mr Gradgrind /8 |
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industrialisation – caricature – satire – ridicule – metaphor – extended metaphor – personification - panoramic |
Lawyer Solicitor Social Media Manager Barrister |
Conflict Literature
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Creative writing based on a conflict text/image /40 |
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synecdoche – extended metaphor – propaganda – patriotism – jingoism - ekphratic |
Journalist/Reporter Public Relations Manager Civil Service Executive |
Short Story Genre: ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ |
Describe an atmospheric setting for a story /40 |
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narrative arc – exposition – climax – denouement – resolution – tension – suspense - genre |
Journalist News Broadcaster |
Autumn Term |
Spring Term |
Summer Term |
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Sep - Oct | Nov - Dec | Jan - Feb | Feb - Easter | Easter - May | May - July |
The Sonnet Form and ‘Romeo & Juliet’ An examination of how the sonnet form is used in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, building upon a study of the sonnet form in Year 7. This is the second Shakespeare play studied in the KS3 curriculum, the first being ‘Julius Caesar’ in Year 7.
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19th Century Fiction A study of the nineteenth-century novel, with a focus on Dickens’ characterisation and building of setting. This unit also offers opportunity to develop creative writing skills, modelled on high quality exemplars. 20th Century: Conflict in Literature Conflict poetry: Who’s for the Game? And Dulce et Decorum Est. Modern conflict is explored in a range of poems from World War I and its aftermath. |
20th Century: The Short Story Genre A study of ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ by Ray Bradbury (reading and writing short narrative in 1950s America). This unit works as preparation for a more in-depth study of the short fiction form at the start of Year 9. |
Year 9
Unit of Work | Core Assessment | Core English Skills | Key Terms/Vocabulary | Core Careers Links |
Whole Text: ‘The Darkness Out There’
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How does Penelope Lively structure the opening of TDOT to interest the reader? /8 |
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Freytag’s Triangle – Fichtean Curve – juxtaposition – repetition - bildungsroman |
Journalist |
Unseen Poetry |
Knowledge Drill /20 |
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structure – language – perspective – explanation – interpretation – exploration - perspective |
Librarian |
Romantic Era Poetry
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Summarise different views about nature of Greta Thunberg and Wordsworth /8 |
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epic – narrative – iambic pentameter – blank verse – sonnet rhyme-scheme – bonnet rouge – environment - activist |
Environmental careers |
Victorian Era Poetry |
How is power conveyed in one of the two Victorian poems? /30 |
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dramatic monologue - in medias res – dactylic dimeter – rhyming couplets/triplets - allusion |
Charity Sector TV Producer |
Twentieth Century American Texts (including ‘Of Mice and Men’) |
Influential speech modelled on ‘I Have a Dream’ /40
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American Dream – Dust Bowl – Hoovervilles – Jim Crow Laws – rhetoric - perspectives |
Social Media Manager Screenwriter |
Post-1914 Poetry |
Comparison of conflict/power in two post-1914 poems (under timed conditions) /30 |
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free verse – identity – abstract – compare - contrast |
Armed Forces Officer Public Relations |
Gender Representation in Texts (Extension Unit) |
Open letter to Samantha Brick /40 |
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playwright – pseudonyms – stereotypes – feminism - monologue |
Actor Campaign Manager |
Autumn Term |
Spring Term |
Summer Term |
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Sep - Oct | Nov - Dec | Jan - Feb | Feb - Easter | Easter - May | May - July |
Short Story Study: ‘The Darkness Out There’ An examination of Penelope Lively’s seminal short story, in which we focus on structural devices, stereotypes and archetypes, and the bildungsroman genre. Romantic and Victorian Poetry Key poems from the Romantic period and how they reflect a transformative period in history. This is followed by looking at the work of poets Robert Browning and Alfred, Lord Tennyson and what their poetry shows readers about the Victorian era. |
Language in C20th American Fiction: ’Of Mice and Men’ The study of this popular novella enables us to focus on the representation of minority groups and the prejudices they faced in the 1930s and continue to face today. We focus closely on the role of Crooks, the black stable-hand, which acts as a springboard for looking at the speeches of Martin Luther King and Barack Obama, highlighting the power of language to affect positive change. |
Post-1914 Poetry; Analysis of some of the more experimental post-war poetry, linking back to the theme of conflict. Gender Representation in Literature and Non-Fiction: ‘Educating Rita’ and Samantha Brick We study a 1980s play, ‘Educating Rita’, and look at the obstacles faced by a working-class female at that time. This is followed by an analysis of a Daily Mail article by Samantha Brick, the content of which provoked a strong response from readers. From this unit, the outcome is an open letter, which has become a common form of communication in the digital age. |
Key Stage 4 - GCSE English Language
Unit of Work | Core Assessment | Core English Skills | Key Terms/Vocabulary | Core Careers Links |
Paper 1 A: Reading Fiction
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Section A in-class mock exam /40 |
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figurative – evaluate – structure – annotation - identify – judge - assess |
Editor Proofreader |
Paper 1 B: Writing to Narrate and Describe |
Section B in-class mock exam /40 |
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narrative arc - description – figurative – structure – exposition – denouement – narrative hooks |
Proofreader Editor Writer Publishing Editor |
Paper 2 A: Reading Non-Fiction and Literary Fiction
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Section A in-class mock exam /40 |
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Compare – contrast – summarise – synthesise – perspectives – analyse – identify – contextualise - purpose |
Editor Proofreader |
Paper 2B: Writing to Express and Opinion |
Section B in-class mock exam /40 |
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transactional – article – speech – rhetorical – argue – persuade – purpose – audience - format |
Writer Journalist Reporter Copywriter Digital copywriter Speechwriter |
Spoken Language Endorsement |
Deliver a presentation on a selected topic (Pass/Merit/Distinction)
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ethos – pathos – logos – register – tone –audience – structure - purpose |
Media Public Relations |
Year 10
Autumn Term |
Spring Term |
Summer Term |
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Sep - Oct | Nov - Dec | Jan - Feb | Feb - Easter | Easter - May | May - July |
Exploration in Creative Reading and Writing |
Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives |
Revision as needed |
Year 11
Autumn Term |
Spring Term |
Summer Term |
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Sep - Oct | Nov - Dec | Jan - Feb | Feb - Easter | Easter - May | May - July |
Revision Paper 2 - Writing |
Revision Paper 1 and Writing |
Revision |
Key Stage 4 - GCSE English Literature
Unit of Work | Core Assessment | Core English Skills | Key Terms/Vocabulary | Core Careers Links |
A Christmas Carol
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Mock Exam /30 |
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novella – stave – foreshadowing – philanthropist – curmudgeon – transmogrification – transformation - benediction |
Lawyer Charity Executive Journalist |
Macbeth |
Mock Exam /30 |
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Greek tragedy – Senecan tragedy – tragic hero – allusions – eponymous hero – regicide – tanistry – blank verse – prose – soliloquy - aside |
Actor Theatre Management |
An Inspector Calls
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Mock Exam /30 |
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Socialism – capitalism – stage directions – dramatic device – feminism – suffrage – gender – generation - playwright |
Politics Actor Theatre Management |
Anthology Poetry |
Mock Exam /30 |
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rhyme-scheme – form – structure – language – sonnet – stanza – compare - contrast |
Researcher Journalist Documentary maker |
Unseen Poetry |
Mock Exam 1: /24 Mock Exam 2: /8
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rhyme-scheme – form – structure – language – sonnet – stanza – compare - contrast |
Administrative Assistant |
Year 10
Autumn Term |
Spring Term |
Summer Term |
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Sep - Oct | Nov - Dec | Jan - Feb | Feb - Easter | Easter - May | May - July |
19th Century Fiction: A Christmas Carol |
Renaissance Tragedy: Macbeth |
Interspaced Revision and Mock Exam |
Year 11
Autumn Term |
Spring Term |
Summer Term |
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Sep - Oct | Nov - Dec | Jan - Feb | Feb - Easter | Easter - May | May - July |
Modern Drama: An Inspector Calls |
Poetry – Revisiting Anthology poetry and Unseen Poetry |
Revision |
Additional Curriculum Information
Intent
The pupils of Jarrow School merit an English curriculum which is demanding, ambitious, imaginative and inclusive, and which arms them with a rich knowledge base and enables them to make informed choices in life; the English Faculty is powered by a collective mission to meet this need, and sets itself apart with a clear focus on the powerful simplicity of a single word: Why? And the reasoning behind this? That’s simple: a focus on purpose is a focus on impact.
SEND and More Able Students
High aspirations underpin the basis of the English curriculum, regardless of ability. Our documentation and practice make it clear that all students will access our curriculum. We aim for the top in our teaching, and scaffold as appropriate to meet the needs of our students. Of course, we fully acknowledge that accessing the curriculum is more problematic for some students than others, and this is where teacher skill and differentiation are called upon. Strategies can range from something as simple as where a student is seated in class to detailed adjustment of teaching resources. Needs are assessed on an individual basis. All teachers read and record relevant information regarding student needs and use this information to inform planning. More able students may be placed on the subject area’s Most Able and Talented list, which means that they will be eligible for any opportunities or challenges that arise.
Some of the more explicit strategies that may be adopted when teaching SEND students include the following:
- Reciprocal Reading, which enables a structured approach to reading and allows students to learn through group exploration of a text.
- Re-reading, which enables students to first hear a teacher or other proficient reader fluently read the text aloud before tackling it themselves.
- Frequent low-stakes quizzing and retrieval tasks.
- Writing scaffolds.
- Vocabulary banks.
- Access to intervention sessions.
At the other end of the spectrum, students identified as More Able may encounter strategies such as these:
- Increased opportunities for extended writing.
- Exposure to wider reading material beyond the specified tasks.
- Greater access to assessment criteria and how to meet it.
- Development of a ‘critical voice’ through encouragement of a more formal style.
Homework
The English staff follow a policy of setting at least one homework per half-term. Given that our primary focus is on developing resilience and independence, the vast majority of our homework tasks involve revision of some sort that will then be tested in class. Revision is expected to be undertaken prior to each assessment; this will involve undertaking independent revision at home. Further homework tasks are set as the need arises.
Assessment
In English students are assessed via various methods. On a day to day basis, assessment takes place through questioning, whole-class feedback and low-stakes testing. Each unit of work is assessed through a final assessment, which is followed by feedback and intervention. At Key Stage 3 we use percentages to gauge students’ performance and their place within their teaching group.