English

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

• Constructing paragraphs around topic sentences
• Research skills
• Compiling evidence

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

• Letter construction
• Accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar
• Synthesising knowledge

tragedy – comedy – history -  Elizabethan – Jacobean – neologisms – sonnet – plague – salutation - valediction

Researcher

Administrative Assistant

‘Julius Caesar’

Analysis of metaphors in soliloquy from ‘Julius Caesar’  /8

• Identifying figurative language
• Constructing analytical paragraphs

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

• Structuring an argument
• Using rhetorical devices

rhetorical question – statistics – anecdotes – repetition – emotive – triples – discourse markers – purpose - audience

Public Relations Manager

Advertising Copywriter

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.

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.

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.

Sonnets and ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Sonnets and ‘Romeo & Juliet’ /20

• Recall of core knowledge

Petrarchan – Shakespearean – rhyming couplet – quatrain – iambic pentameter – prologue - epilogue

Mediator

Counsellor

Nineteenth Century Literature

Analysis of language used to describe Mr Gradgrind /8

• Interpreting figurative language
• Extending commentary in analytical paragraphs

industrialisation – caricature – satire – ridicule – metaphor – extended metaphor – personification - panoramic

Lawyer

Solicitor

Social Media Manager

Barrister

Conflict Literature

Creative writing based on a conflict text/image  /40 

• Planning skills 
• Synthesising knowledge in written work
• Use of figurative language
• Use of accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar

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

• Embedding use of figurative language
• Developing range of sentence constructions
• Development of range of paragraph structures

narrative arc – exposition – climax – denouement – resolution – tension – suspense - genre

Journalist

News Broadcaster

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.

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.

Whole Text: ‘The Darkness Out There’

How does Penelope Lively structure the opening of TDOT to interest the reader?  /8

• Recognising structural features
• Commenting on effect of structural features

Freytag’s Triangle – Fichtean Curve – juxtaposition – repetition - bildungsroman

Journalist

Unseen Poetry

Knowledge Drill /20

• How to approach a poem

structure – language – perspective – explanation – interpretation – exploration - perspective

Librarian

Romantic Era Poetry

Summarise different views about nature of Greta Thunberg and Wordsworth /8

• Summarising and synthesising information
• Using words and phrases for comparing and contrasting

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

• Identifying structural and linguistic features
• Essay planning
• Further developing analytical writing

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

• Research skills
• Compiling evidence
• Using rhetorical devices to influence audience

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

• Planning strategies
• Comparative writing

free verse – identity – abstract – compare - contrast

Armed Forces Officer

Public Relations

Gender Representation in Texts (Extension Unit)

Open letter to Samantha Brick /40

• Expressing opinion in writing
• Accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar

playwright – pseudonyms – stereotypes – feminism - monologue

Actor

Campaign Manager

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.

Paper 1 A: Reading Fiction

Section A in-class mock exam /40

• Active reading strategies
• Analysing structural and linguistic features
• Evaluating the effectiveness of a text

figurative – evaluate – structure – annotation -  identify – judge - assess

Editor

Proofreader

Paper 1 B: Writing to Narrate and Describe

Section B in-class mock exam /40

• Planning strategies
• Using methods to describe and narrate
• Using structural features
• Employing accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar

narrative arc -  description – figurative – structure – exposition – denouement – narrative hooks

Proofreader

Editor

Writer

Publishing Editor

Paper 2 A: Reading Non-Fiction and Literary Fiction

Section A in-class mock exam /40

• Comparing and contrasting two texts on a similar theme
• Analysing language

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

• Planning strategies
• Using devices, particularly rhetoric, to convey and opinion
• Using a range of vocabulary, paragraph constructions, punctuation and sentence constructions.

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)

• Assembling research
• Organising a presentation
• Public speaking

ethos – pathos – logos – register – tone –audience – structure - purpose

Media 

Public Relations

Exploration in Creative Reading and Writing

Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives

Revision as needed

Revision Paper 2 - Writing

Revision Paper 1 and Writing

Revision

A Christmas Carol

Mock Exam /30

• Using textual evidence.
• Analytical writing.
• Commenting on writers’ methods.

novella – stave – foreshadowing – philanthropist – curmudgeon – transmogrification – transformation - benediction

Lawyer

Charity Executive

Journalist

Macbeth

Mock Exam /30

• Using textual evidence.
• Analytical writing.
• Commenting on writers’ methods.

Greek tragedy – Senecan tragedy – tragic hero – allusions – eponymous hero – regicide – tanistry – blank verse – prose – soliloquy - aside

Actor

Theatre Management

An Inspector Calls

Mock Exam /30

• Using textual evidence.
• Analytical writing.
• Commenting on writers’ methods.

Socialism – capitalism – stage directions – dramatic device – feminism – suffrage – gender – generation - playwright 

Politics

Actor

Theatre Management

Anthology Poetry

Mock Exam /30

• Using textual evidence.
• Analytical writing.
• Commenting on writers’ methods.
• Comparing and contrasting.

rhyme-scheme – form – structure – language – sonnet – stanza – compare - contrast

Researcher

Journalist

Documentary maker

Unseen Poetry

Mock Exam 1: /24

Mock Exam 2: /8

• Active reading strategies.
• Analytical writing.
• Comparative skills.

rhyme-scheme – form – structure – language – sonnet – stanza – compare - contrast

Administrative Assistant

19th Century Fiction: A Christmas Carol

Renaissance Tragedy: Macbeth

Interspaced Revision and Mock Exam

Modern Drama: An Inspector Calls

Poetry – Revisiting Anthology poetry and Unseen Poetry

Revision