ENGLISH
Head of Department:
Mrs Mutti
2nd in Charge:
Mrs Gardner
Other teaching staff:
Mr Dennis (Literacy Co-ordinator), Miss Jandu, Ms Ransome, Miss Harney, Ms Olarinde.
Here at St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School we are on a journey to success, travelling through the ages in English to get a better understanding of the world around us.
As we board the train in year 7, we find a diverse curriculum, designed to engage each individual, enabling them to build on their prior knowledge at KS2 and support their learning and progress in reading and writing. As our journey progresses, we encourage boys to voice their opinions, debate ideas and ‘deep dive’ to a deeper thought process. At every station we pass, and at every stop our aim is to venture into new territory, so each individual can develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Throughout our learners’ time with us, we promote high standards of language and literacy, equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word. We want St Columba’s Boys to love English and to be confident that the skills that we teach them will allow them to participate in society, both inside and outside of school, and thrive in their future endeavours.
We have used a number of language techniques can you identify them?
Key Stage 3
Suggested Reading List for Key Stage 3 – Click Here
| Year 7 | |
| Autumn 1 | Writing in the Gothic Genre A transitional unit that develops skills of comprehension, inference, language analysis and creative writing. |
| Assessments | Baseline assessment. Creative writing task. |
| Autumn 2 | A Christmas Carol- C19 Literature- A gothic novel Engaging in a 19th Century text with a focus on plot, themes, characters and setting. Developing skills in comprehension, language and structure. |
| Assessments | Analytical writing: Language and structural analysis. |
| Spring 1 | Shakespeare study – Introduction to Shakespearean language. Reading and analysing play scripts by explaining key quotations, themes and characterisation. |
| Assessments | Annotations of an extract with focus on language. |
| Spring 2 | Continued Shakespeare Study Poetry- Romanticism Focus on close reading with evidence, poetic conventions and inference/evidence. Learn relevant terminology of poetry. |
| Assessments | Analytical writing: Review of a Shakespearean script with a focus on language and its effect. Creating their own poems. |
| Summer 1 | The Natural World (Introduction to persuasive writing) Exploring the natural world through news articles, speeches, blogs, documentaries. |
| Assessments | Transactional writing. |
| Summer 2 | Contemporary Novel (AO1, AO2) 19th – 21st C Literature extracts (introduction to comparing two texts) |
| Assessments | Comparing two texts and analytical writing. |
| Year 8 | |
| Autumn 1 | Fantasy Fiction -develop skills of comprehension, inference, language analysis and descriptive/narrative writing Understanding plot, themes, characters and setting. Identifying language techniques, structural features and sophisticated vocabulary. Reviewing complex characters and moral messages. |
| Assessments | Detailed planning. Creative writing. |
| Autumn 2 | A Monster Calls novel (Fantasy Fiction) Focus on plot, characterisation, themes and setting. Identify Language and structural features within a literature text. Introduction to opinionated analytical writing. Trigger warning – theme of grief. |
| Spring 1 | Shakespeare study Focus on understanding increasingly challenging texts, context, language and staging. |
| Assessments | Annotating an extract. Analytical paragraphs based on a character. |
| Spring 2 | Continue Shakespeare study Poetry- Nature poetry. Close reading on nature poetry. Identifying language, rhythm, structure and imagery. |
| Assessments | Analytical writing: Character/theme analysis on a Shakespearean text. |
| Summer 1 | Getting Away from it all: Looking at tourist attractions/amusements. Review how language is used to present a theme park and its rides. Writing a speech to pitch your theme park ideas. |
| Assessments | Annotations of a descriptive paragraph. Speaking and Listening exam (selling your idea- Dragon Den style exam) |
| Summer 2 | Extracts 19th-21st century- Travel writing extracts Work towards, retrieving, interpreting and summarising the similarities and/or differences of the texts. Look at Language analysis. |
| Assessments | Analytical writing. Summarising and comparing two texts. |
| Year 9 | |
| Autumn 1 | Fictional Short stories Focusing on reading skills for a range of fiction texts; exploring 19th-21st century extracts. Looking at comprehension, language analysis, context and critical evaluation. |
| Assessments | Analytical writing with a focus on methods, structure and comprehension. |
| Autumn 2 | Novel study- Heroes – extended academic writing Focus on characters, setting, context, themes, structure and writer’s craft. Trigger warning: abuse and disfigurement. |
| Assessments | Writing in the style of Cormier. Description/ story based on an image (unseen) Detailed plan. |
| Spring 1 | Poetry- Different voices Reviewing images, articles and films/documentaries to get a greater understanding of cultural/gender differences. Closely examining language, structure and rhythm. |
| Assessments | Annotations of a poem. Analytical writing of an unseen poem. |
| Spring 2 | Modern Drama text – DNA Reviewing the play, DNA. Explore the story, characters, structure, setting, style and language and themes. Trigger Warning: Aggression (school setting) |
| Assessments | Hot seating development of characterisation Create a script in a similar style of an event in a school environment. Reviewing character and thematic questions. |
| Summer 1 | Focus on reading non-fiction extracts from the 19th and the 21st century. Work towards summarising and comparing the differences between a 19th to 21st century texts. Look at language analysis. |
| Assessments | Analytical writing Summarising and comparing two texts. Critical evaluation. |
| Summer 2 | Earth journalism To explore journalistic reports based on natural disasters. Reviewing articles to get a better understanding of: ethos, pathos and logos. Implemented and securing DAFORESTIH skills. Focus on the language that needs to be used to engage the audience and how to structure your article. Students will need to purchase copies of their GCSE books, either through the school or on their own. |
| Assessments | Annotations of a newspaper article based on a natural disaster. Transactional writing. |
Key Stage 4
Wider Online Reading for English Literature – Click Here
| Year 10 | |
| Autumn 1 | AQA Language Paper 1 Exploration in creative reading and writing. Developing skills in: Reading for meaning, comprehension, analysis of language/structure, evaluation, analysis of methods Planning, writing in different forms (narrative/description), writing in different genres, focussing on SPaG and sentence forms. |
| Assessments | Language paper 1. |
| Autumn 2 | C19 text – The Sign of Four – Arthur Conan Doyle Students will read the whole novel, reviewing contextual details: The British Empire, Victorian London, Doyle’s views, detective fiction and the Police. Developing skills in: comprehension, analytical thinking and characterisation. Developing student’s analytical and discursive writing based on themes/ characters. Focusing on structuring writing. |
| Assessments | Extract analysis Sign of Four essay question unseen. |
| Spring 1 | Language Paper 2 Writer’s Viewpoints and Perspectives. Reading two linked sources from different time periods/genres. Developing skills in comprehension, analysis of language/methods and comparison. Developing skills in transactional conventions, focusing on: journalism, travel writing, accounts, reports, essays, diaries, and articles… |
| Assessments | Language Paper 2 |
| Spring 2 | Modern Drama – An Inspector Calls – J.B Priestley Students will read the whole text, study the Edwardian/ Victorian context, inter-war years, Priestley’s political views, the Labour Party, class systems, understand conventions of modern drama, tracking theme and character. Developing student’s Analytical and discursive writing based on themes/characters. Focusing on structuring writing. |
| Assessments | Character Profiles. Essay in timed conditions based on character/theme. |
| Summer 1 | Poetry – Power and Conflict anthology Unseen Poetry Studying and annotating 15 poems from the Power and Conflict anthology. Exploring linked themes, context of time, poetic conventions and close readings to gain interpretation. Unseen- read a wide range of poetry of different formats, genres and themes. Securing discursive and comparison writing within the Power and Conflict cluster and unseen poetry. Students need to be confident to answer any question comparing two poems from their cluster. Structuring a response to analyse an unseen poem of any genre. Compare and analyse two unseen poems focussing on key features such as their content, theme, structure and use of language. |
| Assessments | PPE- Language Paper 1. Literature An Inspector Calls and The Sign of Four. |
| Summer 2 | Carousel and retention Preparation for Speaking and Listening exam. Students will revisit and recap on all topics covered thus far. What is studied here is dependent on what each class requires and student’s needs. This will give teachers an opportunity to secure understanding for Year 11. Integrate Speaking and listening exam preparations. Begin assessment process. Students to write their own speech, utilising transactional writing conventions. |
| Assessments | Speaking and Listening exam. |
| Year 11 | |
| Autumn 1 | Macbeth – William Shakespeare Students will explore the Jacobean and Medieval context, as well as developing skills in plot, characterisation, analysis of meaning and authorial intent. Developing student’s analytical and discursive writing based on themes/characters. Focusing on structuring writing. |
| Assessments | Character profiles and quotations |
| Autumn 2 | Macbeth – William Shakespeare Continuing studying Macbeth. Focus on approaching questions, remembering quotations per character and theme. Developing student’s Analytical and discursive writing based on themes/ characters. Focusing on structuring writing. |
| Assessments | PPE Language Paper 2. Literature Paper 1. |
| Spring 1 | Revisiting English Language Paper 1 and 2. Students will explore both English Paper one and two, revising and recapping skills and methods. Developing skills in transactional writing and creative writing. Practice planning their responses before writing. Looking closely at SPaG and sentence forms. |
| Assessments | Practice questions. |
| Spring 2 | Revisiting English Literature Paper 2 An Inspector Calls Poetry Unseen Students to explore key themes and quotations from Power and conflict poetry Practice exam style questions for both cluster poetry and unseen. They will also recap An Inspector Calls. Remembering quotations per character and theme; analysing language and methods; contextual information; and approaching exam style questions. Discursive and analytical essays for each segment of the Literature Paper 2 exam. Structuring responses to hit assessment objectives. |
| Assessments | PPE- English Language Paper 2. English Literature Paper 2. |
| Summer 1 | Recap and Carousel between English Literature and Language. Students will revisit and recap on all topics in preparation for their GCSE. What is studied here is dependent on what each class requires and student’s needs. This will give teachers an opportunity to secure understanding on any weaknesses. |
| Assessments | Retention, revision and recalling. |
| Summer 2 | GCSEs |
| Assessments | GCSEs |