English
Curriculum Intent
Our English curriculum is designed to inspire an enjoyment of language and literature. It is a curriculum adapted to suit the needs of deaf learners, giving them the opportunity to study a wide range of authors and genres, and explore their creativity, whilst also maintaining a focus on building vocabulary, developing greater fluency in reading and promoting accuracy in writing.
Students’ creativity and imagination are promoted and developed through creative writing and drama. Through the study of different novels, plays, poems and non-fiction texts, students build on their cultural capital as they explore a range of perspectives and cultures.
The development of the functional aspects of language are promoted through reading, writing, and communication, which equips students with literacy skills to enhance their access to further education and the wider world.
By the end of Key Stage 3, students will:
- have studied a broad range of both fiction and non-fiction reading.
- have begun to develop critical thinking skills and analytical skills.
- be able to express their ideas appropriately.
By the end of Key Stage 4, students will:
- have the skills and confidence to access the world around them.
- be able to express their ideas confidently and independently.
- will have developed critical thinking skills and analytical skills and studied the content specified by their exam board to achieve the best of their abilities.
Students are grouped according to their ability and degree of individual literacy development. The groups follow the Key Stage 3 Programme of Study for English, with some classes following an adapted curriculum to suit their learning needs, which ensures on-going skill development in speaking and listening, reading, and writing. The programme includes the study of a wide range of fiction and non-fiction. Students study whole books, short stories, poems and plays with a wide coverage of genres. This includes poetry, contemporary and heritage texts, and two Shakespeare plays.
Students gain confidence in communicating and writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences and will also begin to approach English creatively, making connections between ideas and texts and playing with language in an imaginative way. Through English lessons, students will consolidate and build upon their knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and how meaning is shaped through language, both written and spoken. Students are also encouraged to choose and read books independently for interest and enjoyment through the Accelerated Reader, Rapid Reader and Oxford Reading Tree programmes.
Key Stage 3 English Long Term Plan
| Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | |||||
| Year 7 Topics | Short stories (reading and writing) | CLASSIC NOVEL – Dickens | TELL ME! – Non-fiction (inform, describe, instruct) | IMAGINATIVE WRITING – Alter Egos | INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE (research & presentation). | SHAKESPEARE PLAY – Comedy | |
| Rationale | This topic will cover a range of reading & writing skills and allow accurate baselining. | Students are introduced to Dickens and Victorian novels. This is the first of two classic novels studied in KS3. | This is the first of a number of non-fiction topics, which will develop students’ awareness of purposes and forms of non-fiction writing. | This topic will develop imaginative writing skills. | This topic will develop research and communication skills. Students will also encounter another type of non-fiction text. | This is the first of two Shakespeare plays studied in KS3. | |
| Year 8 Topics | CONTEMPORARY NOVEL/PLAY – society | DISCUSSION and DEBATE | ADVERTISING | HELP ME! Non-fiction (advise, explain) | IMAGINATIVE WRITING – Spy Fiction | POETRY – Identity and culture | SHAKESPEARE PLAY – Tragedy |
| Rationale | This topic will develop reading and inference and analysis skills. Choice of novel to suit the class. | This topic will develop students’ communication skills and includes research and non-fiction writing. | This topic will develop students’ awareness of purpose and audience as well as explore the use of persuasive devices. | This is the second non-fiction topic, which will develop students’ awareness of purposes and forms of non-fiction writing. | This topic will further develop imaginative writing skills. | This topic is an opportunity to explore the work of poets from different cultures and backgrounds. | This is the second of two Shakespeare plays studied in KS3. |
| Year 9 Topics | CLASSIC NOVEL – Gothic | TRAVEL THE WORLD (reading and writing) | PERSUADE ME! Non-fiction (persuade, argue, review) | IMAGINATIVE WRITING – Dystopian Worlds | POETRY – Relationships and conflict | CONTEMPORARY NOVEL – journeys | |
| Rationale | Students are introduced to the gothic novel genre. This is the second of two classic novels studied in KS3. | This is the third non-fiction topic, which will develop students’ awareness of purposes and forms of non-fiction writing. | This final non-fiction topic will further develop students’ understanding of non-fiction writing and reinforce rhetorical devices. | This topic will further develop imaginative writing skills. | This topic is an opportunity to explore how different types of relationships and conflicts are portrayed in poetry. | Students will further develop reading, inference (and analysis) skills. Choice of novel to suit the class. | |