Key Stage 3

KEY STAGE THREE ENGLISH – YEARS 7 AND 8

In Years 7 and 8, students follow a varied curriculum that covers all strands of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Topics range from Homer’s War with Troy and Shakespeare’s plays to travel writing. Private reading is actively encouraged through our Learning Centre lessons and students are given reading targets to spur them on to read more widely. Students are assessed for both reading and writing skills every term to help them develop as writers and to hone their analytical skills. All Key Stage Three assessments are one hour long and are delivered during class time.

YEAR 7 ENGLISH

Year 7 students are expected to read for 20 minutes, at least five times a week, in their own time. Students will be asked to track their reading in a reading journal, which will be discussed with staff and celebrated. This is repeated in Year 8. In Year 9 and beyond, students are expected to continue their reading independently.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, STUDENTS WILL STUDY:

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

In their first unit, students listen to professional storytellers narrating Homer’s War with Troy as part of the Cambridge Classics for Schools programme. They will produce a piece of creative writing based on an aspect of the War with Troy story. Later in the year, students will study a range of texts from around the world that explore myths and legends, including ‘The Lady of Shallot’. Students write an analytical essay exploring how writers present their ideas.

FICTION AND NON-FICTION READING

Students will study one text from a range of novels, including Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo or The Iron Woman by Ted Hughes. In response to this, they will produce a piece of analytical writing. During the spring term, students focus on non-fiction reading skills, exploring environmental issues in our world. Students will also develop their speaking and listening skills by participating in a discussion or presentation task. Finally, they will develop their non-fiction writing skills.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

At the end of the year, students study A Midsummer Night’s Dream, exploring themes and language and consolidating their reading, writing and oracy skills. Students also explore contextual information about Shakespeare’s life and influences.

YEAR 8 ENGLISH

Across the year, students will study six units of work with an equal split between reading and writing assessments. These units build on the work completed in Year 7.

WRITING ASSESSMENTS

Monster stories
Writing to Argue or Persuade
Travel Writing

READING ASSESSMENTS

Year 8 Novel: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Animal Farm, or The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Year 8: Poetry From Around The World with particular study of Maya Angelou’s poetry

Students in Year 7 and 8 are assessed using skills sheets which track their development. These sheets will be referred to regularly in class and can be used to discuss their progress at home.

KEY STAGE THREE ENGLISH - YEAR 9

Year 9 continues to inspire a love of literature and enthusiasm for being creative writers, whilst also developing key skills learnt in Year 7 and 8. In Year 9, there is an increased focus on refining essay-writing skills, how to revise for assessments and how to answer questions independently. All assessment questions in the Year 9 course are unseen, so students will be asked to go home and prepare for a range of themes within a topic and will see the question for the first time during the in-class assessment. All assessments at Year 9 are one hour long and will be delivered during class time. However, Literature assessments at Year 9 are open book, so students will have a copy of any relevant texts, with the exception of the Unseen Poetry assessment. The English Department will provide access to all of the texts studied in Year 9.

Students will study six units across the year, split between assessments designed to consolidate key skills and knowledge, and ensure they are well prepared for Years 10 and 11.

Autumn term – Novel: ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ OR ‘Of Mice and Men’ AND Editorial Writing.

Spring term –Poetry: The Human Condition AND Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing

Summer term – Creative Writing AND Literature in the Real World: ‘Wild East’.

All Key Stage 3 classes also have class readers which we read for pleasure. These include ‘The London Eye Mystery’, ‘Beowulf’. ‘The Penguin Lessons’, ‘Diverse Shorts’ and ‘The Boy that Harnessed the Wind’.