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

AUTUMN TERM – MYTHS AND LEGENDS

In this 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. Then, students will study a range of texts that explore myths and legends, such as ‘The Kraken’ and ‘The Lady of Shallot’, and  write a piece of analysis exploring how writers present their ideas.

SPRING TERM – FICTION AND NON-FICTION WRITING

In their second unit of work students will study one text from a range of novels, including Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo or The Iron Woman by Ted Hughes. From this, they will produce a piece of analytical writing. During this term, they will also focus on developing their non-fiction communication skills, while exploring environmental issues in our world through non-fiction texts.

SUMMER TERM – THEME PARKS AND A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM  

In the first summer half term, students focus on non-fiction reading skills. Students start by developing their speaking and listening skills by participating in a discussion or presentation task. They then study adverts, leaflets and websites of current theme parks and complete an analytical essay in which they compare different texts and the ways in which they influence the reader.

In the second summer half term, students study A Midsummer Night’s Dream, exploring themes and language and consolidating both their reading and writing skills in their marked work. 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 assessment: Romeo and Juliet
  • Year 8: Poetry From Around The World with particular study of Maya Angelou’s poetry

Students at Key Stage 3 are assessed using two skills sheets- blue for Reading and yellow for Writing. These sheets will be kept in their books 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. In addition, 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 Creative Writing.

Spring term –Poetry: Mind and Identity. Science and Invention: Reading and Responding to Non-Fiction Texts.

Summer term – Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing AND You're Hired (Non-Fiction Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening).

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