English Curriculum

Autumn

Spring

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Year

Why we Teach this Content and how the Content and Sequence of Topics Benefits our Students

Year 8

The Autumn Term opens with the study the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell to begin the students' exploration of the theme Power and Conflict. The students will explore how characters and narrative develops as well as developing a detailed understanding of the historical context and how this influences how the story is told.

After reading Animal Farm, Year 8 will continue to explore the theme of Power and Conflict by analysing War Poetry from poets such as Alfred Lord Tennyson and Wilfred Owen as well as other poets such as Robert Browning and Percey Shelley. This will help to build students’ knowledge and understanding of key poets and poetry styles that they will revisit at GCSE.

Following on, in the Spring Term Year 8 will move on to the theme of Love and Relationships. This will introduce students to Shakespeare and more specifically the conventions of Shakespearean Comedy through the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This will be the basis of their understanding of Shakespeare which will be revisited in Year 9 and at GCSE. The unit will have a focus on performance to support students in becoming comfortable with Shakespeare and his language.

Lastly, the Year 8 students will examine the theme Challenging Perspectives. In this unit, students will study a range of non-fiction texts and develop their ability to write to argue and persuade effectively through looking at effective models. Students will analyse a articles and other non-fiction texts that express strong and persuasive arguments on controversial and debatable topics and will have the opportunity to write their own responses to these.

Year 10

Throughout the An Inspector Calls unit, students will read and analyse the whole of Priestley’s play Post-1914 British Drama in class. Students develop their critical style and an informed personal response, use textual references to support and illustrate interpretations and demonstrate their understanding of context and its influence

20th and 21st Century Non-fiction and Transactional Writing - this is focused on English Language: Paper 2 – Section A.
Students develop skills to analyse, evaluate and compare nonfiction extracts along with transactional writing skills for a variety of forms, purposes and audiences. Assessment includes Section A – Reading: questions on two thematically linked, unseen non-fiction extracts and Section B – Writing: a choice of two writing tasks. The tasks are linked by a theme to the reading extracts.

In the Spring Term, our Year 10 students read and analyse Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in class. This is building towards English Literature Paper 1 Section A – a two-part question, with the first task focused on an extract of approximately 30 lines. The second task is focused on how a theme reflected in the extract is explored elsewhere in the play. This is a closed book exam so the understanding of characters, themes, plot and context is essential. Many extra curricula activities linked to this unit such as a visit Stratford-upon-Avon: the home of Shakespeare and potential trips to the Globe.

In Year 10 the students also develop their spoken language and public speaking delivery skills in the Spoken Language Endorsement.

Year 12

Language:

Students learn terminology / grammar once a week to ensure knowledge is secure in preparation for later units

Students start the course with Child Language acquisition to give them a solid grounding in phonetics and the early stages of language formation which gives them building blocks to support effective data analysis as the course progresses.

By also starting the course in tandem with Language Variation, which is the largest unit, students are again introduced to key concepts and theories that they will need to apply across all areas and units of the Language curriculum.

Coursework introduction is left until the Summer Term as their commentary will need to include much of the linguistic analysis and application of key concepts and theories studied earlier in the year. This also allows students time to work on their coursework over the Summer Holidays and plenty of time to re-draft during the beginning of Year 13.

Literature:

The Year 12 Literature course begins with two aspects of the course being taught at the same time. One teacher leads with modern poetry which helps to develop students' knowledge of literary analysis and evaluation. The other teacher introduces Drama in, ‘A Streetcar named Desire’, developing their understanding of the concepts and methods appropriate for the analysis and study of theatre as well as language.

Students study two texts with both teachers. A modern novel, ’The Little Stranger’, compared with a late 19^th Century novel,’ Dracula’.  They explore the ways in which texts relate to each other and the contexts in which they are produced and received.

Coursework is split between Years 12 and 13.  Students conduct independent enquiries on literature of their choice. Whilst the department offer focused support with studies around dystopian literature, students are given the choice to find their own texts which develops their independent skills as interpreters of language and context and develops the core skills of comparison.

The order of the units taught from the beginning of Year 12 allows the more challenging texts to be studied later in the course, and ensures students have the skills required to access the more difficult units.

Subject Specific Habits and Behaviours

How we embed these in our students

Academy Curriculum Intent

How our department’s curriculum content and teaching approaches reflect the whole Academy ethos

Micah 6v8: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God

Justice

Year 7:

Autumn Term: Telling Tales- through the study of the novel the Bone Sparrow, students explore ideas of justice and injustice looking the Rohingya Crisis and the experience of refugees.

Spring Term: The World and I- Students explore poetry and short stories about the theme of identity and have the opportunity to discuss some of the struggles people may face when they feel they have multiple identities and cultures in poems like ‘Search for My Tongue’ and the short story ‘My Polish Teacher’s Tie’. These discussions develop students’ sense of personal identity, empathy and belonging.

Year 8:

Autumn Term: Power and Conflict- Discussions about justice are a huge part of our Power and Conflict unit. Firstly, Animal Farm’ deals with ideas of injustice and gives students the opportunity to recognise how these have changed over time, and the way that historical injustices might impact upon society today. In addition, students will study war poetry and discuss whether war is justifiable.

Summer Term: Challenging Perspectives- Students will study non-fiction texts which explore challenging ideas in persuasive ways and will have the opportunity to discuss if they feel these opinions are justified or even just.

Year 9:

Autumn Term 1: ‘Animal Farm’ deals with ideas of injustice and gives students the opportunity to recognise how these have changed over time, and the way that historical injustices might impact upon society today.

Autumn Term 2: Dystopian Skills for Writing features texts that focus on injustices, prejudice, and segregation. They ask students to consider how current injustices might impact on the future.

Spring Term: Romantic Poetry as a movement is one of fundamental ideals of justice, fairness, and equality.

Summer Term 1: Human Rights - students promote justice in their own speeches, considering a range of injustices from around the world.

Summer 2: Introduction to Tragedy centres mainly around ‘Macbeth’, who faces justice for his actions at the end of the play.

Key Stage 4 (KS4):

Poetry Anthology Collection: London and Nothing’s Changed both discuss prejudice and inequality.

Romeo and Juliet: In the play, characters often take justice into their own hands, with terrible consequences. Students are encouraged to consider how justice could have been delivered differently.

Jekyll and Hyde: As with ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Jekyll’s (Hyde’s) eventual fate can be seen by some as a lack of justice for his behaviour, as he doesn’t have to face consequences.

An Inspector Calls: This text holds justice and responsibility as its central themes, delivering the message that we are all one body, responsible for one another’s well-being, and that those who behave selfishly in society should face justice for their actions.

Key Stage 5 (KS5):

A Level Literature:

‘Othello’ centres around ideas of injustice and prejudice, and encourages students to consider whether the characters in the play are treated justly, and how unjust treatment effects actions.

Romantic Poetry as a movement is one of fundamental ideals of justice, fairness, and equality.

Justice demonstrated through our teaching values, allowing all students to have a voice.  We use effective differentiation so that we allow all students to feel successful regardless of ability.  We are actively engaged in reviewing texts for the curriculum at KS3 to ensure that we are positively representing diversity and inclusion so that all students feel like the syllabus is relevant to them and their experience.

During the Power and Conflict unit students discuss and debate the concept of ‘just war’ and consider if they and the poets feel war is justifiable. They consider whether poets are pro or anti-war and whether they feel the wars were justified.

In our study of Animal Farm students are giving the opportunity to discuss the features of a fair and just society versus a dictatorship.

Within the Dystopia unit students have the opportunity to write their own dystopian text where they can reflect on, highlight, and exploit real injustices.

The Human Rights unit allows students to explore how different groups used speeches to fight for justice and write their own speeches to call out current social injustices.

All students are encouraged to have a voice in our Key Stage 4 lessons. Debates and discussions take place regularly, with appropriate behaviour being demonstrated in order to ensure all students feel heard, and can be challenged in a constructive, respectful manner.

Challenging subjects, particularly those involving ideas about morality and fairness, and discussed openly. We use effective differentiation so that we allow all students to feel successful regardless of ability.

Promoting social justice in the English Literature A-level classroom is at the core of what we teach. We help students develop the critical thinking, collaboration, and self-reflection skills necessary to foster a better society. All students’ voices, opinions and ideas are valued and respected. The texts studied in A level Literature all reflect the importance of social justice.

Humility

Year 7:

Autumn Term: Telling Tales- When exploring myths and legends from around the world students discuss and debate different ideas about their beliefs and are encouraged to listen respectfully and with humility. Students are also humbled by learning about the Rohingya Crisis and the experience of refugees when reading the novel The Bone Sparrow.

Spring Term: The World and I- My Polish Teacher’s Tie explores themes of acceptance and identity and learning to understand the perspective of others. When students present on their own identity as well as listening to others, they are encouraged to be humble and learn from each other.

Summer Term: Journeys of Discovery- This unit students to explore the theme of humility through various extracts about physical, emotional, or spiritual journeys from different types of text.  Students have an opportunity to demonstrate humility when working as a group to present their own travel advert.

Year 8:

Autumn Term: Power and Conflict- Humility, unfortunately, is not a quality that is demonstrated by many of the characters in Animal Farm. Throughout the unit we explore the characters that do have this quality and those who don’t and the consequences of this. Humility is a valued, yet often overlooked, characteristic in the novella. We also explore historical examples of tyrannical leadership and therefore the benefits of humility. War Poetry explores humility through discussions about the individual within a national/international war effort.  Humility is demonstrated through students discussing their different interpretations of the poems.

Summer Term: Challenging Perspectives- Students will be exposes to controversial and challenging points of view in a range of articles which use effective persuasive speeches. Students will need to show humility when seeing the merit in these texts as well as being able to debate with these ideas in a mature manner.

Year 9:

Autumn Term: Humility, unfortunately, is not a quality that is demonstrated by many of the characters in Animal Farm. Throughout the unit we explore the characters that do have this quality and those who don’t and the consequences of this. Humility is a valued, yet often overlooked, characteristic in the novella. We also explore historical examples of tyrannical leadership and therefore the benefits of humility.

Spring Term: News writing encourages students to be humble as they explore news stories and techniques that they may not agree with and have the opportunity to discuss reasons for this in a fair manner.

Summer Term: Human Rights involves students delivering planned speeches regarding a specific controversial or debated area. Humility is demonstrated in their listening skills as they have to appreciate the value of what those around them are saying, and be able to share their own ideas comfortably while cultivating an open attitude towards criticism.

KS4:

In our study of the Romeo and Juliet unit, students explore Tragedy and are taught to understand that the self- recognition of how the tragic hero’s fatal flaw helps to create redemption and a sense of catharsis for the audience. In order to be a hero, a character must recognise their self- centred and sometimes arrogant behaviour. We consider the messages that Shakespeare sought to explore in the play.

Through the study of An Inspector Calls, students learn about how the theme of collective responsibility and the character of the Inspector aim to teach us about humility.

KS5: 

Through the study of the Drama unit students explore Tragedy and are taught to understand that the self recognition of the tragic hero’s fatal flaw helps to create redemption and a sense of catharsis for the audience. In order to be a hero, a character must recognise their self centred and sometimes arrogant behaviour. Both Othello and Streetcar Named Desire emphasise the need for self awareness and humility.

Humility is demonstrated through our teaching values, as students are expected to listen to each other’s ideas and work together to discuss texts. As teachers we also model our own learning process, acknowledging if students come up with interpretations that we ourselves had not considered - this shows humility and a willingness to learn. As a department, we encourage students to consider different perspectives and viewpoints in the verbal and written work and in fact reward the ability to do this in students’ essays throughout all key stages.

A Level teachers create a learning environment that enables thoughtful discussions with an appreciation of a variety of opinions and perspectives. When focusing on the need for kindness we can draw from conversations about real-world issues that affect students’ everyday lives. Students need to engage critically with these issues. One such issue is mental health. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche is portrayed as suffering from serious mental problems after having endured a lot of pain and hardships in her past. In the last scene when the doctor comes to take away Blanche she says, “Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers” In modern times, we still fail to fully understand the concerns surrounding mental health which has led to negative consequences. Students are taught the importance of being kind to themselves and others.

Humility is demonstrated through our teaching values, as students are expected to listen to each other’s ideas and work together to discuss texts. As teachers we also model our own learning process, acknowledging if students come up with interpretations that we ourselves had not considered - this shows humility and a willingness to learn. As a department, we encourage students to consider different perspectives and viewpoints in the verbal and written work and in fact reward the ability to do this in students’ essays throughout all key stages.

Humility encourages open- mindedness, inspiration and strong collaboration skills. Promoting humility in the English Literature A-level classroom is at the core of what we teach.  When you are humble you are more able to consider other perspectives.

We help students develop collaboration, and self-reflection skills necessary to develop humility. All students’ voices, opinions and ideas are valued and respected in class discussions. The texts studied in A level Literature all reflect the importance of humility.