English KS3
English Co-ordinator: Mr R Price
Drama Co-ordinator: Miss E Bloomfield
Details of Units taught in Years 7 - 9 in English and Drama |
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Suggested texts for students to extend their reading experiences and range. |
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How the English Faculty groups students in KS3 |
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Overview of English NC test results for the last three years. (NB: We do not publish individual student results) |
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An overview of the types of homework set by the faculty and information about how parents can help their daughter. |
Curriculum
The Key Stage 3 English curriculum covers English, English Literature and Media Studies. The Key Stage course ends with the National Curriculum tests in Term 5 of Year 9. The final term in Year 9 introduces the English GCSE course through the completion of the first piece of coursework.
The units in each year are taught according to a year plan and are not all taught at the same time. This allows the use of resources to be maximised. Each year group is taught in six periods per fortnight.
Year 7
Introduction and Narrative Writing
In the first term all Year 7 students complete an 'Introduction and Key Skills' unit which includes developing their own narrative writing ability. The unit also covers a range of other writing skills.
Reading for Meaning
In this unit students study a complete prose text, with a focus on characters, themes and language. 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' by Lemony Snicket and 'Millions' by FC Boyce are two of the texts studied.
Hamlet
This includes an introduction to Shakespeare, Elizabethan theatre and a close study of the key scenes of the play.
Modern Poetry
Students study a range of poems and poetic techniques. The unit also includes writing, editing and presentation of individual poems for a class anthology or wall display.
Conventions of Non-Fiction Writing
Students will study the stylistic conventions of different forms of non-fiction writing, including travel writing, sports writing and autobiographical writing.
Media: Still Images
This unit introduces students to the various 'codes' in Media. The unit focuses on the codes of 'written language' and 'still, graphic images'.
Year 8
History of Literature
After a brief introduction to the history of English Language, students are introduced to the lives and works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare and a modern poet, such as Benjamin Zephaniah or Gillian Clarke.
Poetry
This unit builds upon the work covered in Year 7 with a strong focus on analysing and comparing poetry.
Equal Opportunities: Shared Fiction
Students study a complete work of prose that has an 'equal opportunities' focus. They will look at characteristics of author's craft, how themes, values and ideas are developed in a fiction text and how to recognise bias and objectivity in a text. 'Underground to Canada' by Barbara Smucker, 'Holes' by Louis Sachar, and 'Private Peaceful' by Michael Morpurgo are some of the texts studied.
Gothic Horror
In this unit students are introduced to the concept of Gothic Horror and study the differences in texts and language over time. Students will read substantial extracts from the original text of either 'Frankenstein' or 'Dracula'.
Media: Sound and the Moving Image
Students extend the work that they covered in Year 7 with a focus on the codes of sound and the moving image. They will learn how to 'deconstruct' an extract from a film looking at camera angles and movements, editing and sound.
Global Citizenship Unit
This is a varieties of writing unit where students are required to write to explore, imagine and entertain; inform, explain, describe; and analyze, review and comment. Students cover global citizenship issues such as global warming and the environment. The will produce a persuasive speech on one of these issues.
Year 9 - In preparation for the SATS
Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream
A study of the SATs scenes of the play. Students also see the play performed by a visiting theatre company who specialise in focusing on the SATs scenes.
Varieties of Writing
Students revise various forms of non-fiction writing.
Shared Fiction
Students study a prose text with a focus on identifying the stylistic features of fiction writing.
SATS Preparation
Students complete a range of writing activities and SATs style questions in preparation for the SATs writing paper.
SATs Reading Preparation
Students complete a range or reading tasks and SATs style questions in preparation for the SATs reading paper.
Year 9 - After the SATS
GCSE Coursework: Human Rights
This unit looks at human rights and issues surrounding the death penalty. Students conduct research and use this to inform their writing. This is the last unit students study in Year 9 and the outcome is either a piece of written GCSE coursework or GCSE Speaking and Listening assessment.
Reading Lists
Regular reading of a wide range of texts is vital for the development of reading skills, which are testing in the KS3 SATs and at GCSE. Examinations regularly require students to write articles, leaflets, travel or special interest documents.
Not all texts are fiction! Some young people love reading - others don't, but reading a range of materials is important for all. Consider reading from the following options, most of which are provided by the school library:
- Specialist magazines
- Newspapers
- Information from the Internet
- Non-fiction books on subjects of interest
- Short stories
- Interviews in general interest magazines
- Travel guides
- Leaflets
- Poetry
- Novels
- Plays
Teaching Groups
Our expectations of students' outcomes are based on the available information - Key Stage 3 reading mark; Key Stage 3 writing mark; Year 7 CATs tests. This data also provides teachers with the likely overall level to be achieved by students at the end of the Key Stage. It is worth noting that many students achieve different levels for reading and for writing in both the Key Stage 2 and the Key Stage 3 SATs. The overall level may disguise any relative weakness in either of these two key areas.
Groups in Years 7 and 8 are taught in Tutor Groups which are mixed abilty. Differentiation is achieved through the range of tasks set and the expected outcomes. Students who are on the Special Needs Register are given additional support in the classroom by a Teaching Assistant and/or the class teacher.
Groups in Year 9 are grouped according to the overall ability of the students in that particular year. In general, groups are reorganised in to new mixed abilty groups with one group of thirty students established as the top set. If there is a significant number of Gifted and Talented students in English in that year group the top set may also be an 'express group', taking GCSE English and English Literature in Years 9 and 10. Students are selected for the top set by the following criteria:
- Achievement of a secure level 5 in both Reading and Writing in the KS 2 National Curriculum tests;
- High interest and motivation evident throughout years 7 and 8 in classwork;
- Regular completion of homework tasks;
- Ability to write in a range of formats;
- Evidence of reading for meaning and an abilty to evaluate how meaning has been created by the writer;
- High quality performance in the internal English examinations in both Year 7 and Year 8.
The top set will:
- Be set tasks based on the higher order reading and writing Assessment Focuses;
- Have more difficult reading materials;
- Be expected to show consistent interest and motivation in the work set;
- Consistently produce written work of a high standard.
If the year group contains a sufficient number of Gifted and Talented students the decision might be taken to 'express' the group through to GCSE and avoid the significant amount of overlap in the National Curriculum in Years 8 and 9, and the repitition of skills between Years 9 and GCSE. An express group will:
- Contain a significant number of high achieving students;
- Complete coursework for the GCSE English and GCSE English Literature folders in Year 9;
- Be prepared for the KS3 SATs through the selected coursework tasks completed between September and May;
- Complete the two GCSE courses within Years 9 and 10;
- Be given the opportunity to retake one of the GCSE courses in Year 11 if the GCSE grade is significantly below expectations;
- Take AS Critical Thinking in Year 11.
Standard Attainment Tests
The English SATs results are consistently high, appearing within the list of top schools nationally and locally.
2007 results
- 95% Level 5 and above
2006 results
- 91% Level 5 and above
2005 results
- 95% Level 5 and above
English Homework - KS3
Homework is set regularly, according to the school homework timetable.
In Key Stage 3, students are expected to spend the following amount of time on their homework. Of course, students are welcome to spend longer on the tasks set.
Year 7 - 20 minutes
Year 8 - 30 minutes
Year 9 - 40 minutes
Homework will not be a ‘finishing off’ piece of work, but an activity that has been designed to further develop students’ ability in the subject.
The types of homework that students should expect are wide ranging.
Reading: Students may be asked to read part of the set text that they are studying. This could be a novel or a play.
Writing: Students will often have tasks that involve writing letters, descriptive stories and poetry.
Speaking: Students will be asked at times to prepare for an oral presentation or debate.
Listening: Students may be asked to watch and listen to certain adverts on the television, or interview people as part of a project.
Planning: This is quite a common homework when teachers are asking students to prepare for a forthcoming lesson on a topic. Students may be asked to think about a certain task at home or to plan for it.
Research: As part of their preparation for lessons, students will be directed to research via the Library, Internet or the Media.
Project Based Work: This involves designing larger pieces of work such as booklets, glossaries or posters.
Literacy Tasks: Teachers may well set Literacy Homework tasks to reinforce learning done in lessons. For example, worksheets on sentence structure or adjectives will stretch students’ understanding.
Collecting Tasks: Quite often students are asked to collect items at home necessary for lessons. These may include newspapers, leaflets, and videos of TV adverts.
