English

English
Key Stage 4 Independent Study

English Curriculum

Updated: 14/09/2023 178 KB

Curriculum Intent

In English lessons, students will explore and examine the world around them. They will consider, through seminal pieces of literature, the ideas of society and power. Our aim is to equip students with the powerful knowledge, cultural literacy and capital they need to be able to engage with, question and interrogate the world around them.

Throughout their five years studying English at Werneth, students will study plays, poems, novels, and non-fiction texts from a variety of different time periods, genres, cultures and traditions. They will also craft and develop different styles of writing. The five years, and the texts they study, will be linked by two key concept questions: ‘How do people act and interact within a society?’ and ‘Who holds power and how do they use it?’.

Curriculum Features

The five years of English at Werneth interweave, with students revisiting concepts, genres and skills in order to embed and secure their knowledge.

In Key Stage Three, students build their knowledge of transactional writing by studying the Aristotelian method. Creative writing is studied through exploring how other writers, such as Angela Carter, use language before applying what they have learnt to their own writing. They are expected to craft their writing and study a variety of excellence models in order to hone their knowledge and skills. The texts students study in Key Stage Three have been chosen as excellent examples of their form and offer diverse and varied views on the world. These texts include Shakespeare, Greek Myths, modern plays and novels, Gothic and Victorian literature, and a variety of poems from different writers. Our assessment, homework and vocabulary policies are intertwined to ensure students embed and are tested on the key knowledge and vocabulary in each unit of study.

In Key Stage Four, students will deepen their knowledge from Key Stage Three. They will continue to explore our key concepts while building their knowledge of the texts studied for GCSE. Our curriculum interleaves the different elements of GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature courses to ensure students develop and retain knowledge throughout the course of their study.

KS3 Curriculum Overview

Year 7

Year 7	Autumn		Spring		Summer
Area of study:	Introduction to Greek Myths	Medusa	Voices of War	City of Culture	Myths and Legends	Much Ado About Nothing
What should they know?	Students will study a variety of stories from Greek mythology: Echo and Narcissus, Theseus and the Minotaur and Prometheus and Pandora. They will be taught about the building blocks of writing descriptively, learning how to use verbs, adjectives, nouns, adverbs and similes effectively. They will practise writing about people, places and events, using the myths read as inspiration for their work.	Students will explore a retelling of the Medusa myth written by Jessie Burton, looking at the character from a different perspective. They will think about why the traditional myth was crafted in a certain way - and why writers may wish to challenge this. They will be introduced to the language and skills of analysis - using quotations, commenting on language and writer’s intentions - and will apply these to Burton’s Medusa.	Students will explore perspectives presented in a number of poems from different cultures and time periods. Students will study the poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ in detail and develop knowledge on skills a poet uses to convey their message.	Students will research Greater Manchester, exploring what makes the city special. They will look at a range of topics, such as: football, art, music and literature. They will also discover what a City of Culture is and look at other cities which have been awarded this title.	Students will learn about the key concepts of hubris and hamartia through Greek myths, looking particularly at Prometheus, the Iliad and the Trojan War, and the figure of Achilles. They will explore a variety of perspectives on the Trojan War and Achilles, building on work done in Voices of War.	Students will study a Shakespeare play in full for the first time, getting the chance to explore the language and ideas of one of our greatest writers. They will use the play to learn about ideas such as patriarchy and feminism.
What should they be able to do?	Students will be able to use verbs, adjectives, nouns , adverbs and similes in their writing to create interesting and engaging pieces of descriptions.	Students will be able to identify and use quotations, identify and comment on language techniques and discuss a writer’s intention with a text.	Students will be able to write a thesis statement, discuss how a writer presents a perspective and analyse a writer’s use of language in detail.	Students will be able to write a persuasive letter, using the skills of rhetoric: ethos, logos and pathos. They will be able to use the One Big Idea approach to help structure their writing. They will be able to express their ideas and opinions clearly and ambitiously.	Students will be able to build on the skills acquired in City of Culture to use the One Big Idea approach to structure their writing, and the skills of rhetoric to express their perspective on Achilles.	Students will be able to talk about key, complex ideas such as patriarchy and feminism confidently. They will be able to work in a group to create a presentation and deliver this to a group.
Key vocabulary	Vanity Narcissist Defiance Labyrinth Oppressive Temptation Captivating	Quotation Language Writer Intention Retelling	Futility Indignant Bitter Candid Cautionary Disapproving	Culture Society Resilience Activism Diverse Iconic	Defiance Hubris Hamartia Immortality Morality Bias Perspective	Patriarchal Feminist Conform Subvert Virtuous Deceive Scornful
Assessment	Over the course of the unit, students will write three pieces of description based on each of the three myths they study, focusing on employing new skills each time.	Over the course of the unit, students will write three pieces of analysis about three different extracts in Medusa, focusing on incorporating new skills each time.	Plan and write an answer to the following question: How does Owen present his perspective on war in Dulce et Decorum Est?	Plan and write an answer to the following question: Write a letter to Andy Burnham convincing him to put Manchester forward for the City of Culture award.	Plan and write a persuasive newspaper article on the following topic: Write a newspaper article about Achilles’ role in the Trojan War.	A group assessment where students create a presentation answering this question: Is Much Ado About Nothing a feminist play?

Year 8

Year 8	Autumn		Spring		Summer
Area of study:	Icons	Trash	Poetry to Describe	Blood Brothers	Frankenstein	The Crime
What should they know?	Students will explore what it means and what it takes to be an icon. They will study activists, scientists and many more people who changed the world. They will explore why and how these people changed the world, including learning about some they may not have heard of before - such as Alan Turing and Emmeline Pankhurst.	Students will read a full, modern text in order to develop their appreciation of and ability in this skill. They will learn about corruption and government, poverty and the developing world as they do so. They will explore how other people live in other parts of the world (specifically the Philippines) - their cultures and traditions, such as the Day of the Dead.	Students will study a variety of poems from a variety of different cultures. They will be taught about different poetic techniques, such as metaphor, simile and personification for use in their own writing. They will learn about key events in British history, like the Windrush generation, using poetry to explore the perspectives of people like John Agard, Imtiaz Dharker and Grace Nichols.	Students will read and act out the play Blood Brothers by Willy Russell, encountering ideas like class, prejudice and nature vs. nurture. They will study the characters of the play, and what their lives tell us. They will explore the writer’s intentions when writing the play, thinking about our own society and the inequalities that are still present.	Students will read a 19th century text for the very first time, getting to grips with the change in language and context. They will study the big ideas of the novel, such as science, the supernatural and hubris and hamartia. They will explore the characters of Frankenstein and his Creature, as well as learning about the woman who created them both: Mary Shelley.	Students will read and try to solve a mystery created by one of our most famous crime writers: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In this unit, they will become Sherlock Holmes as they use the clues and the language of the text to attempt to solve the mystery of The Speckled Band
What should they be able to do?	Students will be able to write a persuasive speech, building on the foundations established in Year 7’s City of Culture and Myths and Legends. They will be able to use the skills of rhetoric: ethos, logos and pathos. They will be able to express their ideas and opinions clearly and ambitiously.	Students will build on their ability to write analytically, using the skills developed in Year 7’s Voices of War. They will be able to write a thesis statement, discuss how a writer presents a perspective and analyse a writer’s use of language in detail.	Students will build on their ability to write descriptively following on from the work they did in Year 7. They will be able to use others’ poetry as a basis to write a piece of description using techniques like metaphor, personification and simile.	Students will be able to write about the big ideas of the play, using quotations, exploring the writer’s intentions and their own ideas to analyse the language. This unit will build on both Trash from earlier in Year 8 and the Voices of War unit in Year 7, looking ahead to Frankenstein in the next half-term.	Students will be able to write a thesis statement, discuss how a writer presents a perspective and analyse a writer’s use of language in detail. This unit pulls together students’ past practice of writing analytically across both Year 7 and 8, allowing them the chance to develop their skill.	Students will be able to use quotations to make inferences about characters, before building towards a final report where they will make their case in a verbal presentation.
Key vocabulary	Injustice Honourable Ambiguity Inequality Activism Campaign Morality	Corruption Deprivation Dehumanisation Inequality Morality Traitorous Sacrifice	Frantic Diabolic Defiantly Emerald Metaphor Juxtaposition Onomatopoeia Personification Narrative hook Simile	Narrator Manipulate Stereotype Superstition Social class Nature v nurture Inevitable Ominous Fate Foreshadowing Motif	Hubris Hamartia Ambition Guilt Punishment Fate Responsibility	Investigate Inference Mystery Evidence Theory
Assessment	Students will write a speech arguing for their icon to be voted the greatest of the 21st century.	Students will write an analytical essay answering this question: How does the character of Rat develop throughout the novel?	Students will create a plan using an image as inspiration for their own piece of creative writing.	Students will write an analytical essay answering a literature-style question. This is practice for their main summer exam in the next half-term.	Students will write an analytical essay answering the following question: How does Shelley present the character of Frankenstein in the novel?	Students create a presentation board outlining their thoughts and ideas around the solution of the case. This will be presented verbally to the class.

Year 9

Year 9	Autumn		Spring		Summer
Area of study:	The Crucible	Telling Tales	Romeo and Juliet	Protest Poetry	Society	Jekyll and Hyde
What should they know?	Students will study the play ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller encountering ideas such as reputation, hysteria, power and society. They will explore the portrayal of the characters in the play with a focus on Abigail Williams. They will examine how she is presented by Arthur Miller and analyse how she can be perceived by the audience in different ways.	Students will study a selection of stories by Angela Carter, all of which retell popular fairy-tales with a darker twist. They will explore how Carter uses language to change the atmosphere and mood of these stories and how her characters are constructed through metaphor, simile and personification.	Students will read and study Romeo and Juliet, exploring its story, character and plot. They will also explore the social and cultural context of the play and how this influences its portrayal of masculinity. They will learn about Shakespeare as a writer - his influences and the context of the play - as well as the philosophical and religious ideas he writes about.	Students will study a variety of poems written as protests against inequality or unfairness. These range from the 1960s civil rights movement in the USA to the pulling down of Edward Colson’s statue in Bristol in 2020. They will explore what causes people to protest and why they feel they must. They will learn about how writers use language to express their perspective and use their voice to change things they see as unjust.	Students will study several concepts which will be revisited and explored in greater detail in their GCSE study of An Inspector Calls: class, gender and social responsibility. They will be introduced to examples of modern inequalities and given time to discuss and develop their opinions through oracy and talk. They will explore and form their own opinions about the world we live in and how our society treats its citizens.	Students will read and study a 19th century novel in full for the first time. They will explore key concepts and contexts of the Victorian era. Students will explore the big ideas that interested the Victorians, such as the role of science and good vs. evil. They will learn about the ideas of duality and revisit hubris and hamartia through the characters of Jekyll and Hyde.
What should they be able to do?	Students will build on the skills they developed when studying plays in Year 7 and 8. They will be able to analyse how Miller uses language and dramatic techniques to create and present character. They will be able to write about different perceptions of characters using What/How/Why to discuss Miller’s choices.	Students will be able to write their own fairy-tale, changing it to be darker and more sinister using Angela Carter’s stories and their knowledge of metaphor, simile and personification. This unit allows students to build on descriptive writing skills first taught and practised in Year 7 and 8, developing their ability to write a sustained description.	Students will continue to build on the analytical skills taught in Year 7 and 8. They will be able to analyse Shakespeare’s language to explore how he presents his themes and characters. They will be able to write thesis statements and use What/How/Why to discuss Shakespeare’s intentions.	Students will be able to use their knowledge of the poems taught to analyse the language used. They will be able to use a thesis statement and be able to identify and explore specific quotations, analysing what they tell us about the writer’s message. This allows them the chance to develop their ability to write analytically following on from their work in Year 7 and 8.	Students will be able to use the skills of rhetoric taught in Y7 and built on in Y8 to write their own persuasive speech about inequality in our society. They will be able to use introductions, conclusions and ethos, logos, pathos to persuasively and articulately present their opinion.	Students will be able to write about high-level concepts such as hamartia in an analytical way, using thesis statements, quotations and What/How/Why to develop their ideas in essay-writing.
Key vocabulary	Hysteria Perception Society Patriarchy Gender Punishment Reputation	Creature Tempest Guttering Glimpse Trudged Frightfully Seized Insidious	Fate Patriarchy Masculinity Hamartia Hubris Conflict Subvert Conform	Protest Adversity Segregation Convention Injustice Reform Revolution Colonialism Virtuous	Inequality Gender Patriarchy Class Poverty Society Socialism Social responsibility	Duality Hubris Hamartia Uncanny Juxtapose Animalistic
Assessment	Students will plan and write an analytical piece of writing based around the character of Abigail Williams in which they explore the question ‘Is Abigail Williams a victim or a villain?’.	Students will plan and write a descriptive piece of writing using an image and the following instruction: Write the opening of your fairy-tale.	Students will plan and write an analytical piece of writing on an aspect of Romeo and Juliet.	Students will plan and write an analytical essay exploring Percy Shelley’s perspective in the poem ‘England in 1819’.	Students will plan and write a persuasive speech presenting their opinion on the inequalities of modern society.	Students will practise writing about key concepts by exploring key extracts from Jekyll and Hyde.

GCSE Exam Information

AQA: English Language and English Literature
English is assessed solely through examinations which will take place at the end of Year 11; there is no coursework element.

English Language

Paper 1 Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing
1 hour 45 minutes
50% of the Language GCSE

Paper 2: Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives.
1 hour 45 minutes
50% of the Language GCSE

English Literature

Paper 1: Macbeth and A Christmas Carol
1 hour 45 minutes.
40% of the Literature GCSE

Paper 2: An Inspector Calls, Power and Conflict Poetry, Unseen Poetry.
2 hours 15 minutes
60% of the Literature GCSE
Speaking and Listening: This is a separate element to the course which will be assessed and awarded its own grade (Pass / Merit or Distinction).