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English KS3 | Years 7 to 8

Year 7 Subject Content

Students will focus on developing character and voice in their writing through their study of the following units of work:  

  • ‘A Christmas Carol’
  • Gothic Horror
  • Introduction to Shakespeare
  • Conflict Poetry
  • Outsiders (Anthology)
  • Children of War (Non-Fiction)

Most classes will have two teachers and study two units of work alongside each other.  There is also an extra lesson that forms part of our Recovery Curriculum to begin with and then will become an Accelerated Reader lesson.  

All units work towards the GCSE assessment objectives for English Language and English Literature.

Year 8 Subject Content

THEME: Protest

Students will focus on developing narrative opinions in their writing through their study of the following units of work:   

Term One: 

  • The Hate U Give: Angie Thomas
  • Diverse Experiences (Non-Fiction)

Term Two:

  • Blood Brothers: Willy Russell
  • Protest Poetry  

Term Three:

  • Persuasive Writing: The Art of Rhetoric and the Theme of Protest  
  • Romeo and Juliet: William Shakespeare 

Students will usually have 2 English teachers teaching each Year 8 group, and that is why there are two units every term.

Assessment Details

Three major assessment points throughout the year: 

  1. Term one: Creative writing (Language)
  2. Term two: Extract analysis of a Shakespeare text (Literature)
  3. Term three: Persuasive writing (Language)

In addition, students will be assessed in class each half-term as each unit of work progresses. 

Spelling and Grammar Skills to be mastered by the End of Year 8:

Understanding and exploring the use of: Full stops, capital letters, commas, standard English, Tier 2 and 3 higher-frequency spellings, question marks, speech marks, apostrophes, ellipsis, sentence forms, proofreading, semicolons, colons, hyphens, brackets.

The GCSE Assessment Objectives are outlined below:

Language 
  • Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas. Select and synthesise evidence from different texts. 
  • Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their views. 
  • Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references.
  •  Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different purposes and audiences.
  • Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts.
  • Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.
Literature 
  • Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response using textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations. Compare writers’ ideas and perspectives, as well as how these are conveyed, across two or more texts.
  • Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate. 
  • Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas. Select and synthesise evidence from different texts. 
  • Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references. 

Additional Equipment Recommended

Dictionary/thesaurus. A reading book for independent reading at the start of lessons. Glue.

What can I do to support my child at home?

  • Engage with their learning:
    • Ask them to explain what they're learning in school.
    • Identify and praise their strengths.
  • Develop strong writing skills:
    • Proofread homework together.
    • Encourage editing and refining.
  • Cultivate a love of reading:
    • Read regularly and discuss books with them.
    • Explore diverse genres: novels, non-fiction, articles.
  • Build essential skills:
    • Discuss current events.
    • Introduce a "Word of the Week" for vocabulary enrichment.
  • Prioritise homework and communication:
    • Encourage timely completion.
    • Address any concerns with teachers promptly.

Recommended Resources for the Course

Websites
Books

Anything to encourage reading for pleasure.

Teaching Staff Contact Details

Head of English

Mrs Webber - jwebber@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

KS3 Lead

Mrs Oxley - coxley@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

KS4 Lead

Mrs Savine - asavine@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

KS5 Lead

Mrs Onan-Read - aread@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Teachers of English

Mrs Woodcock - cwoodock@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Toon - atoon@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Passaro - apassaro@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Matcham - cmatcham@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Fox - dfox@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Lester - llester@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mrs Wicks - lwicks@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Dawson - jdawson@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

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