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English

In the English department, we follow a thematic approach, exploring links to the wider world and to literary, social and historical contexts. We teach students to write confidently and accurately for a range of purposes and audiences. We teach students to read actively in order to make informed inferences and deductions.

Our lessons revolve around discussion. We encourage students to listen to others and to develop their own opinions. We guide them to become successful communicators.

In each assessment, students develop the skills required for academic success in future AQA GCSE English Language and English Literature examinations.

Reading is the corner stone of success in English and many other subjects and is a crucial life skill. Our well-stocked Library is the beating heart of our school. All students have a fortnightly reading lesson in our Library.

We follow the Accelerated Reader reading programme which enables us to successfully guide, support and monitor our students’ reading skills whatever their level of attainment.

We seize every opportunity to encourage a love of literature through regular theatre trips linked to our areas of study.

We value creativity and independent thinking, we encourage and support students to formulate their own viewpoints, arguments and interpretations.

We aim to prepare our students for the real world, supporting them to become real writers, real readers and real speakers.

FEHS English Learning Journey

Supporting your Child with Reading

	Year 7		Thematic Unit		Assessment
	Autumn		Fantasy How do we write to engage and entertain our readers? We explore the fantasy genre, studying a range of extracts from authors including Darren Shan, Steve Jackson and Philip Reeve.		Write a chapter of a fantasy story. In this collaborative creative writing unit, we harness the knowledge and skills students have developed at KS2, supporting them to enhance their writing skills further as they focus on the intended effects of their writing. Students are required to write accurately, using carefully selected vocabulary and organising their work into sentences and paragraphs.
	Spring		Adventure How do writers use language methods to affect readers? We study the award winning novel ‘The Girl of Ink and Stars’ by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Students complete a wide variety of creative and analytical tasks to encourage their engagement with the ways writers shape meaning.		How does the writer use language to describe the change in the forest in Chapter 10? In this reading assessment, students are required to identify the language methods used and to explain the effects which are created. Students are required to produce a structured essay response, supporting their opinions with evidence from the text.
	Summer		Brave New Worlds: Travel Writing Students explore the forms and conventions of travel writing then research, plan and write their own travel writing response. Villainy: The Tempest Who was Shakespeare and who is the real villain in ‘The Tempest’? We introduce Shakespeare and The Globe Theatre. We study ‘The Tempest’, exploring the play in performance; focussing on characterisation, themes and messages.		Write a piece of travel writing for a school magazine about a place you have visited or a place you would like to visit. In this writing assessment, students are required to write to create a sense of place. Students are required to write accurately, using carefully selected vocabulary and organising their work into sentences and paragraphs. This unit is not formally assessed.
	Year 8		Thematic Unit	Assessment
	Autumn		Crime How can we express our opinions effectively? We explore the typical features of the crime fiction genre and track the presentation of the famous literary character Sherlock Holmes. We write to entertain and express a clear argument. We study a range of short stories : The Lamb to the Slaughter, R Dahl The Vendetta, Guy de Maupassant The Adventure of the Speckled Band, Arthur Conan Doyle	Write a film review of the movie ‘Sherlock Holmes’ in response to the statement: ‘One reviewer said that the movie ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is a travesty and in no way reflects the original stories.’ In this assessment, students are required to write accurately, using a range of punctuation. They are required to organise their work into sentences and paragraphs, incorporating language features and structural methods to express personal opinions and entertain readers.
	Spring		The Gothic How do writers create a gothic atmosphere? We explore the typical features of Gothic Literature via a range of classic extracts and short stories: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allen Poe, The Red Room, H.G. Wells, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley Harry, Rosemary Timperley. How do writers use structural methods to create atmosphere?	Write a gothic description In this writing assessment, students are required to write accurately, using a range of punctuation and organising their work into sentences and paragraphs. They are required to use the conventions of the Gothic genre, plus carefully selected vocabulary and language methods to create an appropriately engaging atmosphere. How does Rosemary Timperley create a sense of unease in ‘Harry’? In this reading assessment, students are required to identify structural methods and to explain how they create a sense of unease. Students are required to produce a structured essay response, supporting and explaining their opinions with evidence from the text.
	Summer		Relationships: ‘Romeo and Juilet’ How do writers present characters and the theme of parenting? Are Lord and Lady Capulet good parents? We study ‘Romeo and Juliet’, focussing on the presentation of characters, themes, messages within social, historical and literary contexts. We explore the typical features of newspaper articles.	Write an article for a broadsheet newspaper in which you express your views in relation to parenting. In this assessment, students are required to write accurately, using a range of typical non-fiction features to create an entertaining response which expresses a clear and convincing argument.
Year 9		Thematic Unit		Assessment
Autumn		War How can we write to capture the atmosphere of place and experience? How do writers present the theme of war? We study a range of poetry written during the First World War from authors including Rupert Brooke, Jesse Pope, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. We explore how writers and their texts link to their historical contexts.		Write a short story opening using a war photograph as a stimulus for your ideas. In this assessment, students are required to write accurately, organising their work into a range of sentence types and structures. Students are required to use a wide range of punctuation using language and structural methods to engage readers. How does Wilfred Owen use language and structural methods to present his views on war in ‘Dulce et Decorum est’? In this assessment, students are required to explore the effects of the methods writers use when presenting the theme of war. Students are required to produce a structured essay response, supporting and explaining their opinions with a range of evidence from the texts. Students are also required to link the texts to the contexts they were written and explore the writers’ potential intentions.
Spring		Viewpoints How can we express our views effectively? In preparation for the GCSE Spoken Language assessment, we analyse example presentations. Students research a chosen topic, then plan, write and practise delivering their presentation.		Write and deliver a short presentation about a topic you feel strongly about and respond to questions. In this assessment, students are required to construct a clear, thoughtful and well-supported argument to explore a topic of their choice. They are required to present their work to their peers and respond to questions. These presentations are recorded for external validation. The grades are awarded as Pass, Merit or Distinction.
Summer		Responsibility ‘An Inspector Calls’ JB Priestley How do writers present characters and themes? In preparation for the GCSE Literature exams, we study exam text: ‘An Inspector Calls’ by JB Priestley. We explore plot, characters, themes, contexts and the writer’s intentions.		This text is assessed in Year 10.

Year 10	Thematic Unit	Assessment
Autumn	Responsibility: ‘An Inspector Calls’ J.B Priestley This text was studied in Year 9, so is revised in year 10 before being assessed. Power: ‘Macbeth’ Shakespeare How does Shakespeare present characters, themes and messages within their historical, social literary contexts?	Either: Explore how and why Sheila changes in ‘An Inspector Calls’ Or: How does Priestley explore responsibility in ‘An Inspector Calls’? In this assessment students are required to construct a thesis plan and write a structured essay response to demonstrate their understanding of the text and contexts, analysing the effects of the methods used to convey the writer’s intentions and messages. Write a short story opening entitled, ‘Guilty Conscience’ or ‘Betrayal’. In this assessment, students are required to write concisely and precisely, using a wide range of punctuation. Students are required to use a range of language and structural methods to engage readers. How far do you agree that Lady Macbeth is presented as a powerful woman in the extract and in the play ‘Macbeth’ as a whole? Students are required to track characterisation across a text, exploring how the writer uses language and structural methods to create meanings. In this assessment, students are required to construct a thesis plan and write a structured essay response to demonstrate their understanding of the text and contexts, analysing the effects of the methods used to convey the writer’s intentions and messages.
Spring	Identity ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ R.L. Stevenson How does RL Stevenson use characters and settings to explore and question Victorian values?	Write a description using an image as a stimulus. In this assessment, students are required to craft their writing to create atmosphere. Students are required to write accurately, organising their work into a range of sentence types and structures. Students are required to use a wide range of punctuation, language and structural methods to engage readers. How does R.L. Stevenson use settings to create a disturbing and threatening atmosphere in the novella? In this assessment, students are required to construct a thesis plan and write a structured essay response to demonstrate their understanding of the text and contexts, analysing the effects of the methods used to convey the writer’s intentions and messages.
Summer	Poetry Anthology ‘Power and Conflict’ cluster. How do poets present the themes of power and conflict?	This unit will be assessed in Year 11.

Year 11	Thematic Unit	Assessment
Autumn	Explorations in creative reading and writing Poetry Anthology	English Language Paper 1 Mock Exam In this assessment, students are required to demonstrate a range of reading skills, which include retrieval, analysis and evaluation. They are required to identify and explore the effects of the language and structural methods used in unseen texts. Students are also required to write creatively and accurately in timed conditions, demonstrating their ability to use language and structure successfully. Compare how poets present the effects of war in ‘Bayonet Charge’ and one other poem from the ‘Power and Conflict’ anthology. In this assessment, students are required to compare how poets use methods to present their ideas and messages within social, literary and historical contexts.
Spring	Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives Unseen Poetry How do poets present their ideas and convey their messages?	English Language Paper 2 Mock Exam In this assessment, students are required to demonstrate a range of reading skills, which include summary, inference, analysis and comparison. They are required to identify and compare the effects of the language and structural methods used in unseen texts. Students are also required to write creatively and accurately in timed conditions, demonstrating their ability to use language and structure successfully. In this assessment, students explore how poets present ideas and convey messages in unseen poetry.
Summer	Revision and exam practice	Timed Exam Practice Responses Students are required to use the targets from summative assessments to target their revision. They are required to plan and produce timed exam responses which demonstrate knowledge, understanding, analysis and personal engagement with the texts studied.

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