English - Year 8
English lies at the heart of all subjects. In line with the National Strategy for English, the Year 8 the course aims to build students’ core Literacy skills: Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing to ensure students become effective speakers and listeners, independent readers and confident writers.
Main Topics:
Autumn 1: The Novel – students begin the year by reading a novel, such as Stone Cold, Holes, Buddy, Wheels, Underworld or Thief – to build and consolidate their understanding and appreciation of the author’s craft and linguistic features, reading skills of inference and deduction combined with recreative and imaginative writing.
Autumn 2: Ballads – students will read a range of classic and modern ballads as a platform to inspire and enthuse their skills of interpretation, narrative and performance.
Spring 1: Modern Drama: Burning Everest- students will study the use of different dramatic approaches to explore texts, ideas and issues
Spring 2: Media – Moving Image: The Simpsons – uses multi-modular texts to engage creative, imaginative and functional skills.
Summer 1: Short Stories- will focus on author’s craft to consolidate students’ appreciation of Literary Heritage short stories to extend core literacy skills
Summer 2: Introduction to Shakespeare: a brief introduction to key plays of the master himself and the history behind Shakespearean Drama and Performance. Last year, students also went to the Globe Theatre, South Bank to see a production of ‘Macbeth’.
Home Support:
Students will be set one piece of English homework a week. This could take the form of written work, planning and preparation for lessons or research. Students are encouraged to read widely, making the most of the school library. This will help to develop reading and writing skills, whilst developing vocabulary and cementing punctuation and good grammar, aside from the pleasure and enjoyment that reading offers every student.
There are a range of excellent English websites available to students ranging from BBC Bitesize for Key Stage 3 and through the school Sam Learning.
