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Students : Curriculum : English : English
Introduction
English is one of the core subjects in the Nailsea
School curriculum. It is taught by a team of twelve well-qualified, specialist
teachers, some of whom also teach Media Studies or Drama. Students generally
enjoy English lessons and learn well. We teach in mixed ability groups, but are
careful to consider the needs of the different ability groups within each class.
We have a full-time Teaching Assistant to help us and a programme for boosting
the literacy of students who need additional help. The reading of high-quality,
challenging literature is built into our programmes for each year. The use of
media technology is well advanced in English: students are likely to find themselves
making films and animations at some point. We regard media literacy – that
is, understanding the aims and messages of media texts – as essential to
a modern English curriculum. Thanks to our specialist status as a Technology
and Media Arts college, we are well set-up with media-related equipment and expertise.
The
reason why English is a core subject in the curriculum is that it helps to develop
the full range of skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. We hope
it also helps to develop thinking skills and emotional intelligence. It plays
a part in the moral and spiritual development of students, also, because the
reading, writing and talking we do will so often be about topics that connect
with students’ sense of their own individuality and identity, with how
people behave in our own society, and in other times and cultures. Locating themselves
socially and culturally helps young people to project themselves into their own
futures, to develop goals, to see things from others points of view, to empathize.
If
you would like to comment on any aspect of English in Nailsea School, or if you
have any questions, please contact Mr G Nutbrown, the Head of Faculty.
Overview
of English at KS3, KS4 and A Level
KS3
Main Areas of Study in Key Stage 3:
- Reading – a range of literary and non-fiction texts
- Writing – in
a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences
- Speaking and Listening – in
various contexts, for a range of purposes
Year 7 Outline:
There are six main focuses, each with specific literacy objectives:
- Poetry – including ballads and narrative poems
- Fiction – novels,
short stories, play scripts
- Narrative Writing – writing to imagine, explore
and entertain
- Non-Fiction: Balanced Writing – writing to persuade, argue,
advise
- Non-Fiction: Personal Writing – writing to inform, explain, describe
- Media Project – to develop media literacy skills
Year 8 Outline:
There are six main focuses, each with specific literacy objectives:
- Poetry – including pre-twentieth century poems
- Fiction – reading
novels, short stories, scripts
- Narrative writing – writing to imagine,
explore and entertain
- Non-Fiction – reading and writing persuasive and
explanatory texts
- Non-Fiction – personal texts, such as letters and autobiographies
- Media
Project – devising and making a short animated film
Year 9 Course
Outline:
There are six main focuses, each with specific literacy objectives:
- Poetry – including a comparison of poems from different periods
- Fiction – including
an adult novel, such as “Lord of the Flies”
- Narrative Writing – stories,
play scripts
- Non-Fiction – including persuasive and explanatory writing
- Shakespeare – a
whole play, with extra study of selected scenes
- Media Project
In Years 7 and 8 students have six lessons of English each fortnight
(plus one Drama lesson). In Year 9 they have seven lessons of English (Drama
is an option). There are regular library lessons, but, in any case, most English
lessons begin with a few minutes quiet reading. Independent reading is the single
biggest influence on students’ success in English – and most other
subjects.
English teachers give equal weight to the assessment of Writing, Reading
and Speaking/Listening: you are likely to see assessment sheets for each of these.
Students (and, sometimes, parents) will be involved in the assessment process,
and in the setting of targets for improvement.
In May of Year 9 students will
have their KS3 National Curriculum Tests. In English this means preparing them
for the particular types of reading and writing tasks used, and for the question
on scenes from a Shakespeare play. From 2007 the play we will be studying is “The
Tempest”. After the tests the Summer
Term is spent studying a challenging modern novel or play, and preparing for
GCSE work.
GCSE
Main Areas of Study in Key Stage 4 (GCSE):
- Reading – a range
of literary and non-fiction texts
- Writing – in a variety of forms for different
purposes and audiences
- Speaking and Listening – in various contexts, for
a range of purposes
Course
Outline:
All students follow an integrated course that leads towards two separate
GCSEs, in English and English Literature.
GCSE English consists of two exams (30% each), a range of coursework (20%), and
Speaking and Listening assessments (20%).
GCSE Literature consists of an exam (70%) on 20th Century texts: a novel (such
as “Nineteen Eight-Four” or “The Old Man and the Sea”;
a play (such as “Death of a Salesman”; and a selection of poetry),
plus three coursework pieces (30%).
Coursework includes a creative writing piece, an essay on a Shakespeare play,
a comparison of selected pre-20th Century poems, and an essay on a 19th Century
novel (such as “Great Expectations” or “Pride and Prejudice”.
In
Years 10 and 11 students have seven lessons of English a fortnight. The vast
majority will be entered for GCSEs in both English and English Literature. Most
students cope well with the challenge, and English Literature and English Language
are both popular subjects at A Level.
Most of the coursework pieces will be written
in Year 10, approximately one per term. Two pieces (on the Shakespeare play and
on pre-twentieth century poetry) count for both English and English Literature.
One (the creative writing piece) counts for just English, and one (on the nineteenth
century novel) counts for just English Literature.
A Level English Literature
The course aims are:
To encourage students to develop interest and enjoyment
in the study of novels, plays and poems through reading widely, critically and
independently.
To introduce students to the traditions of English Literature.
The AS Level Course:
- Unit 1: a detailed study of a Modern Novel (30% of total
marks)
- Unit 2: Coursework essay on a Shakespeare play (30%)
- Unit 3: Texts in Context
- study of one poetry and one drama text (40%)
The A2
Course:
- Unit 4: Texts in Time: a 17th Century play and a Romantic poet (30%)
- Unit
5: Coursework essay comparing two independently studied texts (30%)
- Unit 6: Reading
for Meaning: currently the topic is War Literature (40%)
A Level
English Language
The AS Level Course:
- Unit 1: Discovering Language: Language Analysis, representation,
Child Language Acquisition (35% of total marks for As Level)
- Unit 2: Using Language:
includes students’ own writing (30%)
- Unit 3: Interacting Through Language:
use-related variation in spoken language and verbal interaction (35%)
A2 Level Course:
- Unit 4: Language Investigation: coursework requiring original
research and analysis. 30% of total marks for A2.
- Unit 5: Variation and Change:
user/use/historical differences. 30%
- Unit 6: Debates: data analysis and response
in a particular form. 40%
Other Activities:
We have regular evening theatre trips, often to the Royal
Shakespeare Company productions at Stratford-upon-Avon. Although these are often
most suitable for A Level students, they are sometimes open to students of any
age.
In most years we participate in the North Somerset Parliamentary Debating
competition (and, in fact, we are the current champions). This is open to students
in Years 10 to 13.
There are various clubs and meetings connected with English,
including creative writing and Drama groups. Many students are involved with
school drama productions and many contribute to “Focus”, the school
magazine. There will be more opportunities for interested students to participate
in challenging after-school activities in the future. Other voluntary after-school
groups are aimed at boosting students with weaker literacy skills. Others are
media-oriented.
We are always happy to consider new ideas for clubs or groups.
Useful English
Websites
The following websites give useful reading suggestions and revision
ideas.
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