English
Subject Leader: Mr M Soutar
Subject Leader Email Address: michael.soutar@swale.at
Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.
BENJAMIN LEE WHORF
Subject overview:
One of life’s most important skills is the ability to effectively communicate with those closest to us and the wider world. The studying of English is vital to the development of those skills. Exploring our world and humanity through the study of English provides insight into who we are and how we have built nurturing and interconnected communities which allow us, as individuals, to thrive.
Students will focus on a range of reading and writing skills and the importance of accurate spelling. Punctuation and grammar are central to students’ studies and help to prepare them for life beyond education.
Year 7
Term 1
Topic: Exploring the World
Enquiry question: How does engaging with a variety of cultures enrich our understanding of the world around us?
Term 2
Topic: Literary Heritage Part 1
Enquiry question: How has the development of the English language helped to shape our society today?
Term 3
Topic: Romeo and Juliet
Enquiry question: How are the themes and ideas in Romeo and Juliet still relevant to a modern audience?
Term 4
Topic: Literary Heritage Part 2
Enquiry question: What writers and texts have influenced the English language and its art of storytelling?
Term 5
Topic: Set Text
Enquiry questions: Alice In Wonderland: How is imagination a tool that writers use to make people feel connected to a text?
A Monster Calls: What is Patrick Ness’s message in this text?
Trash: To what extent do money and materialism corrupt people?
Term 6
Topic: Set Text/Writers Festival
Enquiry question: How can we use language to fully engage our readers?
Year 8
Term 1
Topic: Gothic Literature
Enquiry question: What does gothic literature reveal about the human condition?
Term 2
Topic: 19th Century Texts
Enquiry question: How does Victorian literature reflect the values of the society which created it?
Term 3
Topic: Poetry
Enquiry question: How can writing allow us to reflect on our own sense of identity?
Term 4
Topic: Power of The Media
Enquiry question: To what extent does the media influence our understanding of 21st-century society?
Term 5
Topic: Set Text
Enquiry questions:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime: How do writers explore neurodiversity in texts?
Animal Farm: How can different leadership styles affect a society's way of life?
The Hobbit: What can we learn about ourselves from the journeys of fictional characters?
Term 6
Topic: Set Text/Writers Festival
Enquiry question: How can we use language to fully engage our readers?
Year 9
Term 1
Topic: Dystopian Literature
Enquiry question: What features of a dystopia are recognisable in modern society?
Term 2
Topic: Language to Change the World
Enquiry question: Why does the language we use to express ourselves matter?
Term 3
Topic: Modern Theatre - DNA
Enquiry question: How does modern theatre challenge social norms or expectations?
Term 4
Topic: Renaissance Theatre - Dr Faustus
Enquiry question: How does a person's greed or ambition cloud their decisions?
Term 5
Topic: Introduction to Power and Conflict Poetry
Enquiry Question: In what ways does conflict shape perception of countries and cultures?
Term 6
Topic: Anthology Poetry - The Big Six
Enquiry Question: How do poets express ideas about power and conflict?
Year 10
Term 1:
Topic: Anthology Poetry and Unseen Analysis
Enquiry Question: How do poets express ideas about power and conflict?
Term 2:
Topic: Macbeth
Enquiry Question: To what extent is ‘Macbeth’ an ideal depiction of tragedy and Macbeth of a tragic hero?
Term 3:
Topic: A Christmas Carol
Enquiry Question: How does Dickens convey the potential for change in humanity in A Christmas Carol?
Term 4:
Topic: An Inspector Calls
Enquiry Question: In what way is An Inspector Calls a critique of class privilege?
Term 5:
Topic: Revision of all set texts
Enquiry Question: How can language be used to effectively communicate a range of ideas, from simple to complex?
Term 6:
Topic: Spoken Language
Enquiry Question: Why are the words and rhetoric we choose important in expressing our viewpoints and perspectives?
Topic: Explorations in Printed Media
Enquiry Question: How can the conventions of printed media be used to express our ideas and opinions?
Year 11
Term 1:
Topic: Language Paper 2: Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives - Section A: Reading
Enquiry Questions: How do writers’ viewpoints and perspectives influence their writing?
How do writers adapt their writing for a specific audience, purpose and form?
Term 2:
Topic: Language Paper 2: Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives- Section B: Writing
Enquiry Question: How can you adapt your writing for a specific audience, purpose and form?
Term 3:
Topic: Language Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing - Section A: Reading
Enquiry Questions: How does a writer’s use of language, form and structure engage their audience?
How do writers adapt their writing for a specific audience, purpose and form?
Term 4:
Topic: Language Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing - Section B: Writing
Enquiry Question: How can you use language, form and structure to engage your audience?
Term 5:
Topic: Language Paper 1 & 2: Revision of key skills and areas for development based on mock exams
Literature Paper 1 & 2: Revision of key skills and areas for development based on mock exams
Sixth Form
Year 12
Over the two-year course of study, working towards an AQA English Literature A-level, students will learn how to use their detailed knowledge and understanding of individual works of literature to explore relationships between texts and to appreciate the significance of cultural and contextual influences on readers and writers. Students study a range of texts from William Shakespeare’s tragedies to contemporary postmodern fiction, through the critical lens of either tragedy or political and social protest writing. Students will learn to identify how writers shape the meanings of texts and analyse the ways that different readers interpret them. In addition to reading, students will learn the fundamentals of academic writing and its conventions, including how to cite sources accurately and how to utilise literary critical vocabulary.
Term 1
Introduction to Context through Critical Theory
Introduction to Political and Social Protest Writing
Term 2
Introduction to Tragedy/Othello
The Handmaid's Tale
Term 3
Othello
The Handmaid's Tale
Term 4
Death of a Salesman
Songs of Innocence and Experience
Term 5
Dearth of a Salesman
Songs of Innocence and Experience
Term 6
NEA text and critical focus selection
Year 13
Term 1
Keats Poetry Selection
The Kite Runner
Term 2
Keats Poetry Selection
The Kite Runner
.
Term 3
NEA completion
Term 4
Revision of set texts
Term 5
Revision of set texts
How the course is assessed:
Paper 1 Literary genres (Aspects of tragedy): 2h30m closed-book final examination 40%
Paper 2 Texts and genres (Elements of political and social protest writing): 3h open book final examination 40%
Non-exam assessment: Theory and independence: Two 1250-1500 word essays (one on a prose text, one on a poetry text), each with a different critical focus, 20%