English
English at Wade Deacon High School
“Handle them carefully, for words have the power to change the world.”
What our students say:
Students love:
“the freedom we are given”, “learning about different cultures”
“the complexity of some of the activities” and “debating - because it’s cool.”
“English teachers who unlock your creativity.”
“the fact that there is always something new and exciting to learn.”
“the opportunity to get creative and let your imagination run wild!”
Curriculum Aims
Our students are exposed to a broad, vibrant and challenging range of texts that promotes a love of our subject, fosters academic success and equips them for real life.
Curriculum Overview
Year 7
Term 1
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Exploring the original 14th century text and Simon Armitage’s translation.
The Tempest (Part 1) by William Shakespeare.
Christmas Cheer – a festive jaunt through a range of traditional and less well known poetry.
Term 2
The Tempest (Part 2) by William Shakespeare.
An investigation Renaissance and Jacobean stagecraft.
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.
Overcoming adversity in literature and real life.
Term 3
Hear my Voice – the rhetoric of defiance.
An exploration of momentous speeches in history and how spoken language can be used to change the world for the better.
Year 8
Term 1
Poetry of Identity.
How the individual can be heard in poetry from across a range of cultures.
The ‘Other’ in Literature (Part 1).
Challenging what ‘normality’ is in society through the investigation of texts from Homer to Jean Rhys.
Term 2
The ‘Other’ in Literature (Part 2).
Challenging what ‘normality’ is in society through the investigation of texts from Homer to Jean Rhys.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.
How the detective genre has evolved and an investigation of justice itself.
Term 3
Noughts and Crosses, the RSC script, based on the novel by Malorie Blackman.
Tackling the concepts of power, relationships and prejudice in the play and through a series of speaking and listening presentations.
Year 9
Term 1
Global English.
Hamilton by Lin Manuel Miranda and Indian Poetry by a range of international poets.
The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara.
The Global Evolution of Christmas – Christmas mythology and customs across the world.
How individual beliefs can be articulated in literature
Term 2
Global English.
Fiction Writing.
The art of the unnerving short story from Woolf to Dickens to Orwell.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
How Dystopian Literature may reflect real life.
Term 3
Global English.
We Should all be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Anthology Poetry created by English staff at Wade Deacon High School.
Equality for women and other global concerns.
Year 10 English Language
Term 1
GCSE Fiction Reading.
The study of a range of 20th Century fiction extracts, responding to the demands of a GCSE paper with specific focus on language analysis and critical evaluation.
GCSE Fiction Writing.
Constructing detailed narratives and developing descriptive skills.
Promoting technical accuracy.
GCSE Non-Fiction Reading.
The study of a range of 19th and 21st Century non-fiction extracts, responding to the demands of a GCSE paper.
Term 2
GCSE Non-Fiction Writing.
Transactional writing, including writing to persuade, argue and advise.
Creating the right form, such as letters, speeches and reports.
Promoting technical accuracy.
English Language Mock Examination 1 preparation:
Fiction Reading
Fiction Writing
Non-Fiction Reading
Non-Fiction Writing.
Term 3
Speaking and Listening Assessment Preparation.
English Language Mock Examination 2 preparation:
Fiction Reading
Fiction Writing
Non-Fiction Reading
Non-Fiction Writing.
Year 10 English Literature
Term 1
Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
Term 2
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
Term 3
EDUQAS Poetry Anthology by
selected poets.
Year 11 English Language
Term 1
Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
Refining our knowledge and skills around the novel.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Refining our knowledge and skills around the novel.
Term 2
EDUQAS Poetry Anthology by selected poets.
Refining our knowledge and skills around the anthology poems.
Unseen Poetry by selected poets.
Refining our knowledge and skills around unseen poems.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
Refining our knowledge and skills around the play.
Term 3
Targeted Revision.
All GCSE English Literature modules. Teachers will base this on the specific needs of their classes.
Five ways to support your child:
Read with them. Read anything and read often!
Encourage a love of our subject! Don’t let them spend hours thinking they have to analyse everything. They don’t. Enjoy it!
Promote the value of making mistakes and editing work – the very best writers do this.
Chat about characters in texts and the writers they have discovered.
Learn key quotations together.
Useful websites and resources:
www.letsrevise.net Let’s Revise: our Wade Deacon revision site
www.eduqas.co.uk EDUQAS exam board site for GCSE English Language and English Literature (for Years 10 & 11)
www.cie.org.uk IGCSE World Literature (for some Year 9 students)
www.bbc.co.uk/education BBC Bitesize
www.shmoop.comwww.yorknotes.comwww.sparknotes.com
www.gradesaver.com
EDUQAS English Revision Guides (booklets) for English Literature and Language / CGP Study Guides and Workbooks for English Literature and Language.
