Welcome to the English & Literacy Page!

Year 5 English

Much of the English curriculum in year 5 is devoted to the genre of narrative writing. In this area, pupils study Roald Dahl as a ‘significant’ children’s author, looking at the distinctive features of: his characters, themes, settings and use of language to inform their own writing. In addition to this, they look at classic literature and writing in the style of C.S. Lewis as well as studying the features of myths, legends and traditional stories from other cultures to develop their own writing style.
Year 5 also look at how story structure is used in film and have the opportunity to make their own short films. They study the significant poets, Edward Lear and Michael Rosen, using examples of their work for poetry performance and as an inspiration for poetry writing along with a specific study of The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes, examining character viewpoint through drama and writing tasks. In non-fiction writing, through their work on instructional texts, children have opportunities to identify and understand key features of this text type, resulting in writing and editing their own set of instructions. They also examine how writers use a variety of techniques to persuade their audience and use these to produce their own persuasive writing.

Year 6 English

In narrative writing, pupils study a variety of genres, identifying key features for each genre. This leads to their own story writing within a particular genre, using appropriate language and organisational features. During their work on poetry, pupils study how poets use figurative language, as well as surreal, surprising and amusing images, to create effects in poems. They also examine the organisational and language features of a range of non-fiction text types which include: biography, autobiography, persuasive argument, discussion writing, formal and impersonal texts and journalistic writing. As a result, pupils further develop their ability to write across a range of text types to suit purpose and audience. Towards the end of the year, they undertake a major project on marketing and advertising linked to their visit to Cadbury World, joining with their work in citizenship.

Year 7 English

In year 7, pupils study how the English language has evolved to the modern language we use today, as well as recognising how language is still evolving with the increasing influence of technology. Pupils are also able to discover more about writers in history, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, and their significance in our cultural heritage. This theme is continued when pupils develop their drama techniques through a study of Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
In non-fiction writing, pupils link their English with their Science topics, using their knowledge from Science lessons to inform their writing of argument, discussion and explanation texts. The media unit studied has a focus on advertising through a variety of media.

Year 8 English

In year 8, pupils begin with the theme of War to study a variety of literature that includes the poetry of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon along with the contemporary novel, Private Peaceful. They are given opportunities to write their own poems and letters from the trenches as First World War soldiers in response to their reading. They also undertake a study of film making and how film makers use a variety of techniques to bring stories to life. They then have the opportunity to make their own short films, linking their knowledge of drama techniques and script writing learned in English to their ICT skills of filming and editing. Following this, they further develop their narrative writing skills, particularly looking at use of sub-plots in stories as demonstrated in the contemporary novel, Holes. In non- fiction writing, they further advance their writing techniques for preparing a written argument. Through their study of the play, Blood Brothers, they are able to develop their understanding of character viewpoint as well as linking the themes with the social and cultural context in which they were written.
For more information about the English and Literacy curriculum, please feel free to contact the Coordinator of English, Mrs. Cadwallader