Admiral Lord Nelson School

For an overview of the pathways through the curriculum, please see our information page here.

Welcome to the English Department

Our Vision

By placing learning at the centre of everything we do, as a department we continually reflect upon and develop our own practice, seeking opportunities to enhance teaching and learning.

Our purpose is to inspire and motivate students, fostering a love of all things English and broadening and enriching their minds and hearts.

We deliver a varied and creative curriculum, allowing all students the opportunities to flourish. Through teaching of transferable skills and strategies, we enable students to achieve in our subject and others, as well as in their lives beyond school.

We empower our students to become effective independent learners through useful feedback and targets which develop their skills and challenge students to aspire beyond their data.

Curriculum

KS3

This year you will study three themes: War and Refuge, Nature and Wildlife, and Love and Conflict. Within each theme, you will have the chance to read lots of different types of texts and try your hand at writing in different styles. You will also discuss and debate your ideas around the themes as a class and in groups.

In Year 7, you will study…

Scheme of Learning	Skills	Texts	Assessment	Enrichment Examples
Autumn Term	Baseline Assessment	Writing to describe and narrate Spelling, punctuation and grammar	Introduction to Accelerated Reader.	Writing to describe ‘Alone’.
	Finding the Voice		Introduction to Accelerated Reader.	Writing to describe – adventure narratives.	Two week project
	War and Refuge	Selecting and understanding information Inference and deduction Exploring language and structure Exploring context	Modern text: Kiss the Dust by Elizabeth Laird Poetry: At the Border – Choman Hardi, Flag – John Agard, The Yellow Palm – John Minhinick Non-fiction: A range of articles looking at themes of refugees and evacuees Literary non-fiction: Autobiographical accounts, soldier’s letters	Writing to present a viewpoint / comprehension and inference of texts.	Writing a Blurb
Spring Term	Nature and Wildlife	Selecting and understanding information Inference and deduction Exploring language and structure Exploring context	Modern text: Touching the Void, The Werewolf Pre 1914 text: The Secret Garden extracts Poetry: William Blake The Lamb and The Tyger, Tennyson The Eagle, selected poems by Coleridge, Byron, Wordsworth Non-fiction: Telling the Story- environmental issues as debate Non-fiction lit: Christopher Columbus’ first voyage journal extract, Dorothy Wordsworth – diary entry	Reading assessment – comprehension, language analysis and critical review (Language Paper One style). Poetry comparison	Chaucer Research
Summer Term	Love and Conflict	Writing to present a viewpoint Spelling, punctuation and grammar Inference and deduction Exploring language and structure Considering a writer’s intentions Exploring context	Modern text: Kid, Simon Armitage Pre 1914 text: Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare Poetry: Shakespeare, Sonnet 116 Non-fiction: Non-fiction texts surrounding relationships Non-fiction lit: Love letter from Henry VIII to Ann Boleyn	Writing to present a viewpoint. Reading assessment – exploring an extract from Romeo and Juliet, considering language, structure and context.	Conflict Poetry
Summer Term	End of Year Exams	Selecting and understanding information Exploring language and structure Giving a critical opinion Writing to describe and narrate Spelling, punctuation and grammar

KS4

This year you will study three themes: America’s Dreams; Guilt, Memory and Reality; and Victims and Villains. Within each theme, you will have the chance to read lots of different types of texts and try your hand at writing in different styles. You will begin to compare texts from different times and different types of character experiences, for example different villains throughout literature. You will also discuss and debate your ideas around the themes as a class and in groups, learning about different parts of British and world history and culture, and how these apply to the key themes.

In Year 8, you will study…

Scheme of Learning	Skills	Texts	Assessment	Enrichment Examples
Autumn Term	Finding the Voice	Writing to describe and narrate Spelling, punctuation and grammar	Extracts from: Dracula, The Hound of the Baskervilles, gothic art.	‘The Nightmare’ – writing to describe.	The Nightmare – Genre and Conventions
Autumn Term	America’s Dreams	Inference and deduction Exploring language and structure Considering a writer’s intentions Exploring context Comparison	Modern text: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Pre 1914 text: The Scarlett Letter Poetry: Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes Non-fiction: Migrant Workers articles (BBC) Non-fiction lit: The declaration of Independence, other statements about freedom in America to support.	Reading assessment – analysing an extract from ‘Of Mice and Men’.	Of Mice and Men Takeaway Homework Menu
Spring Term	Guilt, Memory and Reality	Inference and deduction Exploring language and structure Considering a writer’s intentions Exploring context Comparison	Modern text: Maus and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Pre 1914 text: George Eliot, Daniel Deronda Poetry: Selection of post Holocaust poetry, including some written at the time Non-fiction: Nazi propaganda articles, extracts from Night Non-fiction lit: Antisemitism throughout history articles / Nazi propaganda articles	Reading assessment – exploring an extract, considering language, structure, context and comparing texts / Language Paper One style assessment. Writing to explain.	Anne Frank’s Diary Extracts
Summer Term	Victims and Villains	Inference and deduction Exploring language and structure Considering a writer’s intentions Exploring context Writing to present a viewpoint Spelling, punctuation and grammar	Modern text: Extracts from John Fowles, The Collector Pre 1914 text: Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice/Othello, Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Poetry: Carol Ann Duffy, Stealing Non-fiction: Last woman to be hanged in UK (Ruth Ellis resources) Non-fiction lit: Dickens, Newgate Prison (extract)	Reading assessment – comparison and analysis of two soliloquies.	Shylock’s Diary
Summer Term	End of year Exam	Selecting and understanding information Exploring language and structure Giving a critical opinion Writing to describe and narrate Spelling, punctuation and grammar

Details of the cross curricular links with Humanities can be found below.

Cross Curricular links with Humanities

Exam Board

In Key Stage 4 students can follow the AQA English Language and AQA English Literature courses.

GCSE English Language (8700)
GCSE English Literature (8702)

Assessment

Key Stage Three

In years 7, 8 and 9 you will be formally assessed throughout each term for each of the key English skills: reading, writing and spoken language. This will be written in exam conditions in your purple assessment book. You will also complete a baseline assessment at the beginning of Year 7, to assess your current level. Your work will be marked using the reading and writing KPIs, which you have in your purple book. You will be told what went well and be given next steps. Additionally, you will receive written and verbal feedback from your teacher on the work in your yellow class book.

Key Stage Four

At GCSE you will have half termly assessments which will mirror the Language and Literature exams which you will take at the end of the course, in the summer of Year 11. Your work will be marked using the GCSE mark schemes. You will be told what went well and be given next steps. Additionally, you will receive written and verbal feedback from your teacher on the work in your green class book.

Feedback and Feed-forward

A very important part of the assessment cycle is your response to your teacher’s feedback. We strongly believe that you learn best from your mistakes and in English lessons we will always provide time for you to go back through and improve upon these. This is so that eventually you will have the confidence to look critically at your own work and draft and redraft independently.

Quality Teaching and Learning Entitlement

All students in English are entitled to:

a positive, safe learning environment that enables them to flourish and succeed in English within a culture of mutual respect and shared responsibility.
be actively engaged in their own learning whilst being challenged and motivated to take responsibility for their own development and see the purpose in their learning at ALNS and beyond.
have a sense of ownership of their work which is valued and celebrated both at school and at home.
feel accepted and have a sense of pride in the community of school.
have the opportunities to apply their skills and knowledge to a variety of new situations through a range of topics covered in English.
experience well planned lessons which challenge them, provide clear assessment and development opportunities.
reflect upon their own learning regularly and be given opportunities to improve and ultimately share and celebrate success.

What are the PD Days in English?What enrichments/activities are offered to students in English?Reading Skills Find out more about Accelerated Reader My Reading Tracker Accessing the school library online