EnglisH
Today a reader tomorrow a leader
Vision.
Students at our schools will be taught an English curriculum which is progressive and carefully constructed to support students understanding and appreciation of the English language.
We will teach through texts that students love and that are clearly linked to the cross curricular topics throughout each phase with strong links to the wider world context of the phase topic.
All students have the right to explore English Language as a discipline: to consider how humankind has used writing as a form of expression and appreciate how English language has changed over time. We will find lots of opportunities for learning outside of the classroom that links to what is being done inside of it. Students will have the opportunity to go to the theatre, museums and hear from authors, so that their love of the English language is enhanced.
End Points
- Our students will be able to form their own opinions and develop an understanding and appreciation of opinions that differ from their own.
- They will develop the ability to summarize and evaluate, backed up with valid reasoning, what people have created and how this links to their own experiences of the world and others.
- They will be encouraged at every point to read for enjoyment, so that reading is a lifelong pleasure and gateway to understanding.
- Students will learn to use strong powers of expression both written and orally and vary this depending on the context.
Domains of Knowledge
Fiction
- Narrative
- Fantasy
- Science Fiction
- Suspense and mystery
- Adventure
- Quest
Non-Fiction
- Biography and autobiography
- Reports
- Letters
- Persuasive writing
- Informative writing
Poetry and drama
- Play writing
- Narrative poetry
- Performance poetry
- Free verse
- Sonnet
- Monologues
English Language
- Themes and conventions
- Context
- Genre and form
- Grammar
- Spoken language
- Spelling and vocabulary
- Punctuation
- Shakespeare
Key Concepts
Propositional knowledge |
Procedural knowledge |
Grammar | |
Tier 1: Word, word classes, sentence, text, noun, adjective, verb, present tense, past tense, future tense, singular, plural, phrase, adverb, conjunction, preposition,
Tier 2: Pronoun, possessive, possessive pronoun, suffix, noun phrases, statement, question, exclamation, command, paragraph, direct speech, indirect speech, clause, main clause, subordinate clause, adverbial, fronted adverbials, article, synonym, antonym, determiner, relative clause, independent clause, model verbs,
Tier 3: Progressive, present perfect, compound, verb inflections, modal, relative pronoun, passive (voice), active (voice), subjunctive, syntax, fragments, appositive verbs, |
Tier 1: Subordination, co-ordination, subject-verb agreement,
Tier 2: Text purpose and audience,
Tier 3: Analysis of writers breaking rules, cohesion/cohesive device, ambiguity
All tiers: Appropriate rules of grammar (and exceptions), Standard English |
Spelling & Vocabulary | |
Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 Vocabulary specific to units taught, phoneme, grapheme, split digraph, syllable, trigraph, homophones, hyphenated words, vowel, consonant, subject, object, family of words, root words |
Common spellings, meta-language, Prefixes and suffixes, possessive apostrophe, regular plurals, irregular plurals, etymology, |
Punctuation | |
Capital letter, full stop, question mark, exclamation mark, comma, apostrophe, inverted commas (or ‘speech marks’), brackets, dashes, hyphen, parenthesis, ellipsis, semi-colon, colon, bullet point, colons and semicolon, |
Punctuation for effect, negative language, |
Language Techniques & Elements of Rhetoric | |
Adjective, verb, adverb, noun phrase, simile, metaphor, personification, Synonym, antonym, dialogue, direct and indirect speech, alliteration, rhetorical questions, Direct address, Juxtaposition, pathetic fallacy zeugma, parataxis, hyperbole, anaphora, |
Descriptive language, language for effect, Standard English, cohesive devices, Imagery, Idioms, Colloquialisms, Dialect, Accent, Slang, Humour, Irony, Use of colour in descriptions, Symbolism, Contrast, Tone, |
Character | |
Protagonist, antagonist, hero, victim, villain, rebel, creator, lover, explorer, magician, ruler, jester, fool, sage, foil, archetypal, dual nature |
|
Audience Impact & Literary Criticism |
|
Reader reception, awareness of impact, viewpoints, critique; reader response, cultural, new historicism, psychoanalytic/Freudian, feminist, Marxist, new criticism, post-colonial, structuralism, post-structuralism |
|
Structure, Layout & Coherence |
|
Structure: Setting, beginning, ending, problem, resolution, build-up, chronological, non-chronological, flashback/flash forward, atmosphere, cohesion, plot points, chapter, versus, cast list, scene Layout: Paragraph, heading, sub-heading, column, bullet, table, caption, list, Coherence: 7 basic plots (voyage and return, tragedy, comedy, rags to riches, the quest, re-birth, overcoming the monster), Construction of character, Character development, Plot device, Plot structures i.e. linear, Circular narrative, Plot shifts, Narrative perspective, Perspective shifts, Time of day, Symbolism, Time, External v internal factors, |
|
Writing Stages & Sequencing |
|
Planning writing, story map, planning devices, oral rehearsal, draft, edit, analysing writing, proofread |
|
Spoken Language |
|
Listen, respond, relevant questions, vocabulary, descriptions, explanation, narratives, express feelings, collaborative conversations, speculating, hypothesising, imagining, exploring ideas, Standard English, discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations, debates, viewpoints, registers |
|
Writing Literary Analysis |
|
Using quotations accurately, writing correct points, developing detailed analysis, analysing a language feature, structuring analysis, evaluation of writer’s methods, thesis statements, introductions and conclusions, linking topic sentences, discussing authorial intent, links to context/critical evaluation context, planning an essay, writing an essay |