English - Year 8

Throughout the year

Reading - Students are encouraged to read for pleasure and at the start of each English lesson, students read quietly for 10 minutes and record their reading progress in their reading record books.

Assessments - Within each unit the key Assessment Foci will be assessed in the English class workbook which will take place periodically throughout the year.

Here are some of the units covered during year 8. Classes will complete these at different times of the year to allow for sharing of resources and class texts.

Narrative techniques - Class reading of a novel, leading to discussion of key themes and exploration of the language and structure of the text. Most classes read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and investigate the significance of the historical context in the novel. Independent research skills are also used during the course of this unit.

Gothic writing - Students are introduced to the gothic genre, looking at key vocabulary and examples of gothic texts. They are then asked to write their own gothic story, aiming to hook the reader and keep them interested. Once stories have been written, students design an appropriate front cover using Photoshop.

Poetry - Students study a collection of poems linked by theme and analyse the poets' use of language and form. They are then asked to compare two poems.

Speaking and Listening - Students engage in group and whole class debates about a range of topics.

Spoken Language Study - Various aspects of an individual's spoken language is investigated and students learn how to identify and explore key features and conventions of spoken language in a variety of contexts.

Shakespeare - Students read a Shakespeare play and complete tasks looking at language and themes. Most classes will study The Tempest or Macbeth.

Media - Charity advertising. Students compare the techniques used in TV charity adverts and printed charity adverts. Once they've identified the techniques, they create their own advert using them.

As indicated above.

As in year 7 we encourage students to read independently at home to improve their literacy skills.

Students will be set one task per week, which will extend or consolidate their classroom learning.