Course content - What will you be studying?
Our Year 9 English curriculum is designed to support students transition from KS3 to GCSE level study by offering them a 'taster' of the format and expectations of the GCSE courses.
During Year 9, students will study a knowledge rich course which aims to consolidate their learning from Year 7 & 8 and prepare them for the greater depth required of them at KS4. The year mimics the interleaving of Literature and Language study that students will experience in Years 10 & 11, with 6 projects across the year.
Students will begin the year with 'The Power of the Pen', a critical examination of the rich world of journalism and news media. They will then move on to study 'An Introduction to the Gothic', which explores one of the most influential literary movements in our culture and introduces many ideas and contexts for key GCSE texts.
In the spring term, students will embark on 'Shakespeare's Quill' a project that begins to provide a window into Shakespeare's world, writing and influences. They will deliver formal presentations and experience a range of Shakespeare's most celebrated poetry and plays. From Shakespeare, students will move on to 'The Poetry Question', where they build on their KS3 poetry knowledge and develop their understanding of how poetry is a radical and political literary form, preparing them for the Unseen and Anthology components of GCSE English Literature.
In the summer term, students begin with a whole novel, Orwell's Animal Farm. This is a GCSE set text, and although students will not be examined on Animal Farm, experience of a GCSE approach to a modern novel will prepare them for the skills needed for KS4.
Our final project in Year 9 is 'Literature Through Time' which is designed to consolidate and contextualise students' learning and provide a rich understanding of how literature changes throughout literary history. 'Literature Through Time' spans two millennia, building a deep contextual understanding of our rich literary heritage and supporting students to understand how the texts they will study in Years 10 &11 fit into the tapestry of our curriculum.
Assessment
During the course students will be assessed regularly to help students and staff monitor progress made. Students will then be given time to improve on aspects of their work during dedicated improvement lessons.
Students will be encouraged to to use this time to reflect and improve their assessments. Overall progress will continue to be assessed through a blended approach to Literature and Language assessment objectives, as was the case in KS3. Although students will begin to experience the language of the GCSE courses, we will not assess them against GCSE objectives in Year 9. Students transitioning to Key Stage 4 courses will undergo AQA GCSE English Literature and AQA GCSE English Language.