Pupils will read sections of Romeo and Juliet to consolidate their skills in interpreting and analysing not only Shakespearean English, but also the crafting of a play. As well as exploring the rich language, students will also consider universal themes of love, death, loyalty and revenge. By further delving into Elizabethan society, students can deepen their understanding of how a work of art is rooted in the time, place and space in which it is created; considering which of the issues explored are still relevant today.
Analysis of an extract from a key scene.
A sonnet (pronounced son-it) is a fourteen line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme. Often, sonnets use iambic pentameter: five sets of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables for a ten-syllable line.
A separate introductory section of a literary, dramatic, or musical work.
A hero or heroine's fatal flaw / weakness that will eventually destroy them.
A protagonist is the main character in a story. An antagonist is their main enemy / rival. Romeo and Juliet are the eponymous (their names are in the title) protagonists, Tybalt is the antagonist.
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story, or a chapter, and it helps the reader develop expectations about the upcoming events.
Awareness of different cultures and the significance of past events.
Year 9 students will consider Voice, Intent and Perspective across this academic year, to understand and compare how texts work to convey different ideas and viewpoints. Students will establish their own viewpoint, understand those of others and how these relate to context of production and reception.
Across the two terms students will read a range of short stories from diverse backgrounds that use a more experimental style than they may have previously experienced. They will learn how narration can be questioned, how authors can surprise the reader, and how language and structural aspects are used to achieve this.
1) Marked reading task on a short fictional text.
2) Creative Writing assessment based on a picture stimulus.
A chronological narrative is a story told in the order that events happened. A non-chronological narrative may start in "the present" before using a flashback to talk about events in the past.
A narrative (story) told from two different viewpoints e.g. a third person narrator and from a character's perspective.
Motif is a literary technique that consists of a repeated element that has symbolic significance to a literary work. Sometimes, a motif is a recurring image. Other times, it's a repeated word, phrase, or topic expressed in language.
Formal or less formal? Serious or humorous? Factual or full of opinions? Balanced or biased?
A one sentence paragraph - normally used for emphasis.
Pupils will read this unique novel to build their critical reading and analytical skills, whilst also considering a wide range of structural techniques. Through their engagement with a truly unique protagonist students will consider a range of moral questions and societal issues, including societal attitudes to neurodivergency, the difficulties faced by families, and how the best intentions do not always lead to the best outcomes. These synoptic skills are vital for GCSE English literature papers 1 & 2, and are transferable to language content. However, equally importantly, through the atypical writing style, students can continue to engage with multifaceted characters, encouraging reflection on our own preconceptions and prejudices.
Analytic written response to the whole novel.
Something that is different to others of the same type, group, or class.
A relatively new term, neurodivergent simply means someone who thinks differently from the way the majority (referred to as neurotypical) expect. Neurotypical means the opposite –someone whose brain behaves in the same way as the majority of society.
When one person has two sides to their personality or character.
The leading character or one of the major characters in a play, film, novel.
An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings, blogs, and e-mai
Students will work with their teachers on annotating a range of fiction and non-fiction extracts, for key ideas that the writer includes to successfully develop a theme, mood or argument. With a critical eye on different approaches, students draw together their knowledge of texts, genres and approaches to confidently evaluate how and why writers have chosen to present their work in these ways.
Also, pupils will develop understanding of how to write non-fiction text types such as letters, speeches, articles, reviews, and travel writing. Students increasingly consider their own purposes, audiences, generic conventions, and overall tone required by "real world" tasks. Drawing on their knowledge of features of different text types, students craft texts that range from the humorous to the powerful, showcasing their writing skills. All of this is underpinned by an explicit focus on utilising different vocabulary, sentence types, and punctuation to augment the power of their ideas.
1) Evaluation of a non-fiction text. 2) Transactional writing.
Motif is a literary technique that consists of a repeated element that has symbolic significance to a literary work. Sometimes, a motif is a recurring image. Other times, it's a repeated word, phrase, or topic expressed in language.
Formal or less formal? Serious or humorous? Factual or full of opinions? Balanced or biased?
Including statements / quotations from experts or others, to make your writing / arguments seem more believable.
A one sentence paragraph - normally used for emphasis.
Express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning, usually for humorous effect / to emphasise an idea.
Using pronouns such as you / your, we / us / our to engage an audience.
The aim that a writer is trying to achieve e.g. to persuade their audience to take a certain action, to point out a particular issue.
A brief summary of an idea, text or issue.
Beginning the GCSE content by exploring a range of viewpoints from the new, diverse “Belonging” Anthology, students tackle some “big thoughts: to what extent do any of us belong to a certain place, time or society? How many different versions of any us co-exist at any one time? As well as further improving their comparative analytical skills by exploring the ways in which poets craft and structure their works, students will consider a range of viewpoints, experiences and scenarios. Key skills: Reading and interpreting poetry; analysing and comparing poetic forms, and how they are informed by wider context. To complement this, students will further develop their comparison skills by teasing out the nuances of writers’ craft across a range of non-fiction texts. They will be honing their abilities to interrogate exactly how and why writers are presenting a range of viewpoints and perspectives, and how these choices are supposed to influence us.
Comparative analytical essays.
End of Year Assessment is an English Language Paper 1: Reading fiction + Creative writing
A literary, artistic, and philosophical movement originating in the 18th century. Often focussed on autobiographical material, thoughts and feelings, common human values, and an appreciation of nature.
Ideas, characters, imagery etc. referencing another famous book, poem, play etc.
A person from two or more cultural or ethnic backgrounds.
A character or narrator voicing an author or poet's own personal opinions.
Writing a poem to tell a story from the perspecive or viewpoint of a specific character or historical figure.
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