English What is the nature of English at Grades 7 and 8? At Grades 7 and 8 there is a clear intention to prepare our students for the IGCSE syllabus that will begin in Grade 9. The aim of the English department is to establish a love of Literature and a keen interest in language and how it works. One emphasis is on skill building through establishing a curriculum that allows all students to progress to the standard required to begin the study of the IGCSE. Students read a variety of texts from all genres: Prose, Poetry, Drama and Non-Fiction. They also explore multimodal texts such as graphic novels and film. Students learn the skills of close reading and analysis while being given the opportunity to develop their speaking and listening skills. Students learn how language is used in a variety of contexts and for what purposes. They learn the elements of textual analysis and are given opportunities for applying these to the texts they study. What is the approach to teaching and learning? We adopt a student-centred approach that includes a variety of teaching methods. Students take part in group and pair activities; they are also given opportunities for individual reflection and presentation of ideas. For these activities, key aspects of research- based learning are taught, along with the implementation of study skills – learning how to learn. Students are encouraged to present their own views and ideas on a range of topics and as well as being introduced to a variety of literature texts, they are introduced to the Media and how it works to convey ideas to the general public. It is our intention that students are given broad based learning opportunities that require their full participation. Grade 7 and 8 Year Planner Poetry
Language and Mass Communication
Students study between 6 - 8 poems as part of this unit, in both Grades 7 and 8. As part of this study, students are introduced to poetry from different cultures – so as to explore different attitudes and perspectives and begin to develop their cultural sensitivity.
Students look at a range of multimodal texts during this unit in Grades 7 and 8. The focus is consistently on how language works for audience and purpose. In both years, students are encouraged to develop skills of textual analysis in order to understand in detail how texts work. Also, within this unit students are assessed on their ability to create a specific media text, which works effectively for audience and purpose.
Teachers use core anthologies of poetry which include:
Types of media studied across Grades 7 and 8:
Poetry from different times Poetry from different cultures and traditions Balanced weighting of male/female writers Different poetic forms and styles (to ensure that in grade 9 our
Multimodal texts: Infographics, Public Service Announcements, Leaflets Journalism: Newspapers/magazines/television/radio/internet 9
