English and COVID 19
During lockdown your child was provided with a skills workbook and live lessons focusing on writing skills. We are confident that, if your child engaged with tasks set and live lessons offered, our educational offering should have helped to reduce what would have been missed in the classroom.
As a result of our lockdown curriculum our first focus on returning to in school lessons has been to get your child reading again and engaging with high quality texts. You’ll notice all schemes of work in the first term have an emphasis on reading, and we would ask and strongly advise you encourage your child to read widely at home. Reading is the best way of helping your child to develop their understanding of vocabulary and sentence structures, enhance their vocabulary and expand their knowledge and imagination; ultimately leading to them developing into confident communicators.
We know your child will have some gaps from missing in school teaching during COVID lockdown, but we have made sure our curriculum addresses these as a priority. Our lessons are differentiated to ensure your child accesses the work that is suited to their current level, but crucially has the opportunity to challenge them beyond that level consistently. We take time every lesson for students to complete a quick task that systematically draws on prior knowledge that we have previously taught pupils; to ensure it is not lost or forgotten and to identify and address any areas of concern. We are using self and peer assessment to enable your child to more confidently assess their own strengths and areas for development to empower them to take control of their learning. We are marking work and adapting our teaching in response to your child’s efforts to plug the gaps we identify. We will be setting homework to consolidate learning and enhance skills taught in class.
How can I support my child?
Students follow the AQA courses leading to two GCSE qualifications.
For their English Language GCSE students will sit two exams at the end of Year 11. In English Language Paper 1 students learn how to analyse and evaluate the language and structure used in ONE contemporary fiction text, and write creatively. In Paper 2 students learn how to compare two different non-fiction texts, one contemporary and one 19th Century text. Students will find information, summarise, analyse language and compare viewpoints in the texts, and write their own non-fiction piece.
For their English Literature GCSE students will study: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls and a poetry anthology exploring themes of power and conflict.
GCSEPod is a brilliant website that Stretford High School subscribe to, to help students with their revision for English: https://www.gcsepod.com/ students can log in here to access a range of informative videos from which to revise topics and texts studied in class.
Year 10/11
| Year 10/11 Curriculum Overview | Topic | Content and skills |
| Term 1 | GCSE English Language Paper Section A – reading and analysing fiction texts | Students will explore a range of transactional nonfiction and literary non-fiction texts. They will develop skills of synthesis, comparison and analysis in preparation for their Paper 2 English Language exam. Students will explore how writer’s put across their viewpoint and use language and structure to impact the reader. |
| GCSE English Language Paper 2 Section B – Transactional Writing | Students will focus on developing a clear writing voice in a range of transactional writing styles and formats. Students will look at topics that are relevant in today’s society such as Education, Careers and the NHS. Students will be given opportunities to discuss their own viewpoint and opinions, whilst developing the skills needed to be successful in communicating their viewpoint in writing to equip them with the skills needed for their GCSE mock exam this term. | |
| Term 2 | GCSE English Language Paper 1 Section A – reading and analysing fiction texts | Students will explore a variety of writing styles of fiction writers from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, analysing how writers use language, structure and form to put across their ideas and evaluating the texts to equip them with the skills needed for their GCSE mock exam this term. |
| GCSE English Language Paper 1 Section B – Writing imaginatively | Students will focus on honing their writer’s voice in a series of lessons that develops students to think like a writer and write like one! They will be exploring a range of genres including thriller, gothic and detective fiction. Students will be exposed to a range of challenging texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st Century to explore and analyse how writers create atmosphere and tension to apply their findings to their own writing. | |
| Term 3 | English Language Revision | Teachers and students will choose what areas to work on with students from the above four areas to best prepare them for their GCSE English exam to be sat in June. |
| In addition to preparing for the English Language GCSE this year, Year 10 students will also be reading the texts relevant to their English Literature exams to introduce them to the context and plots of key texts in readiness for studying them in Year 11. |
How can I help my child prepare for their GCSE’s?
What does revision for English Literature look like?
Proposed Revision tasks for English Literature
