| Unit | Content |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Students read and explore Andy Mulligan's novel Trash. They use this novel, which focuses on street children living in an unnamed city in the developing world, as a context in which to build their understanding of how to annotate a text and analyse it using point-evidence-explanation paragraphs. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students complete an assessment in class in which they annotate an extract from the text, constructing a series of point-evidence-explanation paragraphs on the development of character in the extract. Assessment Point 1, in January, includes single-mark questions on devices studied for this unit and tests students' knowledge of quotations from the novel. |
| Unit 2 Creative Writing | Students learn to create carefully structured, purposeful writing using a graphic novel as inspiration. Students are introduced to key structural devices and build their vocabulary through the process of drafting and editing a graphic novel of their own. As part of this unit, students develop an understanding of the relationship between words and images as a way of building meaning. Text studied: The Last Woman on Earth by Caroline Hadilaksono. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students are assessed at the end of the unit as they create their own short story in graphic form. |
| Unit 3 | Students learn to read and explore a number of poems from different cultures, each text relating to the concepts of identity and belonging. They develop the skills required to compare given poems, building on knowledge of poetic forms that they gained in Year 7. Texts studied include poems by George the Poet, Carole Satyamurti, Dean Atta, Caleb Femi, Grace Nichols, Choman Hardi, Moniza Alvi and Sujata Bhatt. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students complete a formal written assessment in class at the end of the unit in which they are required to compare two of the poems they have studied. This assessment is in an extended essay format. |
| Unit 4 Shakespeare Study | Students develop an understanding of Shakespearean theatre by reading Much Ado About Nothing. They explore and evaluate how directors have chosen to present key scenes from the play. Students watch a complete adaptation of the work, learning how the play can be performed and how its characters are developed. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: This unit is assessed as part of the second formal assessment. Students write an extended essay in response to a question based on an extract from the play. Since the assessment focuses on characterisation, students are required to comment on how a character developed, beyond the given extract, over the course of the whole play. |
| Unit 5 | Students explore a piece of contemporary drama and develop their understanding of theatrical forms. They discuss key themes and controversial ideas that are explored in the work. The unit concludes with a formal debate on some of the issues raised within the text. Text studied: Noughts and Crosses, a play adapted by Dominic Cooke from Malorie Blackman’s novel about race and segregation. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Speaking and listening skills are assessed at the end of the unit, when students work in small groups to debate the relevance of a key theme from the play in the context of modern society. |
