GCSE Exam & Specification
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GCSE Exam Board: |
AQA |
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Link to GCSE Specification: |
English Literature: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-literature-8702/specification-at-a-glance English Language: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-language-8700/specification-at-a-glance |
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A-Level Exam Board: |
Edexcel |
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Link to Alevel Specification: |
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/english-literature-2015.html |
Curriculum Intent
Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of our students in our local context and is underpinned by these 4 guiding principles:
- Rich and Powerful Knowledge:
We are clear that English is a knowledge-rich subject. Students are taught a range of powerful knowledge; for Literature, this includes mastery of plots and structures, appreciation of literary and historical contexts, command of analytical language and awareness of language and structure devices; for Language, this encompasses noticing the different uses of language, form and structure for communication and effect, being adept at using a varied and sophisticated vocabulary, having the ability to apply a full range of punctuation confidently, and be creative in the use of different structures at sentence, paragraph and whole text level.
- Objective and Question Driven:
All our Schemes of Learning follow carefully designed objectives and key questions. At KS3, our curriculum is designed to foster an understanding of themes in Literature, such as morality in Year 7, and duality in Year 8. At KS4 and KS5, this understanding is more focused on the demands of our core examination texts, whilst still retaining thematic analysis, such as the moral obligation of class in Year 10 and Year 11. At KS5, the role of literary theory, genre and criticism informs our objectives and questions. In individual lessons, this may ask students to consider key aspects of plot, character or writer’s craft, or for Writing Mastery lessons, the mastery of a particular piece of grammatical knowledge.
- Mastering The Foundations (Literacy and Numeracy):
Our lessons follow a specific process of teaching new vocabulary in depth to ensure students understand and can apply a range of sophisticated words and phrases. Key academic language is taught across Language and Literature units, ensuring that students are held to the highest standards in their written expression, and can feel confident in their independent writing. Oracy is central to supporting Literacy in English; ‘turn and talk’ activities are embedded within our lessons and students are expected to answer in full sentences and using formal language. Students read ambitious texts to ensure that their Literacy is supported by frequent encounters with complex vocabulary, punctuation and text structures.
- Inclusive and Ambitious:
For Reading for Pleasure lessons our students read modern texts that illustrate the concerns of the world around them, often written by younger authors and writers from a range of different backgrounds. Our text choices are also inclusive through our study of ‘Small Island’ at Year 9 and in the extracts we use to teach GCSE English Language, or Unseen Poetry in GCSE English Literature. Inclusivity is also achieved by all students studying the same core texts in English lessons, regardless of attainment level; scaffolding and the use of dual coding enables students to access these texts. Our KS3 texts are ambitious: students study 19th Century texts like ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘Oliver Twist’ in the unabridged original versions, and whilst studying texts like ‘The Tempest’ are taught to approach analysis mindful of different interpretations, for instance postcolonial criticism.
Implementation
Our curriculum implementation is shaped across all phases of the academy by a set of shared principles that underpin pedagogy at AINA.
The following curriculum map outlines the ambitious curriculum your child will experience at AINA.
Reception - English
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Autumn 1 - Me and my world |
Autumn 2 - Supreme superheroes |
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How do I use full sentences when speaking? Where are connectives such as ‘and’ used in full sentences? What is the best way to grip a pencil when forming letters? How do I order events? What is the process for identifying the initial sounds in words? How do I write the initial sounds of words? Where can I add prepositions when retelling a story? What are the most effective ways of performing a story? How do I use guidelines to form letter shapes correctly? How do I form questions to ask regarding a story? |
Which time connectives can I use to link events? How is the third person used when telling a story? What is the difference between the present tense and the past tense? How do I use imperative language when creating instructions? How do I write a list? What is a letter and how is it structured? How can I add ‘because’ and ‘and’ to a letter? How can I order events from a story using time connectives? |
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Spring 1 - Let’s pretend |
Spring 2 - Get growing |
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How is the past tense used when recounting events from a real-life event? How do I identify and write the initial sounds of words? Which adjectives can be used to describe how a character is feeling? Which adjectives can be used to describe colours in a story? How do I write a list? How do I show what a character is saying in a story? |
What is a prediction and how do I make one about a story? How do I sequence a story using images? Which vocabulary is needed when writing a food diary? How can a story be retold in the correct order? What questions can I write about a story? How do I plan a set of instructions? How can I use imperative language to write a set of instructions? |
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Summer 1 - Exciting expeditions |
Summer 2 - Amazing animals |
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TBC - subject to changes in curriculum |
TBC - subject to changes in curriculum |
Year 1 - English
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Autumn 1 - Into the woods |
Autumn 2 - Mind the gap |
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What is a biography? How can the first person and past tense be used to write an autobiography? How can information be added to a biography using who/which clauses? What are the 5 senses and how can they be used to describe a setting? What is an adjective and which adjectives are best placed to describe a setting? How can adverbs be used to describe a character and their behaviour? What is an expanded noun phrase and how can they be used in character descriptions? How are commas used to separate items in a list? How do prepositions show where something is placed? |
How can repetition be added to poetry for effect? What is an adjective and how can they be added to describe? How is the first person and past tense used in recounts? What is a time conjunction and how does it link two ideas together? How are similes constructed? Which imperative verbs can be used to create instructions? What is a time adverbial and how can they be used as sentence openers? How do I chunk information into sections to put into information texts?
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Spring 1 - The magic toymaker |
Spring 2 - From A to B |
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What is the language most likely to be found in traditional tales? How can a story problem be introduced in narrative writing? Which methods can be used to show the resolution of a story problem? How are time conjunctions used to link ideas in informal letter writing? How are contracted words formed and how are they used in informal letter writing? What is a pronoun and how are they used to avoid repetition in character descriptions? What is an expanded noun phrase? How can clauses be joined together using subordinating and coordinating conjunctions? |
How can adverbs be used to describe the feelings and appearance of characters? How are commas used to separate items in a list? What is a simile and how can similes be added to poetry? What is onomatopoeia and how can it be added to poetry? What is the difference between the simple past and the past perfect tense? How do I construct a ‘who’ or ‘which’ clause? What is the difference between informal and formal letter writing? How can I ‘show not tell’ when creating a setting or character description? |
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Summer 1 - Out of Africa |
Summer 2 - Seen and not heard |
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What is the language most likely to be found in traditional tales? How can a story introduction be written using a range of adverbial openers? How does subordination help move the action on when story writing? How are time connectives used to order and sequence events in instructional texts? Which examples of imperative language are most suitable for instructional texts? How can links between paragraphs be made using time adverbials?
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Why is it important to include a clear topic summary sentence at the start of a section in non-fiction texts? Which connectives can be used to link information in non-fiction texts? How can dialogue be manipulated to show characters’ emotions? Which punctuation do I need to use when writing dialogue? How is the first person and past tense used in diary writing? How can adjectives and similes be used to add clarity or precision to a description? What is an expanded noun phrase and how are expanded noun phrases constructed? |
Year 2 - English
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Autumn 1 - Superhumans |
Autumn 2 - Are you sitting comfortably? |
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How can adjectives be used in a story to describe settings and characters? What is a preposition and how are prepositions useful when creating setting descriptions? Which connectives can be used to link ideas together in non-fiction texts? What is an expanded noun phrase and how are they constructed? How is the ‘show not tell’ approach used when describing a character? What is the ‘rule of 3’ and why is it effective when describing a character? What is a time connective and how is it used in persuasive writing? What is a superlative? How are command sentences created using imperative language when constructing instructions? Which features can be used to make a non-fiction text engaging for readers? |
What language is typically used in traditional tales? What is a time adverbial and what effect do they have in narrative writing? How can a story problem be introduced? What is a fact file and which features are included within fact files? How can repetition impact poetry? What are the conventions of playscript writing? What is the difference between a statement, command, question and exclamatory sentence?
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Spring 1 - Young entrepreneurs |
Spring 2 - Time travellers |
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What is the difference between a simile and metaphor and how can both be used in poetry? How is imagery created using adjectives to depict colours in poetry? What effect is created by using a combination of longer and shorter lines in poetry? How is a biography planned and organised? How can time connectives be used in biographies to sequence and link sentences? How can the ‘rule of 3’ be used to build a picture within a setting description? Which superlatives are best placed in persuasive writing? How is the present tense and first/second person used for effect in persuasive writing?
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How is language adapted to suit informal letter writing? How can time conjunctions be used to link ideas in a letter? Which sentence openers can be used to add variety to writing? How is the ‘back story’ of a character created through description? What is an expanded noun phrase and how are they used in character description?
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Summer 1 - Roots, shoots, animals and fruits |
Summer 2 - Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside! |
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TBC subject to changes in curriculum |
TBC subject to changes in curriculum |
Year 3 - English
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Autumn 1 - Did dinosaurs exist? |
Autumn 2 - Who were the first people on earth? |
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What are the five parts of a story and how are they connected through conjunctions and adverbial openers? What are the different methods for describing how a character feels about a problem? How can rhyme and repetition be used for effect within poetry? What is onomatopoeia and how is it used most effectively in poetry? What are the conventions of playscript writing (e.g. colons to separate character name from speech; parentheses for stage directions and third person for stage directions). How is the present tense, third person and formality used for non-fiction information text writing? |
How can small details about character actions be used alongside superlatives and comparatives to depict a fictional character? How do synonyms for ‘said’ convey further details about a fictional character? Where can relative clauses be added to sentences to add details about a character? How are options added to instructions through subordination? How can advice be added to instructions while maintaining formality? What are the strategies for moving a character to where action is taking place in narrative writing? How can adjectival phrases be used to depict how a character is feeling? How are short sentences used for impact and action in narrative writing?
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of friendship and curiosity explored within ‘The Secret Dinosaur’? |
How are the themes of companionship and connection explored within ‘Stig of the Dump’? |
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Spring 1 - Who were the Romans? |
Spring 2 - How do forces help us? |
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What is the difference between the punctuation required for statements, commands, exclamations and questions? How can technical language be incorporated into non-fiction information texts? How is atmosphere generated and manipulated through adverbial openers and conjunctions linking paragraphs in narrative writing? How are ‘what, when, where, why, who’ questions answered in the opening paragraph of newspaper articles? What is the difference between direct and reported speech and how are both incorporated within newspaper article writing? |
What are the different ways of starting sentences (e.g. fronted adverbials and fronted subordinate clauses)? How are conjunctions used to link events across paragraphs? What is the most effective way of planning a short story? How can informal language be used to engage a reader of persuasive text? How is information combined through use of relative clauses? How can repetition be used for persuasive effect?
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of power and influence explored within ‘Max and the Millions’? |
How are the themes of loneliness and modernisation explored within ‘Iron Man’? |
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Summer 1 - Who were the Anglo Saxons? |
Summer 2 - How does my body move? |
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How can repetition and rhyme be used to emphasise certain parts of poems? What is the difference between similes and metaphors and how can both be used in poetry? How are time conjunctions used to signpost the reader in informal letter writing? What is the simple past tense and how is it constructed? What are the different types of fronted adverbial (e.g. time, place, manner, frequency)?
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How is reported speech written and why is it useful for inclusion in diary entry writing? How is the first person and past tense used in diary entry writing? Which writing conventions and features can be used to engage a reader when writing for non-fiction purposes? How is the third person and present tense used to convey information in information texts? |
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of courage and fear explored within ‘Beowulf’? |
How are the themes of pushing limits and perseverance explored within ‘The Fastest Boy in the World’? |
Year 4 - English
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Autumn 1 - What happened in 1066? |
Autumn 2 - Can you hear me? |
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How are features such as titles and subheadings manipulated to engage the reader of information texts? What are comparatives and superlatives and how are they used in character descriptions? How are paragraphs linked through use of time conjunctions and summary sentences?
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What is subordination and how can it be used at the start of a sentence to describe how a character is feeling? How can tension and suspense be added to writing through sound effects and short, dramatic phrasing? What is the correct way of punctuating speech within dialogue? What are the stages of a 5-part story and which literary strategies can be used to link the parts within narrative writing?
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of bravery and friendship explored within ‘How to Train Your Dragon’? |
How are the themes of adventure and fear explored within ‘Varjak Paw’? |
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Spring 1 - What are the origins of chocolate? |
Spring 2 - How useful is electricity? |
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How can parallel and prior steps be used to add specificity to instructions? What different sentence starters could be used when writing an informal letter? What are time adverbials and why are they useful to organise information in an informal letter? What are contractions are where might they feature in informal letter writing? How are rhetorical questions used for persuasive effect in advertisements? Where might relative clauses be used to add extra information about the noun in advertisements?
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How are conjunctions used for cause and effect and to emphasise when writing non-fiction texts? What are the different methods available for starting the opening of a narrative? How can suspense and tension be generated in narrative writing through: dramatic conjunctions, sound effects, ‘empty’ words and ‘fear of the unknown’? What is the difference between similes and metaphors and how can both be deployed to create imagery in poetry? |
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of temptation and trust explored within ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’? |
How are the themes of innovation and creativity explored within ‘The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind’? |
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Summer 1 - Who were the Tudors? |
Summer 2 - How do I keep healthy? |
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How is dialogue embedded and used to move the action on in narrative short story writing? What are the conventions of playscript writing (e.g. colons after character name; stage directions in brackets). How are the key ‘who, what, when, where, why’ questions answered in the opening paragraph of a newspaper article? What is the difference between direct and reported speech and how can both be used for effect in newspaper article writing? What is a relative clause and how does it add information about nouns?
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Which conjunctions are used for cause and effect sentences? How is technical vocabulary embedded and explained in non-fiction information texts? Why is it important to use the third person and a formal writing style for non-fiction information texts? How can a switch between tenses be used for effect in diary entry writing? What is the subjunctive mood and how might it be included in diaries to express a wish or desire?
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of friendship and ancestry explored within ‘My Friend Walter’? |
How are the themes of magic and curiosity explored within ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’? |
Year 5 - English
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Autumn 1 - What happened in 1066? |
Autumn 2 - Can you hear me? |
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How do adverbials support a reader’s understanding of instructions? What is the conditional tense and how can it be included in formal letter writing? How do alliteration, onomatopoeia, simile and metaphor bring a setting to life? How can emotive language be used to show a reaction to a setting? What is the difference between a coordinating and subordinating conjunction and how can both be include within short story narratives? |
How are provisional statements such as ‘Some people believe that…’ used within biographical writing? How can similes be used to illustrate technical points in non-fiction writing? What strategies can be used to explore ‘for’ and ‘against’ opinions in persuasive writing? How can sophisticated adverbial openers (e.g. ‘A few moments later,…’) be used to move the action on in the resolution and ending of a story. |
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of discovery and courage explored within Secrets of a Sun King? |
How are the themes of belonging and difference explored in ‘Tin’? |
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Spring 1 - What are the origins of chocolate? |
Spring 2 - How useful is electricity? |
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What is the passive voice and how is it used for effect in newspaper articles? How is the atmosphere of a setting manipulated through short sentences; fear of the unknown and use of the 5 senses? How is the internal voice and rhetorical question used to enhance character descriptions in narrative writing? How is imagery in poetry created through personification? What are the strategies for incorporating emotive language and exaggeration into persuasive writing? |
How are semi-colons used to separate independent clauses when writing for non-fiction purposes? How can ‘show not tell’ strategies be used in character descriptionsi.e. by suggesting a character’s personality trait through their actions? How is reported speech and past tense used when writing diary entries to recount an event? |
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of exploration and testing boundaries explored in ‘George’s Secret Key to the Universe’? |
How are the themes of deception and good versus evil explored in ‘Pegasus’? |
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Summer 1 - Who were the Tudors? |
Summer 2 - How do I keep healthy? |
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Why is it important to reference credible sources when writing newspaper articles? How are modal verbs often used to express possibility and speculation when writing for persuasive purposes? How can sentence length be manipulated for meaning and effect in poetry? Which precise conjunctions can be used to link ideas together in formal letter writing? |
How are similes and metaphors used to add imagery in poetry? How can extreme adjectives and superlatives be used to add hyperbole to persuasive texts? How can short sentences be used to add pace and for dramatic impact in narrative writing? Why is it useful to switch between the simple past and past perfect tense when writing a diary entry recount? |
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of magic and belief explored in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’? |
How are the themes of discovery and adventure explored in ‘Journey to the River Sea’? |
Year 6 - English
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Autumn 1 - |
Autumn 2 - |
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How can the subjunctive mood be used to express a wish? How can adverbials be used to add cohesion to a recount? Which organisational and presentational devices are used in playscripts? How does Shakespeare use literary features such as figurative language to convey meaning? How is suspense created through the integration of dialogue? Which verb forms can be selected and manipulated to increase suspense? |
What is parenthesis and how can it be used in informal writing? What are the different clause structures and how can their positioning be varied in sentences? What is the passive voice and how is it used in persuasive writing? What is the purpose of a paragraph and how is cohesion between paragraphs created? How is vocabulary chosen for impact within poetry? How can figurative language support imagery generation in poetry? |
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of Bravery and Courage explored within The Wizard of Oz? |
How are the themes of belonging and loneliness explored in ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’? |
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Spring 1 - |
Spring 2 - |
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What are the organisational features of information texts? How can semi-colons, colons and dashes be used to emphasise or add meaning to non-fiction writing? What are the literary features of formal writing? How are commas used for clarity in multi-clause sentences? What is the passive voice and how can it be used in essay writing? What are modal verbs and how are they used in essay writing? How can you ‘show not tell’ when writing descriptively? |
Which literary features might you expect to find in an instructional text? How are devices such as fronted subordinate clauses used to add cohesion to instructional writing? How can commas for clarity and punctuation for parenthesis be used to add clarity to instructional writing? What is the passive voice and how is it used for effect in newspaper article writing? How are shifts in formality generated in newspaper articles? What are the strategies for embedding speech into newspaper articles? Why is it important to plan a narrative sequence? What strategies can we use to create atmosphere and convey characterisation in a 5-part story? |
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of responsibility and fear explored in ‘Skellig’? |
How are the themes of exploration and discovery explored in ‘River Boy’? |
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Summer 1 - |
Summer 2 - |
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How should note form be used to support research? What are the presentational features of a non-chronological text? How can semi-colons, colons and dashes be used to add clarity to writing? How can descriptive and figurative language be used to impact the readers’ understanding of poetry? How can rhythm and rhyme be incorporated into poetry? What are the literary features of a formal letter? Which persuasive techniques can be used in formal letter writing? |
How is the conditional voice used when writing biographies? What are modal verbs and how are they used in formal letter writing designed to persuade? What are the different types of complex sentence structures (e.g. relative clauses and subordinate clauses) and how can they be used in formal letter writing? How is the ‘show not tell’ strategy deployed in setting description writing? |
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English Reading |
English Reading |
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How are the themes of tragedy and bravery explored in ‘Running Wild’? |
How are the themes of evolution and change explored in ‘Where the World Turns Wild’? |
Year 7 - English
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
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Oliver Twist |
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What was life like for the poor in Victorian England? How does Oliver Twist find the workhouse and the experience of being poor? |
How were criminals treated in Victorian England? How are Bill Sikes and Fagin a “typical” Victorian criminal? |
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Writing Mastery 2 – The Past Simple Tense |
Writing Mastery 2 pronouns and sentences in clauses |
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What is a subject in a sentence? What is a clause in a sentence? What do we mean by the past simple tense? |
What is a pronoun and what does it replace? Where do commas go in clauses in the past tense? |
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Creative Writing the Foundations of Short Stories |
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What do we mean by the structure of a story (beginning, middle and end)? What are the four key elements of a story (place, time, character and action)? |
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Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
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Who was Shakespeare and what was the experience of watching one of his plays? What is unrequited love and how does the love potion create this in the play? |
What is the significance of the pastoral setting? Why did Shakespeare set the play in Athens? How does the play fit the genre of comedy? |
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Writing Mastery 2 Pronouns |
Writing Mastery 2 Pronouns |
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When do we use pronouns/names in sentences? |
What is inference? How can we support our inferences? |
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Creative Writing Creating coherence in short stories |
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How do we create effective challenge and struggle in our stories? How do we create coherence by using set-ups and pay-offs? |
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Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
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Poetry |
Ancient Tales |
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What is Romantic Poetry? Who were William Blake and Alfred, Lord Tennyson? What is a metaphor? What are tenor, vehicle and ground, and how do they form part of a metaphor? |
What can Ancient Tales teach us? What is meant by the oral tradition and oral culture? |
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Writing Mastery 2 When/where it happened |
Writing Mastery 2 fragments |
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How do we identify when/where things happened in a sentence? How do we accurately use commas to punctuate when/where it happened? |
What are the 3 main parts of a sentence? How do we identify the 3 main parts? How do we correct fragments? |
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Creative Writing - Writing a full story |
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What does an effective short story look like? How can I apply a coherent structure to my short story? |
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Year 8 - English
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes |
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Who was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and what happened in his life? What were the origins of the Metropolitan Police? Where was Bohemia and what was it like? How does Conan Doyle create complex characters with dual natures? |
How are periodicals, maps, information sheets and authors’ introductions significant text types? How are themes of crime and justice, science and deduction, social status and morals and morality addressed in the stories? |
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Writing Mastery 3 Independent and Subordinate clauses |
Writing Mastery 3 Temporal Clauses and Prepositional phrases |
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What are independent and subordinate clauses? How do we accurately punctuate independent and subordinate clauses? |
What are the different types of subordinate clauses? Can we identify and write temporal clauses and prepositional phrases? |
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Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
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The Tempest |
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What was the Jacobean Era? What is a tragicomedy? How does the theme of colonisation appear in the play? How was Italy divided and organised? What did Elizabethans believe about how monarchs were appointed? How does Shakespeare introduce the nature v nurture debate in the play? |
What are the conventions of comedies, tragedies and tragicomedies? How are ideas about monarchy and treason introduced in the play? |
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Writing Mastery 3 Comma Splices |
Writing Mastery 3 Problem Solved stories |
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What is a comma splice? Can we identify and correct comma splices? |
What is the structure of a problem solved story? What are the elements of different genres of problem solved stories? |
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Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
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Animal Farm |
Descriptive Writing & Poetry |
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Who was George Orwell and why is his background significant? What were Orwell’s political beliefs? How did contemporary events influence ‘Animal Farm’? How are ideas about corruption, tyranny, education and propaganda addressed in the novella? |
How can tenor, vehicle and ground be used effectively in descriptive writing? What is a narrative poem? How can myths and morals be used within poetry? How can allegories be written within poetry? |
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Writing Mastery 3 Effectively planning stories |
Writing Mastery 3 Comeuppance and poetic justice |
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What is ‘deus ex machina’? How can we plan our stories to avoid this plot device? What is ‘Chekhov’s Gun’? |
What is comeuppance and poetic justice? How can we plan our stories using comeuppance and poetic justice to create satisfying narratives? |
Year 9 - English
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
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Jane Eyre |
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Who was Charlotte Brontë and why is her family background important? What is a ‘tabula rasa’ and how does it influence the story? How do biblical ideas influence the story? How were children seen in Victorian society? How are ideas about childhood and social class presented in the novel? |
How can The Bible, nineteenth century short stories, charity pamphlets and advice books inform our understanding of the text? What is colonialism and how does it form a subtext to the story? How are ideas about gender presented in the novel? |
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Writing Mastery 3 Independent and Subordinate clauses |
Writing Mastery 3 Temporal Clauses and Prepositional phrases |
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What are independent and subordinate clauses? How do we accurately punctuate independent and subordinate clauses? |
What are the different types of subordinate clauses? Can we identify and write temporal clauses and prepositional phrases? |
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Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
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Small Island |
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Who was Andrea Levy and why was her background important? Who are ‘The Windrush Generation’ and what challenges did they face? What was life like in Jamaica in the 1920s? How are social inequalities addressed in the play? |
What is epic theatre? What is Brechtian theatre? How can Aristotle’s ‘Poetics’ be applied to the play?
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Writing Mastery 3 Comma Splices |
Writing Mastery 3 Problem Solved stories |
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What is a comma splice? Can we identify and correct comma splices? |
What is the structure of a problem solved story? What are the elements of different genres of problem solved stories? |
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Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
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Poetry |
Reading for Study |
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How can personal context influence a poet’s work? What is modernism in poetry? What is a taboo? How are ideas about journeys, decisions, belonging and rebellion addressed across the poems? |
How can we use/identify defining and non-defining relative clauses? How can we use what has/had/will happen to structure our writing?
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Writing Mastery 3 Effectively planning stories |
Writing Mastery 3 Comeuppance and poetic justice |
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What is ‘deus ex machina’? How can we plan our stories to avoid this plot device? What is ‘Chekhov’s Gun’? How can we plan our writing to ensure that every element counts? |
What is comeuppance and poetic justice? How can we plan our stories using comeuppance and poetic justice to create satisfying narratives? |
Year 10 - English
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
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An Inspector Calls |
Language Paper Two |
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Who was J.B. Priestley and what were his political views? What was life like in Britain before WW1 and after WW2? What is Priestley’s message about social responsibility?
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What are the features of 19th Century texts? What does it mean to summarise the differences between two texts? What does it mean to compare writers’ attitudes? How do genre, audience and purpose affect the way a text is written? What is the appropriate tone and register for a piece of non-fiction writing? How can rhetorical techniques like direct address, repetition and emotive language make transactional writing more effective? |
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Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
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Macbeth |
Language Paper One |
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How does the context of the Jacobean era and The Gunpowder Plot affect the play? What did Jacobeans believe about witches and kingship? How are prose and metre used for different characters? What were some of the stereotypes about gender in Jacobean England? How does Shakespeare address masculinity, ambition and power in the play? |
What are the features of fiction texts? What does it mean to evaluate? What is the appropriate tone and register for a piece of creative writing? What does it mean to analyse language at sound, word, sentence, paragraph and whole text level? Why does it matter if a text shifts its focus from one paragraph to the next? How are different narrative voices and changes in time and perspective structurally significant? |
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Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
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Power and Conflict Poetry (Nature, man, society) |
Power and Conflict Poetry (Conflict, individual, memory) and Unseen Poetry and Spoken Language Endorsement |
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How are different ideas about power and conflict expressed in the poems? How are themes of gender, nature, man, society and memory referenced in the poems? What different contexts are there for the poems? |
What does an effective speaking presentation look and sound like? How can you approach a question on Unseen Poetry? How is authorial intent significant in each of the Power & Conflict poems? |
Year 11 - English
N.B. Year 11 2022-23 will study An Inspector Calls and Unseen Poetry in terms 1 & 2, rather than A Christmas Carol. Year 11 2023-24 will study Macbeth rather than Romeo and Juliet.
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
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A Christmas Carol |
A Christmas Carol |
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How were the poor treated and viewed in Victorian society? How does Dickens present Scrooge as an allegory for the rich middle and upper classes? What does Dickens show about Christmas spirit and its importance? |
How do the Cratchit family and Tiny Tim represent Dickens’ ideas about family and childhood? What is the importance of Christian values in A Christmas Carol? How and why does Scrooge change in the novella (and what does this represent in terms of Dickens’ messages to society)? |
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Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
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Recover Language Paper Two and An Inspector Calls |
Recover Language Paper One and Romeo and Juliet |
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What does it mean to synthesise? What are the perspectives of the writers in the given texts and how do they compare? What are Priestley’s messages about inequality in 1930s society? How does Priestley view the middle and upper classes and how do the Birlings represent these views? |
What are the key structural features of a text? What do we mean by narrative features such as flashback, cyclical structure, clue/reveal structure? What are Shakespeare’s ideas about honour and reputation in Elizabethan society? What is the importance of Friar Lawrence, the Nurse and the Prince in Romeo and Juliet? |
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Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
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Recover Power and Conflict Poetry and Unseen Poetry |
Exams |
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What are the key features to look for to analyse in a poem (AMFLSR)? What do we mean by oppression and where do we see it in poems from the anthology? What do we mean by vulnerability and where do we see it in poems from the anthology? |
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Year 12 - English
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
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Othello and The Handmaid’s Tale |
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What are the classical conventions of tragedy? What were the contexts of England, Venice and The Ottoman Empire in the 16th Century? How does the play challenge and affirm stereotypes about race, gender and class in the 16th Century? |
How can literary criticism be applied? What is the significance of structural devices like prose, verse and stichomythia? How can different lenses, e.g. Marxist, be applied? How is Othello a play that different societies respond in different ways to? |
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The Handmaid’s Tale (context, genre and narrative)
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The Handmaid’s Tale (society and the individual, writers’ methods) |
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How does THT respond to concerns about nuclear power and the rise of the New Right in the 1970s/80s? How does the history of oppressive regimes (e.g. Nazi Germany, Maoist China) inform the dystopian world of Gilead? How does Atwood use narrative devices to explore ideas about power and control? |
How does THT explore ideas about the individual and their response to society? How does Atwood use language and structural methods to convey her ideas? |
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Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
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A Streetcar Named Desire and Frankenstein |
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How does the play comment on the conflict between ‘Old’ and ‘New’ America? Who was Tennessee Williams and why is his personal life significant? How can stagecraft, e.g. expressionist theatre affect the meaning of a play? |
How does the play challenge and affirm stereotypes about race, gender and class in post-war America? How and why does Williams make cultural references in the play? How does the play deal with human fragility? |
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Frankenstein (context, genre and narrative, starting to compare) |
Frankenstein (society and the individual, writers’ methods, comparison) |
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How was Shelley influenced by Age of Enlightenment thinking, Romanticism and Byron and Percy Shelley in ‘Frankenstein’? How does the Gothic genre provide an effective vehicle for Shelley to convey her ideas? How does Shelley use narrative devices to explore ideas about power and control? What are the similarities and differences between Atwood and Shelley’s core ideas and use of narrative devices?
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How does F explore ideas about the individual and their response to society? How does Shelley use language and structural methods to convey her ideas? What are the broad similarities and smaller differences between Atwood and Shelley’s ideas about the individual in society? |
Year 13 - English
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
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Romantic Poetry (Context and Blake) and Contemporary Poetry |
Romantic Poetry (Wordsworth and Byron) and Contemporary Poetry |
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How was the Romantic movement a response to the philosophical, political and social unrest of the late 18th and early 19th Century? How does Blake present ideas about oppression, innocence and freedom in his poetry? |
What is the significance of nature in Wordsworth’s poetry? How are Byron’s poems a rebellion against the establishment? |
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Contemporary poetry |
Contemporary poetry |
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What ideas have influenced poetry in the last twenty years? How do modern poets express ideas about anxiety and one’s place in the world? How can modern poems echo earlier poetic forms and examples? |
What are the key themes and arguments of the anthology poems? |
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Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
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Romantic Poetry (Shelley and Keats) Contemporary Poetry |
Recover Frankenstein/The Handmaid’s Tale/Othello/Streetcar |
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How was Shelley a progressive poet? How do we see ideas of transience and transcendence in Keats’ poetry?
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How do both writers use language and narrative method to convey their ideas? What is the importance of identity and the individual in both texts? What could Shakespeare’s messages be about race, class, gender and identity in a changing 16th Century England? What could Williams’ overall message be about the pace of change in America after WW2? |
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Contemporary poetry |
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What are typical contemporary poetic forms and metres that could appear in the unseen comparison? How does the modern context of language and communication affect poetry? |
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Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
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Recover Frankenstein/The Handmaid’s Tale/Contemporary Poetry |
Exams |
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What is the influence of the Promethean myth and scientific rationalism on Shelley’s ideas about birth, creation and death? What is the influence of feminism and religious fundamentalism in the 1970s and 1980s on Atwood’s ideas about birth, creation and death? How do the Contemporary Poems offer insights into different experiences of modernity? |
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Support from Home
Recommended websites/online platforms for home/independent learning:
We recommend BBC Bitesize as a trusted source of revision material to support our learning in the classroom. Published revision guides are also useful. We have experienced some issues with students accessing misleading information about English through some popular online social media platforms, so we encourage students to use their learning from AINA as the best way to support their learning at home. English teachers are always happy to provide guidance about additional support and resources.
Feedback
Our aim is to ensure feedback helps drive student achievement by providing meaningful information that helps to address misconceptions and close curriculum and knowledge gaps.
Every piece of feedback given to our students should results in an action by the student. The following types of feedback that are given to students at AINA are:
- Self and peer assessment
- Written feedback
- Verbal feedback
Students receive written teacher feedback after formative diagnostic or interim assessments. The cycle is as follows:
- A score/percentage for the assessment
- Precise teacher comment/s linked to the curriculum/knowledge gap written in red
- A response/action/redo by the student in green pen
Career Pathways
Success in this subject can lead to:
University courses in:
- English Language
- English Literature
- Law
- History
- Creative Writing
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Any Arts or Humanities subject
Careers in:
- Journalism
- The media
- Creative writing
- Law
- Any career requiring strong written creativity or high levels of aptitude in communication
Enrichment and Educational Visits
Enrichment and educational visits in this subject include:
- The Globe Theatre
- The Speakers’ Trust ‘Speak Out’ competition
- Author visits
- World Book Day
- Spelling Bee
- Visits to historical sites of literary interest