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English Year 8

Unit 1. Themed non-fiction anthology – The Island
Pupils will write about life whilst ship wrecked on a desert island. Writing activities will primarily focus on non-fiction text types. Pupils will write a newspaper article.
Assessment Task: Newspaper article

Unit 2. Speaking and Listening
Pupils will debate ‘lifeboat choices’ and present a press conference.
Assessment Task: Evaluate their speaking and Listening

Unit 3. Detective Stories
Pupils will look carefully at plot and character, exploring the relationship between the writer’s intentions and the reader.
Assessment Task: Write the opening to a detective story.

Unit 4. Shakespeare taster
Pupils will look at a range of Shakespeare extracts, focusing upon language and style.
Assessment Task: Pupils will write a monologue, perform and evaluate it.

Unit 5. Legends and Myths/ Chaucer
Pupils will study a number of the Canterbury Tales and discuss their meanings and impact.
Assessment Task: Create their own character and write its tale.

Unit 6. Advertising
Pupils will look at persuasion in advertising, focusing on language, layout and presentation.
Assessment Task: Present an advertisement for a product to the rest of the class.

Unit 7. Communication
Pupils will explore a range of topical non-fiction texts developing their reading skills.
Assessment Task: Identify the main points in non-fiction articles and write a letter to a newspaper.

Unit 8. Short stories: Another Time Another Place
Pupils will read a collection of short stories from different cultures, and times.
Assessment Task: Pupils will research another culture and present their findings to the class.

Unit 9. Drama unit
Pupils will look at a variety of script types focusing on purpose, form and effect of the audience.
Assessment Task: Drama-focused group activity improving a scene from a television drama.

On-going tasks throughout the course of the year:
- Class novel - pupils will read a novel throughout the year chosen by their teacher, completing tasks looking at the author’s craft.
- Independent reading pupils will read a range of fiction and non-fiction texts of their own choice. Titles of completed books are recorded in English books. Assessment Task: Deliver a talk on a novel they have read, focusing on two aspects of the text. Write an evaluation of their own and other people’s performances.

Examination:
• Formal examination takes place at the end of the year, to assess reading and writing.