Year 9 is an exciting year in which pupils build on their knowledge base to face more challenging texts. Students, at this stage of their academic career, are encouraged and supported to work more independently. All work is in line with the new GCSE Examinations in English Language and Literature; the Summer Examination introduces them to the format of these examinations.
Students study novels, plays and non-fiction texts from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first century. They are also introduced to the GCSE poetry anthology. At times, students watch film versions of texts to compare and trigger discussions of alternative interpretations. Pupils should bring a personal reading book to English lessons, as we usually begin with 5-10 minutes of silent reading. This can, of course, be a library book. They also need to bring a pocket thesaurus/dictionary.
Explore key themes, such as racism sexism and ageism
Focus on close textual analysis, commenting on the writer’s choice of language and structure
Develop an understanding of the influence of social, political and cultural context
Start developing more subtle interpretations of the text
Explore a range of non-fiction texts
Focus on the key techniques used in transactional writing
Develop an understanding of how writers build up a relationship with the reader
Understand how writers create a ‘voice’
study a selection short stories
Explore the Gothic genre
Focus on Language and structure
Continue to improve their writing style
Develop an understanding of the impact of structure at both sentence level and above
Improve punctuation, spelling and grammar
Expand their vocabulary
Students embark on their study of GCSE poetry, focusing on the following:
The theme of power and conflict
Language, structure and form
Develop an understanding of how writers’ attitudes and beliefs influence the reader
Students are encouraged to:
read independently
select and read quality texts throughout the year
become active readers, with an understanding of how writers influence the readers
If you have any queries about this curriculum, please contact: Mrs Sarah Scanlon, Head of English, on ss@farlingtonschool.com