S1

The S1 curriculum covers reading, writing, listening and talk. Pupils start with an ‘Introduction to Poetry ‘, celebrate and enter competitions for National Poetry day, write critical essays on class texts throughout the term as well as deliver a class talk. Students end the year with the Gothic Horror unit, exploring elements of the genre and writing their own creative stories.

Student work is graded throughout the year and students are given feedback on what their level is and information on how to achieve the next level.

Students follow a separate curriculum for literacy which examines punctuation and grammar and take part in an IDL project with the Art Department. This will encourage their use of describing art effectively and will focus on work from the Spanish Civil War.

Students also have one reading period a week. They visit the library, take part in quiet reading and are given book talks and recommendations by our librarian, Mrs Toonen.

 Class Reading Lists

Ghost – Jason Reynolds

Demon Headmaster – Gillian Cross

Alone on a Wide Wide Sea – Michael Morpurgo

Private Peaceful – Michael Morpurgo

A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – William Shakespeare

Homework

Students are given various homework tasks throughout the year and may be given work to complete at home. There is an expectation that students should read every night before bed and complete and return their library books fortnightly. We encourage students to read a variety of writing e.g. newspaper articles, magazines, novels, non-fiction and biographies