The progressions will be met through a Novel study. The novel study unit invites Year 7 and 8 students to select a novel that aligns with their interests and reading abilities. Students will independently read their chosen book, focusing on two key aspects: Ideas (themes and messages) and language features (literary devices used by the author to create meaning). The unit is designed to develop critical reading and thinking skills by encouraging students to actively engage with both the text’s deeper ideas and its stylistic elements.

This term, we will be focusing on Ideas and Structure.

Year 6 

Language Features 

Describe how different text types or genres have different language features.

Discuss the deliberate use and impact of language features in a text.

Use what has been read to help understand that some words have different meanings depending on the context.

Ideas

Identify and summarize the main ideas in a text by using keywords, topic sentences, key questions, headings, and subheadings.

Think critically about information in a text by making judgments and justifying personal opinions.

Year 7 

Language Features 

Identify and interpret figurative language features.

Use what has been read to help understand the contextual meaning of an increasing range of vocabulary

Ideas

Skim and scan and take brief notes from a text.

Find and synthesize information in a text to make justified inferences.

Connect ideas found in a text to other texts on similar topics.

Year 8

Language Features 

Interpret and explain the meaning of figurative language features, abstract ideas, and connotative language in a text and understand the effect it has on the text.

Use knowledge of context-specific vocabulary to understand a text

Ideas

Gather reliable sources of information and take relevant notes.

Identify/ignore competing or non-important information.

Give a concise summary of a text.

Form and test hypotheses and confirm or refine predictions during and after reading.

Link and explain the explicit and implicit ideas in the text.

Evaluate and synthesise complex layers of meaning to make an inference or judgment.

Analyse several different texts to identify inconsistencies.

Year 9

Language Features 

Apply knowledge of the features of common text types and text forms and how they are used in different contexts

Use a large vocabulary that is connected to own knowledge of the world and includes academic, subject-specific and technical terms.

Use knowledge of morphology to work out word origins and root words.

Ideas

Make, confirm and refine predictions before, during and after reading.

Find specific, explicit information in a text and determine the implicit idea or message.

Use a range of strategies to locate and summarise information and ideas within texts and across a range of texts.

Capture the essence of the ideas in a text and re-state or paraphrase in their own words as summaries, statements, conclusions or generalisations.

Year 10 

Language Features 

Apply knowledge of the features of a wide range of complex text types and text forms and how these text types are used in different subjects and curriculum areas.

Use a large vocabulary that is connected to your own knowledge of the world and includes academic, subject-specific and technical terms.

Ideas

Capture the essence of the ideas in a text and re-state or paraphrase in their own words as summaries, statements, conclusions or generalisations.

Make, confirm and refine predictions before, during and after reading.

Find specific, explicit information in a text and determine the implicit idea or message.

Use a range of strategies to locate and summarise information and ideas within texts and across a range of texts.