Year 9

English is about the enjoyment of the English language and its literature, communicated orally, visually and in writing, for a range of purposes. Learning English involves learning the language, learning through language and learning about language. English is structured around two inter-connected strands – receiving information through Listening, Reading and Viewing and creating information through Speaking, Writing and Presenting.

The modules of work will integrate these aspects. In Year 9:

  • Classes will study a wide range of literature, including New Zealand texts.
  • There will be a focus on developing reading skills, with time allocated to sustained silent reading, in the Library.
  • All students will be encouraged to develop regular reading and writing habits and will be required to respond in a variety of ways to their reading.
  • There will be a focus on developing literacy through a set program of grammar and linguistic skills.
  • Language work will be integrated throughout the course, aiming to develop understanding around the use of language techniques and structures, as well as developing interpretation and inference skills.
  • There will be a Debating competition. The best debaters per class will be selected to participate in a round robin tournament. The two best teams from this tournament will compete in the debating final, Week 6 of Term 3.
  • End-of-year class and form level awards will be based on the overall profile of achievement in both formative and summative assessment tasks.


THE UNITS

The teaching units are intended to be of equal length. Each one will have a central text (from Novel, Poetry, Non-fiction, and Film), along with additional texts selected by the teacher to form a rich and diverse programme.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

There is a focus on ensuring all students know and understand key literary terms, along with gaining a better understanding of parts of speech, figurative language techniques, grammatical structures and punctuation. To help with this, students will work through sections of a language textbook.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT AREAS

Throughout the year, students will engage in a number of formative and summative assessments that help gauge their developing skills in English. There are five main areas of summative assessment at Year 9: Debating, Creative Writing, Formal Writing, Literary Essay, Create a Visual Text.

READING & LITERACY

One period per cycle will be devoted to SSR in the Library.

EXAMINATIONS

These will take place in NOVEMBER (Week 6) and will assess the following skills: Close reading, language and grammar skills, and an essay written in response to texts studied in class.


Please see your class’ Google Classroom page for further information


HOMEWORK INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS

The school's policy on homework is stated in the English Department's Scheme and Handbook. In essence the policy states that homework should be set on a REGULAR basis by all classroom teachers. The most important consideration is that homework is not set simply for the sake of it or as "busy work" but as part of a unit of work being studied; as an extension to what has been started in class or to complete work begun in class. The work set will be checked in some way by the teacher.

In English one of the most important skills is READING. One of the most useful homework activities for ALL students is to set time aside on a regular basis for a period of sustained, fully concentrated reading. The range of texts is wide - from the daily newspaper to novels, short stories, non-fiction such as biography and autobiography, poetry, text-books ...etc.

If there is not specific homework set by the English teacher there is an understanding that Year 9 English students will:

        • Go over all notes taken during that day's lesson and then
        • READ for between 20 - 30 minutes at least twice a week