ENGLISH LESSONS

Our curriculum is based upon challenging, canonical texts. Students study classic works of literature, allowing them to broaden their background knowledge and take part in the conversation of humanity. All of our units contain a wealth of non-fiction and short stories and reading is at the core of what we do. Across 5 years, students are explicitly taught vocabulary as well as specific sentence constructions in order to raise the sophistication and clarity of their writing.

FAMILY GROUP READING

Every week, students in years 7-10 read together for one family group session, helping them to build their background knowledge and introducing them to texts that they probably wouldn’t read on their own.

 

KS3 READING HOME LEARNING

Students in years7, 8 and 9 are set weekly reading home learning on www.commonlit.org You can ask your child to show you their account and check if they are completing their reading and meeting deadlines. Years 7 and 8 reading home learning is set and checked every Tuesday , Year 9 home learning is set and checked every Friday.

READING SUPPORT AND INTERVENTION

When students begin at Trinity, they are tested to see if they are behind with their reading. Students who are behind are given highly effective reading support classes that rapidly get them up to age related expectations.

WHAT CAN YOU DO AT HOME?

Students who read for pleasure regularly are more likely to succeed at school and you can help them to develop a regular reading habit. People who read a lot tend to have better vocabulary, broader general knowledge and a more comprehensive understanding of the world.

1. Show you child that you are a reader : Students that have adult readers in the lives are more likely to develop a habit of reading themselves

2. Talk to your child about books 

• Ask them about what they are reading
• Ask them if they have been to the library at school. Students can borrow books from here for free and there is a wide selection of titles!

3. Daily reading time

• Students should read a book they have chosen for half an hour each day
• Choose a time slot that works best and stick to it: Evening? Morning?
• Incorporate this into their home learning schedule
• You could use a reward chart to motivate students to keep up with their reading

In year 7, students study the basics of ‘The Big Three’, often working at a sentence level to hone the components of each genre. When writing analytically, the focus here is on character. When writing rhetorically, they practice specific techniques and write mini speeches. With creative writing, they practice phrases, building upon the KS2 grammar curriculum, writing short pieces of description and emulating model texts. Year 7 texts have been chosen to provide a foundation for later years. In year 8, students begin to write about theme and also begin comparing texts. Units then become term long and interleave ‘The Big Three’. In year 9, students begin unseen analysis and learn how to write analytical introductions. This is the point that most students will begin to write full essays competently.

KS3 as a whole is sequenced so that almost all students will begin KS4 with the required writing skills so that KS4 can concentrate on GCSE content and practice. Students initially learn, practice and combine the components of extended writing, slowly building up to writing extended pieces.

 

All students are entered for both English Language GCSE and English Literature GCSE.

English Language GCSE

Students will draw upon a range of texts as reading stimulus and engage with creative as well as real and relevant contexts. Students will have opportunities to develop higher-order reading and critical thinking skills that encourage genuine enquiry into different topics and themes.

Students will:

• read a wide range of texts, fluently and with good understanding
• read critically, and use knowledge gained from wide reading to inform and improve their own writing
• write effectively and coherently using Standard English appropriately
• use grammar correctly, punctuate and spell accurately
• acquire and apply a wide vocabulary, alongside a knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology, and linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.
• listen to and understand spoken language, and use spoken Standard English effectively.

In this qualification, students sit two written examinations, both requiring them to respond to unseen texts and write extended pieces. Students’ spoken language is also assessed, although this does not contribute to their final GCSE grade. Here is a detailed breakdown of the qualification:

English Literature GCSE

In this qualification, students sit two written examinations. Except for an unseen poetry question in paper 2, all of the texts that are assessed will have been taught and prepared in class beforehand. At Trinity, we have chosen the following set texts as we believe they give students the best chance of success at English Literature GCSE:

Paper 1: Shakespeare and 19^th Century Novel

1. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
2. Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Paper 2: Modern Texts and Poetry

1. An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
2. Power and Conflict Poetry Cluster

In studying these set texts, students will have the opportunity to develop the following skills:

Reading comprehension and reading critically

• literal and inferential comprehension: understanding a word, phrase or sentence in context; exploring aspects of plot, characterisation, events and settings; distinguishing between what is stated explicitly and what is implied; explaining motivation, sequence of events, and the relationship between actions or events
• critical reading: identifying the theme and distinguishing between themes; supporting a point of view by referring to evidence in the text; recognising the possibility of and evaluating different responses to a text; using understanding of writers’ social, historical and cultural contexts to inform evaluation; making an informed personal response that derives from analysis and evaluation of the text
• evaluation of a writer’s choice of vocabulary, grammatical and structural features: analysing and evaluating how language, structure, form and presentation contribute to quality and impact; using linguistic and literary terminology for such evaluation comparing texts: comparing and contrasting texts studied, referring where relevant to theme, characterisation, context (where known), style and literary quality; comparing two texts critically with respect to the above