Year 9 English Curriculum

	Topic	Further details about the topic
Autumn Term
1	The Tempest	Students will further develop their appreciation of Shakespeare through a whole-text study of The Tempest. In addition to close analysis of selected extracts, students will also engage with different productions of the text and research how the context of colonialism influences readings of The Tempest.
2	A Christmas Carol	Building on the study of c.20th novels in Years 7 and 8, students will study the whole of a nineteenth-century novella. Students will explore the development of themes and characters across the course of the text, and understand how to write about these in a formal whole-text essay.
Spring Term
1	Tales of Tomorrow	Students will explore a diverse range of fiction and non-fiction extracts, linked thematically through the dystopian genre. Emphasis will be placed on the skill of comparison and how to effectively compare non-fiction texts. Students will develop their own non-fiction writing skills, to complement the work undertaken on fiction writing skills in the Year 9 Reading and Writing Workshops.
2	Poetry of the Environment	Students will develop their appreciation of poetry linked by the theme of the environment. Emphasis will be placed on how to use TOPFAN to effectively compare poems. Poets studied include Benjamin Zephaniah, Thomas Hardy, John Betjeman and Margaret Atwood.
Summer Term
1	Perfecting the Presentation: Speaking & Listening	Students will be introduced to more advanced research skills, helping them to understand how to research a topic of personal interest. Students will prepare and deliver a presentation to their peers and respond to questions about the topic. This unit enables completion of the GCSE English Language Speaking & Listening Spoken Language Endorsement.
2	Moving to GCSE: Transition Project	Students will be introduced to the function of stage directions in An Inspector Calls, to give a taste of this GCSE text. To maintain breadth, we do not commence study of An Inspector Calls in Year 9, but instead deliver a research-based group context project. Students work in groups to explore the context behind An Inspector Calls – including the historical, social, literary and biographical context.

Assessment

Apart from the initial writing exercise to establish realistic writing levels, boys will be assessed each term on reading (which includes a vocabulary and grammar element) and writing. There is also a separate grammar test which is sent home to be pre-prepared. For the reading tests we have selected passages that we hope will engage the students’ interest to such an extent that they will wish to read the books from which they are taken.

	Topic	Type of Assessment
CAT 1	Reading Writing A range of mini-assessments are undertaken. More information is available in the Year 9 Learning Roadmap.	Unit Assessments
CAT 2	Reading Writing A range of mini-assessments are undertaken. More information is available in the Year 9 Learning Roadmap.	Unit Assessments

Topic

Type of Assessment

CAT 1

Reading

Writing

A range of mini-assessments are undertaken. More information is available in the Year 9 Learning Roadmap.

Unit Assessments

CAT 2