Term 1-2: Classic Novel: 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell
Students will read and study 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell. Our focus will be on exploring themes, character and socio-historical context, as well as the form of political allegory. Students will explore the writer's voice, intent and perspective.
For English Language, students will consider writers' voices, intentions and perspectives within a range of short stories. Students will explore how some texts break conventions and genre lines, and then attempt to emulate this in their own writing.
Literature: an essay on key themes within the novel, with links to context.
Language: analysis of a short story & creative writing.
Bildungsroman
A type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist.
BOTH: Context
The circumstances or historical period that form the setting for an event.
Hyperbole
Obvious and intentional exaggeration.
Emphasis
Special importance, value, or prominence given to something.
Violence
Behaviour involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or
something.
Adolescents
Teenagers
Oklahoma
A state in South Central United States.
Author
The writer of a book.
microcosm
a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristics of something much larger.
marginalisation
treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral
symbiotic
denoting a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups.
foreshadowing
be a warning or indication of a future event
allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
The American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, the set of ideals which includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, as well as an upward social mobility for those who work hard.
cyclical
Something that recurs or happens in cycles
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American prairies during the 1930s
Discrimination
The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
Prejudice
preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience
Migrant Worker
A person who either migrates within their home country or outside it to pursue work.
Inequality
Lack of equality.
Segregation
The action or state of setting someone or something apart from others.
Disillusioned
Disappointed in someone or something that one discovers to be less good than one had believed.
Hypocrisy
The practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case.
Empathy
The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Justice
Just behaviour or treatment.
Civil Rights Movement
Mid-20th-century mass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States.
Mob Mentality
Describes how people can be influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviours on a largely emotional, rather than rational, basis.
Develop the individual:
Students will learn about class, politics and propaganda, and empathise with the struggles of certain characters in the novel.
Create a supportive community:
Students will discuss issues raised in the novel in a constructive manner with their peers.
Students will work together in groups on analysis tasks.
Term 2: Classic Novel: 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell (continued)
Students will continue to read and study 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell.
Language lessons will focus on creative writing; students will develop the skill of adapting their tone and style to suit audience and purpose.
WRITING: Imaginative writing in response to a visual stimulus.
LITERATURE: Students will write an essay based on the key themes and messages of the novel.
Empathy
The psychological identification with or experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.
Bildungsroman
A type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist.
segregation
The act or practice of segregating; a setting apart or separation of people or things from others or from the main body or group; the institutional separation of an ethnic, racial, religious, or other minority group from the dominant majority.
discrimination
Treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favour of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit
Author
The writer of a book.
speech
Addressing an audience
microcosm
a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristics of something much larger.
marginalisation
treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral
symbiotic
denoting a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups.
foreshadowing
be a warning or indication of a future event
Techniques
The tools a writer uses to create particular effects
Inequality
When something is not fair or feels unequal
Prejudice
A preconceived opinion that is not based on fact or experience
Migrant Worker
A person who either migrates within their home country or outside it to pursue work.
Disillusioned
Disappointed in someone or something that one discovers to be less good than one had believed.
Hypocrisy
The practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case.
Justice
Just behaviour or treatment.
Civil Rights Movement
Mid-20th-century mass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States.
Mob Mentality
Describes how people can be influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviours on a largely emotional, rather than rational, basis.
context
Context illuminates the meaning and relevance of the text, and may be something cultural, historical or political.
Develop the individual:
Students will learn about class, identity and race in modern Britain and empathise with the struggles of certain characters in each novel.
Create a supportive community:
Students will discuss issues of class, race and sexism in a constructive manner with their peers.
Students will work together in groups on analysis tasks.
Term 3: Shakespeare: 'Much Ado About Nothing'
Students will read and study the play, increasing their confidence in reading Shakespearean language and focusing on Shakespeare's presentation of character and the comedy genre.
Students will also read a range of unseen extracts, practising the skill of evaluating texts.
READING: Unseen non-fiction extract; skill of evaluating settings, ideas, themes and events.
LITERATURE: Extract question from 'Much Ado' focusing on a specific scene from the play.
Language
The words we use and explore in writing.
Figurative
Departing from a literal use of words; metaphorical.
iamb
An iamb is a metrical foot used in various types of poetry. It contains two syllables: an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable.
metre
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse.
foot
The basic unit of measurement of accentual-syllabic meter. A foot usually contains one stressed syllable and at least one unstressed syllable. The standard types of feet in English poetry are the iamb, trochee, dactyl, anapest, spondee, and pyrrhic.
iambic pentameter
The term describes the rhythm that the words establish in that line, which is measured in small groups of syllables called "feet". The word "iambic" refers to the type of foot that is used, known as the iamb, and "pent" refers to there being five feet.
Metaphors
When one thing is called something else, such as Claudio calling Hero a "jewel".
Personification
Where something is described as if it is human. Beatrice talks about how a "star danced", and Leonato says "happiness takes his leave".
pun
A lot of jokes are puns: a play on words using words that sound similar but have different meanings. So, when Beatrice says Claudio is "civil as an orange", she plays on the similarity between 'civil' and 'Seville'. (Seville oranges are bitter!)
Repartee
Repartee is when characters give quick, witty replies. We see this most often with Beatrice and Benedick. For instance, when they argue in Act 1, Scene 1, they are able to twist the other person's words around. And both want to have the final word.
Repetition
Repeating a word or phrase draws attention to it. For instance, in Act 5, Scene 2, Beatrice says: "Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath" The word 'foul' is repeated to show how unhappy Beatrice is.
prose
written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.
verse
writing arranged with a metrical rhythm, typically having a rhyme.
Double Entendre
A word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of which is usually risqué or indecent.
Imperative
Giving an authoritative command.
Declarative
Of the nature of or making a declaration.
Exclamative
A word or sentence that denotes an exclamation.
Interrogative
Having the force of a question.
Antithesis
A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.
Juxtaposition
The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
Connotation
An idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
Symbolism
The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
Gender Expectation
A gender role is a social role encompassing a range of behaviours and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's biological or perceived sex.
Honour
Honour is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a code of conduct, and has various elements such as valour, chivalry and honesty.
Virtue
Behaviour showing high moral standard.
Develop the individual:
Students study a famous Shakespeare play and see parts of it in performance, helping them to understand what it would have looked like onstage. Students consider themes of friendship, loyalty, love, and consider the importance of these to the characters.
Create a supportive community:
Students collaborate to read the play collectively in class, and learn from each other's interpretations and ideas during class discussions.
Term 4: Shakespeare: 'Much Ado About Nothing' (continued)
Students will continue to read and study the play, increasing their confidence in reading Shakespearean language and focusing on Shakespeare's presentation of character and the comedy genre.
Students will also produce a range of non-fiction responses, practising the skill of non-fiction writing.
WRITING: Transactional non-fiction piece, in the form of a review.
Literature: students will analyse an extract from the play.
hyperbole
Obvious and intentional exaggeration.
anecdote
A short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.
Juxtaposition
An act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.
Antithesis
Opposition; contrast; the placing of a sentence or one of its parts against another to which it is opposed to form a balanced contrast of ideas.
Assonance
Resemblance of sounds; also called vowel rhyme; rhyme in which the same vowel sounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables of the rhyming words.
Personification
The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something
non-human.
Stanza
An arrangement of a certain number of lines, usually four or more, sometimes having a fixed length, meter, or rhyme scheme, forming a division of a poem.
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words.
Metaphor
A thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, e.g. She was a
dragon.
Simile
Comparing two things using 'like' or 'as', e.g. He was as hard as nails.
Rhetorical question
A question asked for emphasis and to encourage the reader to think.
Repetition
The action of repeating something that has already been said or written.
Rhyming couplet
A Rhyming Couplet is two lines of the same length that rhyme and complete one
thought.
Enjambment
The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
Caesura
A pause near the middle of a line.
cyclical
Something that recurs or happens in cycles
anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines
Oxymoron
words or phrases that contradict each other, e.g. 'loving hate'
Fact
something that is known to have happened or to exist
rule of three
The rule of three is a writing principle that suggests that a trio of events, ideas or characters is more humorous, satisfying, or effective than other numbers.
Develop the individual:
Students study a famous Shakespeare play and see parts of it in performance, helping them to understand what it would have looked like onstage. Students consider themes of friendship, loyalty, love, and consider the importance of these to the characters.
Create a supportive community:
Students are encouraged to share their ideas with the class, and debate ideas together. They peer assess each other's work, helping each other to make progress.
Term 5: 19th Century Texts: Exploring Victorian Literature
Students will study and analyse a range of Victorian literature, including extracts from Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy and the Brontes; as well as engagement with and enjoyment of the stories, students should grow more familiar with the language and style of pre-20th Century writing, in preparation for GCSE English Literature and English Language Paper 1.
LANGUAGE: Compare question based on two non-fiction extracts.
LITERATURE: Extract based question focusing on the presentation of a character.
BOTH: Context
The circumstances or historical period that form the setting for an event.
Social
Needing companionship and seeking this in a community.
poverty
the state of being extremely poor
charity
the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need
ominous
to give an impression of doom or imply bad things will happen
symbolism
an object or image that represents something else
workhouse
In Britain, a workhouse was a total institution where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment. They were known for having poor conditions.
New Poor Law
The new Poor Law was meant to reduce the cost of looking after the poor and impose a system which would be the same all over the country. Parishes were grouped into unions and each union had to build a workhouse if they did not already have one.
Matrimonial
Relating to marriage or married people.
Endearment
A word or phrase expressing love or affection.
Magnanimous
Generous or forgiving, especially towards a rival or less powerful person.
Humanely
In a way that shows compassion or benevolence.
Benevolence
The quality of being well meaning; kindness.
Corporal Punishment
Physical punishment, such as caning or flogging.
Social Status
A measurement of social value. More specifically, it refers to the relative level of respect, honour, assumed competence, and deference accorded to people, groups, and organisations in a society.
Inexorable
Impossible to stop or prevent.
Kinsman
A person's blood relation.
Lamentable
Regrettable or unfortunate.
Remonstrance
A forceful complaint.
Lustre
A gentle sheen or soft glow.
Confounded
Used for emphasis, especially to express anger or annoyance: "he was a confounded nuisance".
Develop the individual:
Students study excerpts from famous novels and consider the lessons the protagonists learn. They develop their confidence in understanding and commenting on nineteenth century fiction, in preparation for their upcoming GCSEs.
Create a supportive community:
Students will share their opinions on the character's decisions and situation via class debate. Students will learn from each other's views and interpretations of a character's actions.
Term 6: Poetry: GCSE Conflict Anthology
Students will study poems with the theme of conflict from the published Edexcel anthology. Students will develop their understanding of, and responses to a range of poems, including skills of comparison.
Students will also revise the key skills needed for their end of year exam. All skills have been taught and assessed throughout the year and students will spend time revising these.
End of year exam covering all the skills learnt across the year.
Interpretation
To give or provide the meaning of; an explanation of the meaning of another's artistic or creative work, or ideas.
alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
rhyme
Similarity in sound of some part, especially the end, of words or lines of verse.
Assonance
Resemblance of sounds; also called vowel rhyme; rhyme in which the same vowel sounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables of the rhyming words.
Personification
The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something
non-human.
Stanza
An arrangement of a certain number of lines, usually four or more, sometimes having a fixed length, meter, or rhyme scheme, forming a division of a poem.
Couplet
A pair of successive lines of verse, especially a pair that rhyme and are of the same length.
Internal rhyme
A rhyme created by two or more words in the same line of verse.
Wisdom
The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement
Metaphor
A thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, e.g. She was a
dragon.
Simile
Comparing two things using 'like' or 'as', e.g. He was as hard as nails.
Repetition
The action of repeating something that has already been said or written.
Enjambment
The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
Caesura
A pause near the middle of a line.
Connotation
An idea or feeling which a word invokes.
Noun
A naming word - a person, place, thing, or idea
Verb
a doing or being word - denotes an action or a state
Adverb
A word that describes a verb
Adjective
A word that describes a noun
metre
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse.
foot
The basic unit of measurement of accentual-syllabic meter. A foot usually contains one stressed syllable and at least one unstressed syllable. The standard types of feet in English poetry are the iamb, trochee, dactyl, anapest, spondee, and pyrrhic.
anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines
Develop the individual:
Studying a range of poems on the theme of conflict prompts students to look inward at their own experiences of conflict and shows them the consequences of conflict. Students learn context about various famous conflicts including WWI and the Vietnam War.
Create a supportive community:
Students work collaboratively to understand and explore the poems. Students understand the value of avoiding conflict where possible.