English (Literature and Language)
Passion makes learning fun and there is no shortage of passion within the English department! Join us in diving in to a rich variety of fiction and non-fiction texts; investigate the context and the inspiration that drove the authors to put pen to paper; study the writers’ methods to express their views, thoughts and passions and be inspired to express yourself through your own writing. GCSE English isn’t just about reading and writing, but about exploring and appreciating the world around us and having fun on that journey through the past, present and future.
English Vision Statement and Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Intent:
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
― William Butler Yeats
Education has the power to change lives and improve life chances. It brings meaning to and understanding of the world around us. It breaks down barriers, inspires us to believe in ourselves and to not limit our goals and aspirations – no matter what our background.
English has the power to open doors and lower walls for our pupils to the wider world around them. At Alvaston Moor Academy, through the exploration of a wide and diverse range of literature texts we can challenge our pupils thinking, spark their curiosity and drive them to question and critique what they read. This allows them to form their own ideas, views and opinions and to independently seek out more knowledge to further enhance and challenge their understanding. This in turn grows and nurtures their joy and passion for reading and enhances their ability to express their views effectively, to be listened to and most importantly, to be heard.
By expanding pupils’ knowledge, vocabulary and communication skills they are able to see the world from different perspectives, influence and bring about positive social change, contribute to improving the communities they live in and to achieve their goals and aspirations.
KS3 Curriculum Overview
Year 7
Unit 1: Beowulf and Chaucer: The Origins of Language
Unit 2: Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ and other Epics, Myths and Legends
Unit 3: Creative Writing: Descriptive and Narrative
Unit 4:Introduction to Shakespeare and his Heroes and Villains
Year 8
Unit 1: Frankenstein and the Gothic
Unit 2: Concepts of Morality: Dr Faustus and World Literature
Unit 3: The Romantics and The Enlightenment: Humanity’s Changing Relationship with the World
Unit 4: Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde: Investigating Crime, Punishment and the Duality of Human Nature
Year 9
Unit 1:Shakespeare’s Macbeth: A Close Study
Unit 2: Mastering the Art of Rhetoric and She Wolves
Unit 3: Orwell’s Animal Farm and Dystopian Literature
Unit 4: An Introduction to the Victorians
KS4 Curriculum Overview – Pupils study AQA English Language and English Literature GCSEs
Year 10
Unit 1: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Unit 2: Language Paper 1
Unit 3: Power and Conflict Poetry
Unit 4:Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Year 11
Unit 1: An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley
Unit 2: Language Paper 2
Unit 3: Revision and Recall
