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During Year 9 we cover a wide range of varied and thought-provoking texts, all of which encourage independent and creative thinking.  We aim to prepare students for a smooth transition into Year 10 by following the KS4 criteria.  Throughout the year, students will complete a number of Landmark Assessments (two per term).  These enable teachers and students to monitor their progress and understanding of key units.

Autumn Term

To start, we read and examine a variety of autobiographical texts, covering a range of styles and different subject matters.  Following this students write their own autobiography, in a style that they feel suits them.  From here, we move on to short stories and then on to a novel.  Both The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night are popular options for students, with each provoking sensitive and mature responses.  To end this term, we move on to studying different forms of travel writing, focusing on students’ attention to audience and purpose.

Spring Term

To start this term we study a variety of writing styles, where the main objective is for students to create their own piece of original writing (a direct link to GCSE).  We introduce them to a wide range of literature, in the form of extracts and encourage them to engage with and identify the literary techniques.  Students are then encouraged to produce a piece of imaginative writing, which is assessed using the GCSE criteria; helping students to become familiar with the mark scheme.  Following this, we then study a play – popular choices include, Starseeker and Face.  During our study of drama, students are invited to take part in sensitive discussions, influenced by key issues raised, such as, race, discrimination, disability and adolescence.  By taking part, students are then prepared for a range of Speaking and Listening Assessments which they will face in Year10.

Summer Term

For the final term of Year 9 we move on to study from the Literary Heritage Poetry.  We cover a range of themes, attitudes,  styles and encourage thoughtful and detailed analysis of the chosen poems, inviting students to recreate moments from a chosen poem, forming a wider understanding of cultural diversity represented through literature.  Staying with poetry there is also a two week scheme on Shakespeare’s Sonnets.  To end Year 9 we directly prepare students for their Year 10 studies focusing on the Spoken Language Study.  Pupils will look at social attitudes to spoken language, spoken genres and multi modal talk.  This will provide them with the opportunities to think about certain types of speech including standard and non-standard English, and how identity is shown through speech.