Year 7 English

What will my child study in English during Year 7?

During Year 7, students study a series of modules which cover the key components of the Key Stage 3 Curriculum. These include fiction and non-fiction, pre-1914 texts (including Shakespeare), poetry and texts from other cultures.

Autumn Term:	Spring Term:	Summer Term:
Dreams module (poetry and fiction extracts). The aim of this module is to activate and re-establishing prior learning, with a particular focus on creative writing and character focused inference. What is Literature? (Fiction extracts and poetry). The aim of this module is to introduce students to genre and literature through the ages. Reading skills’ focus will be on exploring character, setting and language, whilst Writing skills will focus on descriptive writing.	Childhood module (a whole modern novel, a Shakespeare play – Romeo and Juliet or A Midsummer Night’s Dream, poetry and non-fiction extracts). The aim of this module is to develop students’ reading skills with a focus on character, theme, language and context. Writing skills will focus on persuasive and narrative writing. Topic Booklists Victorian Times Childhood in other Cultures	Animal Crackers module (fiction, non-fiction and poetry). The aim of this module is to develop reading and writing skills through exploring a range of texts. Writing skills will focus on writing to inform and explain and narrative writing.

Throughout all the modules students will be given opportunities to develop their Speaking and Listening skills through a range of activities such as discussion-based lessons (Let’s Think), presentations and speeches. We consider reading for pleasure to be key in developing students’ skills in English, so we have fortnightly library lessons in which students are encouraged to pick books that suit their reading age and in which we monitor and encourage students’ reading.

How will my child be assessed and how will I know how well they are doing in English in Year 7?

Students’ Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening skills are assessed during each module and their progress is closely monitored. For each assessment piece, the students are given levels and personal targets which enable them to improve their skills. Thus, by the completion of Year 7, each student will have a record of achievement in each component in English (Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening).
As students are continually assessed throughout the year, we do not have an end of year exam. The level reported via Progress Reviews is the average of Reading and Writing levels.

It should be noted that the criteria for assessing Reading at Key Stage 3 is more demanding than that of Key Stage 2, therefore many students will appear to experience a ‘dip’ in terms of Reading levels in Year 7. Teachers will explain this to students at the beginning of Year 7.

Parents will be informed of student progress via Progress Reviews and Parents’ Evening.

What homework will my child be expected to do in Year 7 in English?

Year 7 students will be expected to complete reading (a minimum of 15 minutes daily) and spelling homework (20-30 minutes), which will be set on a weekly basis. We appreciate parents spending time with their child discussing their reading; this supports the child in developing their Reading skills. Students may also be asked to write about their reading in their Library Log (which is provided by the School and kept in the Library).
In addition to regular reading and spelling homework, students will be given research, writing and project tasks which will support their module of study. We ask that research is written in the student’s own words and students should be encouraged not to rely solely on the internet for their research. All homework is set via SatchelOne.

How can I support my child to do well in English during Year 7?

Ensure your child reads a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts in their own time. Discuss news items and articles with your child to encourage independent thinking.
Ensure homework is completed to your child’s best ability and on time. Encourage your child to ask for further help if required.
Encourage your child to proofread work their work for spelling and punctuation errors, and make any necessary corrections before handing work in.
When your child is set homework reading a class text, please encourage them to complete this reading so they are ready to learn in lesson and therefore don’t fall behind.

What equipment may my child need in addition to the standard school equipment?

In addition to the equipment required according to school policy, your child should bring a private reading book into school every day (which can be a book from home or can be chosen during their Library lesson or in their own time, from a wide selection we hold in the Library).

By the end of the year, what would an 'expert' be able to do in English?

Reading:

Summarise a selection of information from different sources.
Give their own opinions of a range of texts. Support their opinions by reference to writers’ use of language, structure and ideas.
Understand different layers of meaning in texts. Start to explain why the different layers of meanings are important.
Appreciate how the author’s context impacts on their ideas and writing.

Writing:

Understands how style and register can be adapted for a range of purposes. Organise ideas into paragraphs.
Use a range of sentence structures and vocabulary to engage the reader.
Spell more complex words correctly that do not follow rules.
Use a range of punctuation correctly to make meaning clear.

Speaking & Listening:

Talk confidently in a range of situations both, formal and informal.
Vary their expression and vocabulary to engage and interest the listener.
Take an active part in discussions, showing understanding of and sensitivity to others.
Use Standard English routinely in formal situations.

My child is struggling during the course, what additional help is available to help them keep up?

Please encourage your child to be pro-active during lessons and ask their teacher / Learning Support Assistant should they need support. This support can be provided in a range of different ways such as adapted resources, extra teaching/scaffolding in class, catch-up sessions, adapted homework, recommendations as to websites which can be used to target specific areas e.g. BBC Skillswise for punctuation.

How will we support those students who have gaps in their knowledge/understanding?

The first module that Year 7 studies (Dreams) has been created specifically to revisit and reactivate learning from Years 5 and 6 (particularly reading comprehension and character inference and creative writing), so that teachers can reinforce areas where students might have gaps as well as identify any areas of weakness that will then be targeted in subsequent modules.

Updated September 2023