OLDYear 8 Curriculum Information Booklet 2017-2018

English
English is taught to all students in Year 8. Most classes will have a dedicated teacher,
although some classes are shared. Students follow the same curriculum at the same time,
regardless of which class they are in. Much of the work in Year 8 centres on the study of
texts from the past, including whole fiction texts as well as a number of shorter non-fiction
texts. Writing from the 19 th century features extensively throughout the year, as does the
study of the importance of context.
Unit 1 – The Giver and Utopian /
Dystopian Literature
Students will complete a class reading of
The Giver by Lois Lowry as well as brief
extracts from other modern dystopian and
utopian fiction. They will practise and
develop the following skills:
Understanding the messages and
themes of texts
Developing an understanding of
how authors create a sense of
character, time, place and
atmosphere
Writing about how writers use
language to create effects
Comparing language within and
across texts
Assessment: Comparative analysis of two
extracts of text
Unit 2 – War Literature
Students will read a range of war poetry
from the 19 th -21 st centuries and will
combine class-study with their knowledge
of the genre developed during their private
reading of Michael Morpurgo’s Private
Peaceful in term 1. They will practise and
develop the following skills:
Writing from a particular point of
view
Exploring what fiction can teach us
about conflict
Appreciation of authorial technique
in poetry, fiction and non-fiction
An understanding of rhetorical
device and technique