Key Stage 3 - English - WES Home School

Key Stage 3 – English

During Key Stage 3 we aim to broaden and deepen the student’s responses to English at all levels. We start to ask students to be critical of their own work and of the work being studied. We dissect and re-shape books and poems, in order to gain a greater understanding. The student is encouraged to look critically at the various kinds of English that are used in different situations and the way in which it achieves its effectiveness.

AIMS OF ENGLISH

The WES course is based on the aims of English as set out in the national curriculum. The aims of the WES course for Key Stage 3 are set out briefly below.

Reading

To develop an appreciation and love of reading, and read increasingly challenging material independently.
To read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including in particular whole books, short stories, poems and plays with a wide coverage of genres, historical periods, forms and authors and understand increasingly challenging texts.
To re-read books encountered earlier to increase familiarity with them and provide a basis for making comparisons.
To know the purpose, audience for and context of the writing and draw on this knowledge to support comprehension.
To recognise a range of poetic conventions and understand how these have been used
To understand how the work of dramatists is communicated effectively through performance and how alternative staging allows for different interpretations of a play
To study a range of authors, including at least two authors in depth each year.

Writing

The aim of writing is to develop a growing ability to construct and convey meaning in written language, matching style to audience and purpose.

To write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and information and for a wide range of purposes and audiences.
To write a range of narrative and non-narrative texts, including arguments, and personal and formal letters.
To summarise and organise material, and support ideas and arguments with any necessary factual detail.
To apply their growing knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and text structure to their writing.
To draw on knowledge of literary and rhetorical devices from their reading and listening to enhance the impact of their writing.
To plan, draft, edit and proof-read their writing.

Grammar and vocabulary

To consolidate, build on and apply their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary learnt during Key Stages 1 and 2 and use this to analyse more challenging texts.
To study the effectiveness and impact of the grammatical features of the texts they read.
To know and understand the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English

Spoken English

The aim is to develop the ability to communicate fluently and effectively in spoken English and to listen with understanding.

To speak clearly in Standard English.
To give a well organised and sustained account of an event, a personal experience or an activity.
To contribute to and respond constructively in discussion, including the development of ideas and advocate and justify a point of view.
To use language to convey information and ideas effectively in a straightforward situation.

To recognise variations in vocabulary between different regional or social groups, and relate this knowledge to personal experience.