United Kingdom · National Curriculum Attainment Targets
Year 7 English
This course bridges the transition from primary to secondary English by exploring diverse literary forms and sharpening analytical writing. Students investigate how writers use language to shape identity and influence audiences through fiction, poetry, and rhetoric.
The Art of the Story: Narrative Craft
Students analyze the structural components of fiction and develop their own creative writing skills. The unit focuses on character arc, atmospheric setting, and the power of the opening hook.
Exploration of how sensory details and pathetic fallacy create mood in gothic and contemporary fiction.
Analysis of character motivations and the methods authors use to reveal personality through dialogue and action.
Understanding the mechanics of plot including the inciting incident, climax, and resolution.
Poetry: Rhythm, Rhyme, and Rebellion
An introduction to poetic forms and the historical context of verse. Students learn to deconstruct metaphor and explore how poets use voice to challenge social norms.
Examining how figurative language allows poets to express complex abstract ideas through concrete imagery.
Analyzing how sonnets, haikus, and free verse use physical structure to reinforce meaning.
Focusing on the sound of poetry, including alliteration, onomatopoeia, and the impact of spoken word.
The Power of Persuasion
Students investigate the art of rhetoric in speeches and advertisements. They learn to identify bias and use persuasive devices to argue for their own beliefs.
Identifying and applying ethos, pathos, and logos in various forms of communication.
Developing critical literacy by examining how headlines and news stories can manipulate public perception.
Drafting and delivering a persuasive speech on a contemporary issue of the student's choice.
Shakespeare's World: The Play's the Thing
An introduction to the Elizabethan stage and Shakespearean drama. Students explore language, comedy, and the conventions of the theater.
Understanding the social and physical context of the Globe Theatre and its impact on playwriting.
Breaking down iambic pentameter, puns, and early modern English to make the text accessible.
Exploring how different directors and actors interpret the same scene through performance choices.
The Modern Novel: Global Voices
Students read a contemporary novel from a diverse cultural perspective, focusing on themes of identity, belonging, and conflict.
Analyzing how protagonists navigate their sense of self in a changing or challenging world.
Investigating the real-world issues that the author is addressing through the medium of fiction.
Comparing the themes and styles of the modern novel with shorter texts or poems from different cultures.
The Evolution of Language
A study of how the English language has changed over time, from Old English to modern slang and digital communication.
Tracing the roots of English words and understanding the influence of Latin, Greek, and French.
Exploring regional variations in English and how language use reflects social group identity.
Analyzing the impact of technology on grammar, spelling, and the way we communicate ideas.