English

At Wellfield, we aim to provide children with an engaging and challenging English curriculum that will instil a lifelong love of reading and writing. Children will be exposed to a variety of different genres as a reader and a writer which link to real-life events and experiences.

“Today a reader – tomorrow a leader” – Margaret Fuller

At Wellfield, we understand the importance of fostering a lifelong love of reading. Across the school, children will be exposed to a range of different authors and genres and be given the opportunity to study their styles.

These will include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays and media texts.

“The secret to becoming a writer is to write, write and keep on writing” – Ken MacLeod

At Wellfield, we promote excellence in writing throughout the whole curriculum. In English lessons, children will be equipped with the tools to write a range of different genres and for a range of different purposes.

These tools will include: spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, vocabulary choice and style. They will have the opportunity to write for a wide range of different purposes and investigate different effects on the reader. They will look at a variety of different examples and analyse the choices of different writers and apply these to their own writing.

Curriculum

Year 5	Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
	Victorians Main Text(s): Street Child by Berlie Doherty. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens Genres: Historical Narratives and recounts (related to Street child and a christmas carol), biography (Thomas Barnardo), poertry (Chimney sweep by William Blake).	Invaders and Settlers Main Text(s): ‘Beowulf’ by Michael Morpurgo Genres: Persuasive speech writing (battle cry); historical narrative opener (T4W linked to Beowulf); journalistic writing (Grendfel’s defeat); and non-chronological report writing (Anglo-Saxons and their legacy). Newspaper article – Invasion of Lindisfarne. Narrative – Tarragon the Dragon slayer.	Mexico Main Text(s): Shackleton stowaway by Victoria Mckernan. Ice Trap Meredith Hooper. The Titanic by BK Genres: Instructions, Recounts and Non chronological reports.
Year 6	Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
	World War One Main texts(s): ‘Private Peaceful’ by Michael Morpurgo, ‘Captain Rosalie’ by Timothee De Fombelle, ‘The Piano’ by Aidan Gibbons (film) Genres: Description (figurative language focus), non-chronological report, flashback narrative, informal war letters, war poetry. Reading A novel study across the term allows opportunities to constantly predict and summarise whilst drawing on increasing background knowledge. Character focus gives opportunities to empathise and consider character’s differing opinions; throughout the term inferences are made and authors language choice discussed and analysed.	Explorers & Survivors Main Texts(s): ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell, ‘Survivor’ by David Long. Genres: Adventure narrative, information leaflets, persuasive letters, balanced arguement, formal letter. Reading: Using a main fiction and non-fiction text throughout the topic allows opportunities to draw similarities and differences in writer’s purpose and style whilst using these to directly inform writing. Multiple opportunities to develop and understand language in context arises from both main texts and discussions in which children can build on the ideas of others.	Groovy Greeks Main Text(s): A range of traditional Greek myths & legends, ‘Who Let The Gods Out’ by Maz Evans Genres: Myths & Legends, newspaper article, explanation text, recounts, narrative poetry. Reading: Through traditional myths and legends, there are opportunities to build on and retell familiar story structures which can then be compared to modernised version in the fiction text. Opportunities to refine inferences and analyse authors’ language choice ensure readiness for the transition to Y7 whilst also allowing exposure to more traditional versions of a text for comparison.
Year 7	Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
	Autumn 1: Refugee Literature “Say this city has ten million souls, some are living in mansions, some are living in holes: Yet there’s no place for us, my dear, yet there’s no place for us.” Main Text(s): Refugee fiction extracts Autumn 2: Detective fiction “When you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth…” CRIME JUSTICE Main Text(s): Crime fiction extracts (past and present)	Spring 1: Animal Farm “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing…” POWER ORDER PROPOGANDA PROTEST Main Text(s): Animal Farm Spring 2: Dystopian Fiction “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen…” FEAR SOCIETY SURVIVAL Main Text(s) Dystopian Extracts (e.g. 1984, Fahrenheit 151 etc)	Summer 1: Shakespeare “The course of true love never did run smooth” MAGIC JEALOUSY TRANSFORMATION Main Text(s): A Midsummer Night’s Dream Summer 2: The History of Language “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.” LANGUAGE COMPARISON ETYMOLOGY BORROWED WORDS EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE Main Text(s): Extracts showing the change of language over time.
Year 8	Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
	Autumn 1: “The Scariest monsters are the ones which lurk within our souls…” JUXTAPOSITION SUPERNATURAL DEATH POWER Main Text(s): Gothic Fiction extracts Autumn 2: “from forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life”. LOVE CONFLICT POWER DEATH FATE Main Text(s): Romeo and Juliet	Spring 1&2: “Just like moon and like suns, with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still i’ll rise”. DELUSIONAL EMOTIONAL TABOO Main Text: Poetry	Summer 1&2: “maybe everybody in the whole damn world is scared of each other…” PREJUDICE SURVIVAL FRIENDSHIP ISOLATION Main Text(s): Of Mice and Men

In Y8 we follow a thematic approach in English. A main text and/or genre drives the unit but then wider themes are used to ensure that within each unit there are links to fiction, non-fiction, poetry and current events as well as a range of reading and writing skills.