Year 9 Curriculum Intention

Our Y9 curriculum sets out the foundational substantive and procedural knowledge that will be developed in KS4. We aim to expose students to a wide range of literature (genre/form/heritage, world literature) to enhance their cultural literacy and ability to apply this knowledge to make interesting connections between texts alongside the various ‘ways of looking’ at texts to make intelligent inferences and explore the hinterland of the curriculum with purpose. In turn, a knowledge of these texts and the cultural literacy (background knowledge) underpinning this will act as a way in to students writing their own range of compositions such as expository, narrative/creative, transactional etc. Using the substantive knowledge gained from these texts will form schemata, thus enable them to develop the disciplinary/procedural knowledge required to evaluate and edit their own compositions.

The modality of Linguistics is weaved throughout so that students understand the importance of standard English to ensure social mobility and strengthen meanings for all readers no matter their accent or dialect. Vocabulary is explained as tiers 1, 2 and 3 so that students purposefully discriminate between word choices for their compositions. Key vocabulary is taught directly so students can access texts with reading ages of 14 and above as well as conceptual vocabulary (often found in the Humanities) to access a range of contexts. Etymology is taught with key vocabulary so students understand the origins of words, how they change over time, and how they carry entrenched connotations in their use.

Rhetoric is a fundamental principle of our discipline and prevalent in all areas of life- to be critical thinkers, students are explicitly taught the components of effective written and spoken rhetoric so they can embed them in everyday thinking as well as using these in spoken and written language. Students read collaboratively as a class where reading fluency is modelled by the teacher, but also independent reading for pleasure is provided for in each lesson so students get into positive ‘habits of reading’ where they can eventually actively seek out various genres etc. independently. Barriers to reading independently are tackled in this year through 1:1 bespoke Thinking Reading intervention, and through the teacher supplying students with accessible texts.

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KS3 Core Curriculum Knowledge Covered

Threshold concepts: to access texts with a reading age of 14 years and above; construct sentences using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions; know and apply tier 2 & 3 vocabulary in written and spoken compositions; understand idea of intertextuality through ‘ways of looking’ as a discipline, understand a range of plot types, narratives, genres, and texts through time; retrieve relevant quotations to support valid inferences.

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Mutually beneficial curriculum connections

English supports humanities in both the teaching of compositions, cultural knowledge, and concepts. Literature in particular supports the gap in the whole-school curriculum of History through the contextual knowledge taught as part of cultural literacy, for example the French and Industrial revolutions. Personal development is at the heart of the curriculum and is referenced in each lesson where appropriate. Wider reading improves reading ages and thus benefits all disciplines.