Ysgol Abersychan School

 

English

English is a crucial part of school life at Abersychan. Our aim is to help students to develop skills within reading, oracy and writing so that they can leave school as confident, creative individuals, who are ready to play a full part in life and work.

The English Department at Abersychan is located on the ground floor in G-Block. Students are taught in adjacent classrooms within a corridor adorned with famous characters from literature, which have been designed and painted by our own students.

English is taught by Subject Leader, Ms Bruton Louise.Bruton@abersychanschool.co.uk and the Second In Department, Mrs A Halling Amanda.Halling@abersychanschool.co.uk both of whom are experienced subject specialists, along with a large team of English specialists: Mr A Ager (Assistant Head), Mrs L Pound, Mrs Bradley and Mrs Ward (Literacy Co-ordinator).

At Key Stage Four (Years 10 - 11), we offer students the opportunity of attaining two qualifications: English Literature and English Language. Both courses follow the WJEC specifications and involve a mixture of external examinations and non-examination assessment. Our aim is to ensure that students are taught and have multiple opportunities to practise  the skills required for assessment, which will also be helpful for their life after school. These skills are taught in themed units, which encourage students to challenge themselves, work collaboratively and communicate ideas confidently and clearly.

English Literature

This course involves the assessment of three units:

Unit 1 - Prose and Poetry - external examination

In preparation for this external examination, students will be required to study a novel from another culture. Our text of choice is 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck, for which there are many supplementary aids available. In addition, students will be required to undertake a poetry comparison involving two 'unseen' poems.

Unit 2 - Prose and Drama - external examination

In preparation for this external examination, students will be required to study a 'contemporary' novel and a 'heritage' drama. Currently, our students study 'Heroes' by Robert Cormier and 'An Inspector Calls' by J.B Priestley.

Unit 3 - Poetry and Shakespeare

This is a non-examination assessment, which must be completed in exam conditions. Students will have to study a minimum of two poems, for which they must produce a comparative essay. Furthermore, students will have to study a Shakespeare play and write an essay response. Themes and topics are dictated by the exam board.

 

English Language

This course involves the assessment of three units:

Unit 1 - Oracy

This is a non-examination assessment, which must be completed in exam conditions. Students will have to complete two oracy tasks. The first task is an individual presentation and must be focused on one of the exam board's five topics: Science and Technology, Wales, The World of Work, Citizenship or Leisure. The second task will involve students working together in a small group to research and discuss an issue which is specified by the exam board.

Unit 2 - Narrate/ Describe/ Exposition

This external examination is divided into two sections: reading and writing. The reading section assesses students' application of a range of skills, while the writing section asks students to proof-read a text before constructing one text of their own.

Unit 3 - Instruction/ Persuasion/ Argumentation

This external examination is divided into two sections: reading and writing. The reading section assesses students' application of a range of skills, while the writing section requires students to write one piece of persuasion and one piece of argumentation.

In Key Stage Three (Years 7 - 9) we follow the Welsh National Curriculum and study six topics a year, focusing on developing oracy, reading and writing skills. We aim to develop the skills that are essential to be a confident and effective communicator in both oracy and written work and an accomplished and perceptive reader. Our topics cover a range of skills and include oracy, reading and writing tasks, which are assessed half- termly by classroom teachers.

We introduce our pupils to the vast literary heritage that our culture enjoys, as well as fiction and non- fiction texts that reflect the contemporary world. We want our pupils to be aware of their own local environment and the wider world, so that they develop into successful and informed global citizens.  As such, our topics are informative and thought provoking.

 

Our topics are:

Year 7

Chronicles

Super Furry Animals

Believe It or Not

Freaky Fiction

Survival

Study of a class novel chosen by class teacher

 

Year 8

Spies

Theme parks

Fear

Crime and Punishment

Myths and Legends

Study of a class novel chosen by class teacher

 

Year 9

Outsiders

Conflict

Disaster

On The Edge

A Trail of Blood - Shakespeare

Transition to GCSE (Study ‘Of Mice and Men’)