English, Media, Literacy and Modern Foreign Languages
ENGLISH
Key Stage 3
Speaking & Listening Assessment Focus
A prime aim of the English and Media Faculty is to enable all our students to communicate effectively in both the written and spoken word. Working within the National Curriculum and alongside the English Framework for Literacy we aim to provide all our pupils with the skills and abilities to be successful across the Key Stages. In addition, it is a major focus of our English teaching that the pupils make full use of their reading skills for both learning and enjoyment. We encourage them to bring a reading book of their choice to the lessons and pupils and teacher can regularly be seen reading silently at the beginning of a lesson.
We fully recognise and appreciate the importance of the media in our daily lives and equally we believe it is vital that our pupils are aware of its influence and effect. For this reason, media genre and tools are used both as teaching aids and as areas of study. For example, we may look at the role of advertising, the narrative of TV programmes, lighting, music, camera work in film, news reporting; the possibilities are endless and through this the pupils gain new skills and knowledge which will of course be essential at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5.
Pupils are expected to take great pride in their work; the use of ICT and presentation skills are encouraged. The displays of pupils’ work in our teaching bases reflects the high standard of work produced by students. We encourage all our pupils to provide themselves with a dictionary and thesaurus.
There are opportunities for all KS3 students to enter exciting competitions in English. Year 8 take part in the Publishers Challenge each year, which entails small groups of pupils acting as publishers and competing against others in their year group in order to ‘sell’ a collection of books. Competitions take place between classes of all year groups, with prizes such as the opportunity to make films in the Media Suite at Borough Road. Regular poetry and short story competitions are held. The winners of these have their work published in National anthologies.
Each English classroom is equipped with a Smartboard and lessons are regularly taught in ICT rooms where every pupil has access to a PC.
Key Stage 4 (GCSE)
English Only Long Term Plan 2010-12
English Language and Literature Long Term Plan 2010-12
Over years 10 and 11 pupils will have many opportunities to gain confidence and skill in all of these areas, expressing their own ideas and listening to those of others.
The essence of English is variety. English is not just concerned with reading and writing; it also involves speaking and listening. Some of the work that you do will be concerned with real lives and real situations. This will mean carrying out such tasks as writing letters, articles and giving instructions. Sometimes students will be asked to take the part of a person in a particular situation or of a character in a novel or play. It is interesting to imagine how you would react in the same situation. Students will read novels and short stories, poems and plays. Students will also be able to write their own stories, poems or plays. Sometimes they will watch films or video tapes. They will always be encouraged to explore their own ideas about what they have read or seen and to talk about them with other students. They will be encouraged to use the College’s word processing facilities to present some of their work.
English and Media are taught in the Media Suite at Borough Road. Each classroom is equipped with a Smartboard and ten PCs. We also have a radio studio, TV studio and photography studio – all of which are used regularly for both English and Media lessons.
MEDIA STUDIES
The mass media play an increasingly essential role in contemporary society, providing us with information and entertainment. In addition the media play an important part in shaping attitudes and social values.
This course will enable you to develop an understanding of the role of mass media in society. It encourages you to develop your ability to:
- respond critically and analytically to a range of mass media texts;
- gain a broad knowledge of the industrial and commercial nature of media production;
- investigate the nature of media consumption by different audiences;
- enhance your skills in the planning and creation of media products
- engage with the developing world of media technologies
The aspects of the media that you will study will, for example, include audiences and how they are encouraged to respond to magazines, or the ways groups of people are represented in film, or the conventions of popular music production
Assessment
Media Studies is an option that all pupils have the opportunity to choose at the end of Year 9. It is a double award subject and therefore worth two GCSEs. The course is assessed by a mixture of external exams and controlled assessments. It is a modular course, so pupils can expect to be preparing for assessments from the beginning of Year 10, which include practical projects such as designing and making magazine front pages, radio programmes, adverts, short films and video games.
Director of English – Position vacant
Head of Media Studies: Mrs Amy Keene
MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Aims and Objectives
- To engender an understanding and a positive appreciation of foreign cultures.
- To promote an understanding of how languages work, including their own, thus raising their awareness of literacy.
- To encourage communication between countries by use of spoken, written and technological means.
- To ensure that our pupils understand the importance and relevance of doing a foreign language, as languages are a very useful tool in the 21st Century.
Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9)
There are four separate areas of skill: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Pupils practise all four areas in virtually every lesson. We wish to make pupils competent and effective learners of language. We will build upon pupils’ experience of Literacy Hour and any foreign language input that they have received at primary school: the study of foreign languages has a major part to play in assisting pupils in understanding their own language and how the rules they have learnt about the foreign language they are studying apply to English. They may have the opportunity of visiting France during the summer term.
Year 7
In Year 7, all pupils study French for two lessons per week. Our course is loosely based around the topics within the Expo 1 textbook, although we ensure that all lessons are personalised and relevant. Topics include introducing and saying a little about yourself; leisure activities and fitness; local environment; food and drink. Pupils will learn to communicate with themselves and with others, as well as to understand what others are saying to them, as well as building upon and consolidating any prior learning.
Year 8
All pupils continue to study French, using Expo 2 as the basis for this course. The emphasis is on applying what they have learnt in Year 7, ensuring that they become good learners of language for the future.
Year 9
Year 9 is run along similar lines to Year 8, although topics are more cross-curricular; looking at Geography, healthy living, as well as introducing the language that is needed for survival in France.
Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11)
We follow the AQA GCSE course (www.aqa.org.uk). This is a two-year course which is divided into the four language skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) for the purposes of assessment. The weighting for the four skills is as follows: Listening and Reading 20% each, Speaking and Writing 30% each, and all four are assessed towards the end of Year 11. The Writing paper is completed under controlled conditions in class, whereas the other three skills are assessed in examinations at the end of the course. Students are entered for Higher or Foundation Level according to their ability and attitude.
Heads of Modern Foreign Languages: Mr Paul Williams and Mrs Emma Webley