English Key Stage 3
Key knowledge is defined for Key Stage 3; we know what our pupils need to know at the end of Year 9 in reading, writing and speaking in order to progress onto Key Stage 4 successfully. Knowledge is sequenced carefully from Year 7 through to Year 9, allowing practice and recap throughout the Key Stage as new knowledge is acquired. The Key Knowledge that we deliver is as follows
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Reading for Pleasure
| Book Title | Publishing Information | What's it about? |
| City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1) by Cassandra Clare | Walker Books ISBN: 978-1406307627 | When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. |
| Trash by Andy Mulligan | Random House ISBN: 978-1909531130 | Raphael lives on a dumpsite, eking out a living sifting through rubbish. One unlucky-lucky day, he makes an extraordinary and deadly discovery. Now he and his two friends, Gardo and Rat, are wanted by the corrupt forces that run the city and will stop at nothing to get back what they've lost. |
| The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas | Walker Books ISBN: 978-1406372151 | Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. |
| Coraline by Neil Gaiman | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC ISBN: 978-0747562108 | Twinkling with gothic menace and dark subtext, Gaiman’s deliciously creepy fantasy mines childhood displacement and sinister new environments to create a startlingly original and unnerving novel. Ominous prophecies in the tea leaves and alternate parents with black button eyes infuse this strange, poignant work with a singular literary aura. |
| The Book Thief by Markus Zusak | Black Swan ISBN: 978-0552773898 | 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. |
| Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman | Corgi Childrens 978-0552548625 | You're waiting for the postman - he's bringing your A level results. University, a career as a journalist - a glittering future lies ahead. But when the doorbell rings it's your old girlfriend; and she's carrying a baby. Your baby. You're happy to look after it, just for an hour or two. But then she doesn't come back - and your future suddenly looks very different. Malorie's dramatic new novel will take you on a journey from tears to laughter and back again. |
Text Books
| Title | Publisher | ISBN |
| Key Stage 3 English: The Workbook | CGP | 1847622585 |
| Key Stage 3 English: The Study Guide | CGP | 1847622577 |
| Key Stage 3 Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar | CGP | 1847624073 |
Websites
| Website Address | Description of what is offered | Password |
| BBC Bitesize (www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize) | A range of activities to support the analysis of texts and the basic skills of reading, writing and literacy. | N/A |
| www.senecalearning.com | Specific tasks and lessons that will be assigned by English teachers at various stages in the year to supplement in class learning. | A link will be sent from the class teacher. |
Enrichment
We encourage all of our pupils to engage in enrichment and extra curricular activities in school. We are currently offering the following enrichment in KS3 but for up to date information, please consult the latest edition of the Parent Newsletter.
| Club or Activity | When & Where | Who can I ask for more information? |
| Board Games Club | A109 - Monday | Mrs Farrell |
| Book Club | A112 - Tuesday | Miss Thorpe |
| Poetry Club | A213 - Wednesday | Mr McCrea |
| BASH Reading Club | The Library - TBC | Mrs Ball / Miss Dugdale |