Learning and undertaking activities in English contribute to achievement
of the curriculum aims for all young people to become:
- successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
- confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling
lives
- responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
The importance of English
English is vital for communicating with others in school and in the wider
world, and is fundamental to learning in all curriculum subjects. In studying
English pupils develop skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing
that they will need to participate in society and employment. Pupils learn
to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and to communicate with
others confidently and effectively. Literature in English is rich and influential.
It reflects the experience of people from many countries and times and contributes
to our sense of cultural identity. Pupils learn to become enthusiastic and
critical readers of stories, poetry and drama as well as non-fiction and
media texts, gaining access to the pleasure and world of knowledge that
reading offers. Looking at the patterns, structures origins and conventions
of English helps pupils understand how language works. Using this understanding,
pupils can choose and adapt what they say and write in different situations
as well as appreciate and interpret the choices made by other writers and
speakers.
Key concepts
There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of English.
Pupils need to understand these concepts in order to deepen and broaden
their knowledge, skills and understanding. These essential concepts promote
pupils' progress in speaking and listening, reading and writing.
Competence
- Being clear, coherent and accurate in spoken and written communication.
- Reading and understanding a range of texts, and responding appropriately.
- Demonstrating a secure understanding of the conventions of written language
including grammar, spelling and punctuation.
- Being adaptable in a widening range of familiar and unfamiliar contexts
within the classroom and beyond.
- Making informed choices about effective ways to communicate formally
and informally.
Competence
Competence in reading, writing and speaking and listening enables pupils
to be successful and engage with the world beyond the classroom. They
are able to communicate effectively and function in a wide range of situations
and contexts. Competence includes being able to speak or write correctly,
read or listen reliably and accurately and, beyond this, being able to
adapt to the demands of work or study and be successful.
Creativity
- Drawing on a rich experience of language and literature to make fresh
connections between ideas, experiences, texts and words.
- Using inventive approaches to making meaning, taking risks, playing
with language and using it to make new effects.
- Using imagination to convey themes, ideas and arguments, and create
settings, moods and characters.
Creativity
Pupils show creativity when they make unexpected connections, use striking
and original phrases or images, approach tasks from a variety of starting
points, or change forms to surprise and engage the reader. Creativity
can be encouraged by providing purposeful opportunities for experiment,
expansion or for pupils to follow their own interests. Creativity in English
extends beyond narrative and poetry to other forms and uses of language.
It is essential in allowing pupils to progress to higher levels of understanding
and become independent.
Cultural
understanding
- Gaining a sense of the English literary heritage and engaging with important
texts in it.
- Exploring how ideas, experiences and values are portrayed differently
in texts from a range of cultures and traditions.
- Understanding how English varies locally and globally, and how these
variations relate to identity and cultural diversity.
Cultural understanding
Through English pupils learn about the great traditions of English literature
and about how modern writers see the world today. Through the study of
language and literature pupils compare texts from different cultures and
traditions. They develop understanding of continuity and contrast, and
gain an appreciation of the linguistic heritages that contribute to the
richness of spoken and written language. Comparing texts helps pupils
explore ideas of cultural excellence and allows them to engage with new
ways in which culture develops. This also enables them to explore the
culture of their society, the groups in which they participate and questions
of local and national identity, for example by exploring regional and
global variations in the way English is spoken.
Critical
understanding
- Engaging with ideas and texts, understanding and responding to the main
issues and developing their own views.
- Analysing and evaluating spoken and written language to appreciate how
meaning is shaped.
Critical understanding
Pupils develop critical understanding when they examine uses of language
and forms of media and communication, including literary texts, information
texts and the spoken word. Developing critical skills allows pupils to
challenge ideas, interpretations and assumptions on grounds of logic,
evidence or argument and is essential if pupils are to form and express
their own views independently.
Key processes
These are the essential skills and processes in English that pupils need
to learn to make progress.
Speaking and listening
Pupils should be able to:
- present information and points of view clearly and appropriately in
different contexts, adapting talk for a range of purposes and audiences,
including the more formal
- use a range
of ways to structure and organise their speech to support their
purposes and guide the listener
- vary
vocabulary, structures and grammar to convey meaning, including
speaking standard
English fluently
- engage an audience, using a range
of techniques to explore, enrich and explain their ideas
- listen and respond constructively to others, taking different views
into account and modifying their own views in the light of what others
say
- understand explicit and implicit
meanings
- make different kinds of relevant contributions in groups, responding
appropriately to others, proposing ideas and asking questions
- take different
roles in the organisation, planning and sustaining of talk in
groups
- sift, summarise and use the most important points
- use different
dramatic approaches to explore ideas, texts and issues
- use different
dramatic techniques to convey action, character, atmosphere
and tension
- explore the ways that words, actions, sound and staging combine to create
dramatic moments.
Range of ways to structure and organise their
speech
This includes speech organised chronologically, logically, in order of
importance, by point/counterpoint or question/answer.
Vary vocabulary, structures and grammar
This could include use of technical or colloquial language where appropriate,
movements between formal and informal registers for effect, modal expressions
to negotiate the forcefulness and certainty of what is said, possibly,
probably, maybe, and ways of signalling the shape and structure of talk
such as signposting, now, so, first, and discourse markers to mark boundaries
in conversation between one topic and the next, anyway, right, okay.
Standard English
When teaching standard English it is helpful to bear in mind the most
common non-standard usages in the UK for subject-verb agreement (they
was), formation of past tense (have fell, I done), formation of negatives
(I ain't), formation of adverbs (come quick), use of demonstrative pronouns
(them books), use of pronouns (me and him went) use of prepositions (out
the door).
Range of techniques
This includes tone, expression, repetition, revisiting key points or ideas,
asides, direct address, gesture and body language as well as using illustrations,
visual aids and images, evidence and anecdote.
Implicit meanings
This includes distinguishing tones, undertones and other signs of a speaker's
intention.
Different roles in the organisation, planning
and sustaining of talk
This includes leading, introducing, chairing, mediating, recording, summarising
and challenging constructively.
Different dramatic approaches
These include tableaux, hot seating, teacher in role, thought tracking,
forum theatre.
Different dramatic techniques
These could include varying volume, tone and pace, and use of pause, gesture,
movement and staging, choral speaking, monologue and dramatic irony. These
apply to both scripted and improvised performance.
Reading
Reading for meaning
Pupils should be able to:
- extract and interpret information, events, main points and ideas from
texts
- infer
and deduce meanings recognising the writers' intentions
- understand how
meaning is constructed within sentences and across
texts as a whole
- select and compare information from different texts
- assess the usefulness of texts, sift the relevant from the irrelevant
and distinguish between fact and opinion
- recognise and discuss different interpretations of texts, justifying
their own views on what they read and see, and supporting them with evidence
- understand how audiences and readers choose and respond to texts
- understand how the nature and purpose of texts influences the
selection of content and its meanings
- understand how meaning is created through the combination of words,
images and sounds in
multi-modal texts.
Reading
On paper and on-screen where appropriate.
Infer and deduce meanings
This includes recognising irony, allusion, connotation, understatement
and exaggeration.
How meaning is constructed within sentences
This could include recognising the effect of different connectives, identifying
how phrases and clauses build relevant detail and information, understanding
how modal or qualifying words or phrases build shades of meaning, and
how the use of adverbials, prepositional phrases and non-finite clauses
give clarity and emphasis to meaning.
Across texts as a whole
This could include understanding how endings link to openings, how the
ordering of paragraphs helps to develop an argument or theme, or tracing
how main ideas/characters develop over the text as a whole.
The selection of content and its meanings
For example, the selection of stories for a front page or news broadcast.
In multi-modal texts
Multi-modal texts are those that combine one or more modes of communication
(eg written, aural, visual) to create meaning. This could include the
combination of words and images in a newspaper or magazine page, the combination
of words, images, video clips and sound in a website or CD-ROM, or the
combination of images, speech and sound in moving-image texts.
The author's craft
Pupils should be able to understand and comment on:
- how
texts are crafted to shape meaning and produce particular effects
- how
writers structure and organise different texts, including non-linear
and multi-modal
- how writers' uses of language and rhetorical, grammatical and literary features
influence the reader
- how writers
present ideas and issues to have an impact on the reader
- how form, layout and presentation contribute to effect
- how
themes are explored in different texts.
How texts are crafted
This could include varying the length and focus of sentences to affect
meaning, interweaving action/dialogue/description for effect, using impersonal
constructions, withholding information, using short sentences to create
tension or foreshadowing or using motifs.
How writers structure and organise different
texts
This could include linking paragraphs in a variety of ways (eg thematically
or temporally) or varying paragraphs to support the purpose of the text
(eg using single-sentence paragraphs to clinch an argument or contrasting
longer and shorter paragraphs to convey tension).
For non-linear and multi-modal texts this could include using links and
hyperlinks or interactive content in websites or CD-ROMs or when editing
and sequencing shots in moving-image texts.
Uses of language and rhetorical, grammatical
and literary features
This could include:
- appreciating how language is used in imaginative, original and diverse
ways (eg through imagery, simile and metaphor)
- recognising the effect of changes in language at different points
in the text
- using contrast, irony, dramatic irony, emotive language
- using coordination and subordination to change emphasis and importance
- using the active and passive voice
- using abstract and concrete nouns.
Writers present ideas and issues
This could include the use of empathy, anecdote and humour, evidence (eg
statistics, quotations and examples), rhetorical questions, direct address,
contrast.
Layout and presentation
This could include use of:
- print and web pages: titles, headings and subheadings, illustrations
and pictures, font size and style, graphs, tables, diagrams and bullet
points
- moving image: sequencing, framing, speech and sound.
How themes are explored in different texts
This includes writing from a range of times and cultures.
Writing
Composition
Pupils should be able to:
- write clearly and coherently, including an appropriate level of detail
- write imaginatively, creatively and thoughtfully, producing texts that
interest and engage the reader
- generate and harness new ideas and develop them in their writing
- adapt style and language appropriately for a range of forms, purposes
and readers
- maintain consistent points of view in fiction and non-fiction writing
- use imaginative vocabulary and varied
linguistic and literary techniques to achieve particular effects
- structure
their writing to support the purpose of the task and guide the
reader
- use
clearly demarcated paragraphs to organise meaning
- use complex sentences to extend, link and develop ideas
- vary
sentence structure, for interest, effect and subtleties of meaning
- consider what the reader needs to know and include relevant details
- use formal and impersonal language and concise expression
- develop logical arguments and cite evidence
- use persuasive
techniques and rhetorical devices
- form their own view, taking into account a range of evidence and opinions
- present material clearly, using appropriate
layout, illustrations and organisation
- use planning, drafting,
editing, proofreading and self-evaluation to shape and craft
their writing for maximum effect
- summarise and take notes
- write legibly, with fluency and, when required, speed.
Writing
On paper and on screen where appropriate.
Readers
This includes specific, known readers, a large unknown readership, the
pupils themselves, or members of a specific community or interest group.
Varied linguistic and literary techniques
These include the use of imagery and figurative language (simile, metaphor,
personification and symbolism), sound patterns (onomatopoeia, alliteration
and assonance), hyperbole, litotes, levels of formality or colloquial
language.
Structure their writing
This includes features of whole-text cohesion that clearly signal the
overall direction of the text to the reader (eg opening paragraphs that
introduce themes, clear links between paragraphs and closings that refer
back to openings).
Use clearly demarcated paragraphs to organise
meaning
This includes cohesion within and between paragraphs: paragraphs that
are constructed to support meaning and purpose between paragraphs (eg
chronologically, logically or thematically) and a range of devices that
support cohesion within paragraphs (eg pronouns, connectives, references
back to text, and adverbials as sentence starters).
Vary sentence structure
This could include varying sentence lengths and subjects, using a range
of sentence features to clarify or emphasise meaning (eg adverbials such
as Reluctantly, he or Five days later, it, or complex
noun or prepositional phrases), varying word order and using a range of
connectives to clarify the relationships between ideas, although,
on the other hand.
Persuasive techniques and rhetorical devices
These could include rhetorical questions, irony, repetition, lists of
three, contrast, antithesis, direct address emotive language, analogy,
euphemism, innuendo, use of evidence (such as statistics, quotations and
examples).
Appropriate layout, illustrations and organisation
This could include headings, subheadings, bullet points, captions, font
style and size, and the use of bold or italics when presenting work on
screen.
Drafting, editing, proofreading
On paper and on screen, using dictionaries, thesauruses and spell checkers.
Technical accuracy
Pupils should be able to:
- use the conventions of standard English effectively
- use grammar accurately in a variety of sentence types, including subject-verb
agreement and correct and consistent use of tense
- signal sentence structure by the effective use of the full
range of punctuation marks to clarify meaning
- spell
correctly, increasing their knowledge of regular patterns of
spelling, word families, roots of words and derivations, including prefixes, suffixes, inflections.
Full range of punctuation marks
This includes full stops, question marks and exclamation marks to demarcate
sentences, commas to mark clauses and clarify meaning, and the full punctuation
of speech.
Spell correctly
This should include applying knowledge of spelling strategies to spell
unfamiliar words and spelling homophones (eg there/their/they're, of/have)
and common polysyllabic words that do not conform to regular patterns.
Prefixes, suffixes, inflections
- Prefixes: eg disappear, uncertain, exclaim, including those with
double consonants, eg irregular, unnecessary.
- Suffixes: eg -ion, -ise, al/ial, able/ible.
- Inflections: eg -es,-ed, -ies, -ied, -er, -est, -ier, -iest, -ing.
Range and content
This section outlines the breadth of the subject on which teachers should
draw when teaching the key concepts and key processes.
The study of English should enable pupils to apply their knowledge, skills
and understanding to relevant real world situations
Language structure and variation
The study of English should include, across speaking and listening, reading
and writing:
- the principles of sentence grammar and whole-text cohesion, and
the use of this knowledge in their writing
- variations in written standard English and how it differs from spoken
language
- the significance of standard English as the main language of public
communication nationally and globally
- influences on spoken and written language, including the impact of technology.
The principles of sentence grammar and whole-text
cohesion
This should include:
- word classes, parts of speech and their grammatical functions
- the structure of phrases and clauses and how they can be combined
to make complex sentences (eg through coordination and subordination)
- paragraph structure and how to form different paragraphs
- the structure of whole texts, including cohesion, openings and conclusions
in different types of writing (eg through the use of verb tenses and
reference chains)
- the use of appropriate grammatical terminology to reflect on the
meaning and clarity of individual sentences (eg nouns, verbs, adjectives,
prepositions, conjunctions and articles).
Speaking and listening
The range of speaking and listening activities should include:
- prepared, formal presentations and debates
- informal group or pair discussions
- individual and group improvisation and performance
- devising, scripting and performing plays.
The range of purposes for speaking and listening should include describing,
instructing, narrating, explaining, justifying, persuading, entertaining,
hypothesising, and exploring, shaping and expressing ideas, feelings and
opinions.
Reading
The texts chosen should be:
- of high
quality, among the best of their type, that will encourage pupils
to appreciate their characteristics and how, in some cases, they have
influenced
culture and thinking
- interesting and engaging, allowing pupils to explore their present situation or move beyond to experience
different times, cultures, viewpoints and situations
- challenging, using language imaginatively to create new meanings and
effects, encouraging pupils to try such writing for themselves.
High quality
Both fiction and non-fiction texts selected must be rich and substantial
enough to repay reading over a sustained period of time and offer scope
for pupils to explore and analyse their language, structure, themes and
ideas.
Influenced culture and thinking
This includes texts that are widely known, referred to and quoted, and
have become part of the cultural fabric of society through their language
and the way in which they present ideas, themes and issues. They could
be influential in terms of the impact they have had on the way we use
language (eg the common use of phrases from George Orwell's 1984
such as 'Room 101', 'Big Brother', 'double-think') or our understanding
of periods of history, people, places and issues (eg the ways in which
the work of Charles Dickens has influenced current perceptions of Victorian
society and social justice).
Explore their present situation
The choice of texts should be informed by the cultural context of the
school and experiences of the pupils. It could include texts that:
- help pupils explore their sense of identity and reflect on their
own values, attitudes and assumptions about other people, times and
places, either through continuity or contrast with their own experiences
- explore common experiences in different and unfamiliar contexts
(time, place, culture).
The range of literature studied should include:
- stories, poetry and drama drawn from different historical times, including contemporary writers
- texts that enable pupils to understand the appeal and importance over
time of texts from the
English literary heritage.
The range of texts studied should include works by the following pre-twentieth
century writers: Jane Austen, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Blake,
Charlotte Brönte, Robert Burns, Geoffrey Chaucer, Kate Chopin, John Clare,
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, George Eliot,
Thomas Gray, Thomas Hardy, John Keats, John Masefield, Alexander Pope,
Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare (sonnets), Mary Shelley, Robert
Louis Stevenson, Jonathan Swift, Alfred Lord Tennyson, HG Wells, Oscar
Wilde, Dorothy Wordsworth and William Wordsworth
- texts that enable pupils to appreciate the qualities
and distinctiveness of texts from
different cultures and traditions
- at
least one play by Shakespeare.
Poetry
The study of poetry should include both individual poems and collections,
which could be:
- a selection of work by a specific poet
- different examples of a particular poetic form (such as the ballad
or the sonnet)
- a selection of poems on a particular theme (such as places or conflict).
Contemporary writers
This includes texts written for young people and a wide range of recent
and contemporary writing, such as historical, crime, science fiction and
diaries. Pupils should be encouraged to experiment with new texts, particularly
in their individual reading.
Texts appropriate for study at key stage 3 include some works by the following
authors: Douglas Adams, Richard Adams, David Almond, Simon Armitage, Bernard
Ashley, Jean M Auel, Alan Bennett, Robert Bolt, Henrietta Branford, Charles
Causley, Brian Clark, Frank Cottrell Boyle, Berlie Doherty, Carol Ann
Duffy, Alan Garner, Alan Gibbons, Morris Gleitzman, Willis Hall, Adrian
Henri, Susan Hill, Janni Howker, Jackie Kay, Joan Lingard, Jack London,
Jan Mark, Roger McGough, Michelle Magorian, Adrian Mitchell, Michael Morpurgo,
Brian Patten, Philip Pullman, Peter Porter, Celia Rees, Philip Reeve,
Michael Rosen, Willy Russell, Louis Sachar, RC Sherriff, Dodie Smith,
Robert Swindells, Robert Westall.
The English literary heritage
These are authors with an enduring appeal that transcends the period in
which they were written, and that have played a significant role in the
development of literature in English. For example the novels of Jane Austen
or the plays of Shakespeare continue to be widely read, studied and reinterpreted
in print and on screen for contemporary audiences. The study of texts
by these authors should be based on whole texts and presented in ways
that will engage pupils (eg supported by the use of film resources and
drama activities).
Writers from the English literary heritage writing during the twentieth
century include: WH Auden, TS Eliot, Robert Frost, William Golding, Graham
Greene, Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes, Elizabeth Jennings, Ursula Le Guin,
Philip Larkin, DH Lawrence, George Orwell, Wilfred Owen, Sylvia Plath,
George Bernard Shaw, Siegfried Sassoon, Dylan Thomas, RS Thomas, John
Wyndham.
The qualities and distinctiveness of texts
This includes the values and assumptions in the text, the significance
of the subject matter and language, and how the text compares and contrasts
with other texts studied.
From different cultures and traditions
When choosing books from different cultures and traditions, it is important
to look for authors who are so familiar with a particular culture or country
that they represent it accurately and with understanding. The books should
be of high quality and speak with an authentic voice to help pupils learn
about the literature of another culture as well as reflect on their own
experiences.
Texts appropriate for study at key stage 3 include some works by the following
authors: John Agard, Maya Angelou, Malory Blackman, Anita Desai, Athol
Fugard, Jamila Gavin, Nadine Gordimer, Gaye Hicyilmaz, Beverly Naidoo,
Grace Nichols, Bali Rai, John Steinbeck, Meera Syal, Mildred D Taylor,
Mark Twain, Adeline Yen Mah and Benjamin Zephaniah. The study of texts
by these authors should be based on whole texts and presented in ways
that will engage pupils (eg supported by the use of film resources and
drama activities).
At least one play by Shakespeare
The study of Shakespeare should be based on whole texts, presented in
ways that will engage pupils and provide an experience of the play in
performance (eg through drama techniques, acting out key scenes, watching
a performance in the theatre).
The range of non-fiction and non-literary texts studied should include:
- forms such as journalism, travel writing, essays, reportage, literary
non-fiction and multi-modal texts including film
- purposes such as to instruct, inform, explain, describe, analyse, review,
discuss and persuade.
Writing
In their writing pupils should:
- develop ideas, themes, imagery, settings and/or characters when writing
to imagine, explore and entertain
- analyse and evaluate subject matter, supporting views and opinions with
evidence
- present ideas and views logically and persuasively
- explain or describe information and ideas relevantly and clearly.
The forms for such writing should be drawn from different kinds of stories,
poems, play scripts, autobiographies, screenplays, diaries, minutes, accounts,
information leaflets, plans, summaries, brochures, advertisements, editorials,
articles and letters conveying opinions, campaign literature, polemics,
reviews, commentaries, articles, essays and reports.
Curriculum opportunities
During the key stage pupils should be offered the following opportunities
that are integral to their learning and enhance their engagement with the
concepts, processes and content of the subject.
Speaking and listening
The curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to:
- experiment with a range of approaches, produce different outcomes and
play with language
- engage in specific
activities that develop speaking and listening skills
- use speaking and listening to develop their reading and writing
- evaluate
and respond constructively to their own and others' performances
- make extended contributions, individually and in groups
- develop speaking and listening skills through work that makes cross-curricular
links with other subjects
- watch live performances in the theatre wherever possible to appreciate
how action, character, atmosphere, tension and themes are conveyed
- participate actively in drama workshops and discuss with actors, playwrights
and directors the impact and meaning of different ways of performing and
staging drama wherever possible
- speak and listen in contexts
beyond the classroom.
Specific activities that develop speaking and
listening skills
This includes providing clearly defined purposes and contexts.
Evaluate and respond constructively
This includes self-evaluation related to success criteria, recording and
reviewing performances, target-setting and formal and informal use of
peer assessment.
Cross-curricular links with other subjects
This includes using speaking and listening skills developed in English
in other subjects (eg arguing persuasively in history) or using work developed
in other subjects to provide a purposeful context for speaking and listening
in English (eg a presentation explaining the outcomes of a design and
technology project).
Contexts beyond the classroom
These include engaging with other schools or groups, organisations and
individuals in the local community, nationally or internationally. Opportunities
could include contributing to debates on local and national issues, drama
performances for audiences other than pupils' peers and conducting interviews.
Reading
The curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to:
- develop independence in reading
- engage with whole texts for sustained periods
- develop reading skills through work that makes cross-curricular
links with other subjects
- meet
and talk with other readers and writers wherever possible
- become involved in events
and activities that inspire reading
- discuss reading interests and preferences, and sustain individual reading
for pleasure.
Cross-curricular links with other subjects
This includes reading skills developed in English in other subjects (eg
assessing the usefulness of texts and distinguishing between fact and
opinion when analysing websites in ICT) or using themes and ideas from
other subjects to provide a purposeful context for reading in English
(eg selecting and comparing information on an issue of local importance
raised in citizenship).
Meet and talk with other readers and writers
This could include author readings, visiting writers in residence, interacting
with writers via the internet and sharing peer reviews and recommendations
(eg in library displays, on the school intranet or on the web).
Events and activities that inspire reading
This could include book groups, National Book Week, National Poetry Day,
readathons, reading buddies for younger pupils, and visits to bookshops
and local libraries.
Writing
The curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to:
- develop independence in writing
- produce extended writing to develop their ideas in depth and detail
- play with language and explore different ways of discovering and shaping
their own meanings
- move
beyond their current situation and take on different roles and
viewpoints
- evaluate
and respond constructively to their own and others' writing
- draw on their reading and knowledge of linguistic and literary forms
when composing their writing
- develop writing skills through work that makes cross-curricular
links with other subjects
- work
in sustained and practical ways with writers where possible
to learn about the art, craft and discipline of writing
- write for contexts
and purposes beyond the classroom.
Move beyond their current situation
In non-fiction writing this could include anticipating how issues might
affect others and presenting views that may not be the pupils' own. In
fiction writing this could include imagining and creating contexts, situations
and settings outside pupils' experience and using empathy to help create
different characters that act and react believably.
Evaluate and respond constructively
This could include self-evaluation related to success criteria, recording
and reviewing performances, target-setting and formal and informal use
of peer assessment.
Cross-curricular links with other subjects
This includes using writing skills developed in English in other subjects
(eg using knowledge of common grammar rules and roots of words when writing
in another language) or using work in other subjects to provide a purposeful
context for writing in English (eg drawing on experiences of a particular
landscape encountered on a geography field trip to inspire poetry).
Work in sustained and practical ways with writers
This could include participating in a series of workshops or having ongoing
interactions with writers via the internet.
The writers could include writers of fiction, poetry, journalism and biography,
who may be experienced writers but not professionals.
Contexts and purposes beyond the classroom
These could include writing letters on issues of local/national importance
to newspapers or people in authority; publishing and distributing pupils'
work in print or on the web; writing and distributing information/guidance/advice
on a particular issue; or developing and distributing campaign literature
relating to a local or national issue.
