Year 8
English
Reading, writing and spoken language
English · DfEEnglish Language · AQA 8700English Literature · AQA 8702Drama · WJEC/Eduqas Eduqas GCSE Drama
Reading to Writing
Sit the three marked English papers
Use an unseen text for comprehension, check grammar and editing, then write an article marked against a clear Year 8 rubric.
Project Studio
8 English projects to make and write
Unit 1 of 33
Persuasive writing
Build an argument that actually convinces someone.
3 lessons
0 of 3 done
What this unit covers
- Structure an argument with clear reasoning
- Use rhetorical devices for effect
- Address and rebut a counter-argument
Unit 2 of 33
Reading non-fiction and sources
Read closely, infer meaning and weigh reliability.
3 lessons
0 of 3 done
What this unit covers
- Retrieve and infer information from a text
- Analyse how writers use language for effect
- Compare viewpoints across two texts
Unit 3 of 33
Poetry and language analysis
How sound, image and structure carry meaning.
5 lessons
0 of 5 done
What this unit covers
- Analyse how writers use language for effect
- Discuss the effect of structure and form
- Learn and recite poetry
- 1Imagery and sound in poetryFilm3 checks25 min · ★★Start →
- 2Structure and formFilm3 checks25 min · ★★Start →
- 3Form, structure and poetic conventionFilm3 checks28 min · ★★★Start →
- 4Your reading, and other people'sFilm3 checks25 min · ★★★Start →
- 5Romantic poetry: nature, imagination and changeFilm3 checks35 min · ★★★Start →
Unit 4 of 33
Reading widely and the literary heritage
Building a reading habit across genres and appreciating Shakespeare, world literature and poetry.
3 lessons
0 of 3 done
What this unit covers
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books and plays, and texts from the English literary heritage
- Read and appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage through the study of Shakespeare, seminal world literature and poetry since 1789
- Draw on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs
Unit 5 of 33
Crafting and controlling writing
Planning, drafting and adapting writing for different audiences, purposes and levels of formality.
4 lessons
0 of 4 done
What this unit covers
- Plan, draft, edit and proof-read, considering how their writing reflects the audiences and purposes for which it was intended
- Consciously control levels of formality, including through the use of Standard English, and know when it is appropriate to use
- Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation
- Write formal and academic essays as well as personal and creative writing, summarising and organising material, and supporting ideas and arguments with any necessary factual detail
Unit 6 of 33
Grammar, vocabulary and Standard English
Extending grammatical knowledge and vocabulary, and understanding how spoken and written English differ.
3 lessons
0 of 3 done
What this unit covers
- Extend and apply the grammatical knowledge set out in English Appendix 2 to analyse more challenging texts
- Draw on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and use these consciously in their writing and speech
- Know and understand the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English
Unit 7 of 33
Speaking, listening and performance
Speaking confidently in Standard English and performing scripts and poetry with impact.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Speak confidently and effectively, using Standard English confidently in a range of formal and informal contexts
- Improvise, rehearse and perform play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact
Unit 8 of 33
Reading to writing: stories that change minds
Read closely, analyse choices, compare viewpoints, then craft and improve an original article.
7 lessons
0 of 7 done
What this unit covers
- Understand increasingly challenging texts, making inferences and referring to evidence in the text
- Read critically, knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning
- Compare and contrast the treatment of themes and viewpoints across two or more texts
- Write for a wide range of purposes and audiences, selecting and organising ideas and information appropriately
- Amend the vocabulary, grammar and structure of their writing to improve its coherence and overall effectiveness
- Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation
- 1The evidence trail: retrieval and inferenceFilmWorked example3 checks28 min · ★★Start →
- 2How language and structure steer a readerFilm3 checks30 min · ★★Start →
- 3Compare two viewpoints fairlyFilm3 checks30 min · ★★★Start →
- 4Sentence craft: control pace and emphasisFilm3 checks28 min · ★★Start →
- 5Plan for purpose and audienceFilm3 checks26 min · ★★Start →
- 6Draft an article that earns trustFilmWorked example3 checks34 min · ★★★Start →
- 7Edit like a reader, proof-read like a detectiveFilm3 checks30 min · ★★★Start →
Unit 9 of 33
Shakespeare and dramatic craft
Read Shakespeare's language with confidence, track character and conflict, place a play in its context and perform a scene.
4 lessons
0 of 4 done
What this unit covers
- Read and appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage through the study of Shakespeare, seminal world literature and poetry since 1789
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Draw on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs
- Improvise, rehearse and perform play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact
- 1Unlocking Shakespeare's languageFilmWorked example4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★Start →
- 2Character, conflict and the shape of a playFilmWorked example4 checksExit quiz32 min · ★★★Start →
- 3Context and stagecraft: writing for a real audienceFilm4 checksExit quiz28 min · ★★★Start →
- 4Rehearse and perform: making a scene landFilm4 checksExit quiz26 min · ★★Start →
Unit 10 of 33
The nineteenth-century novel
Read a whole nineteenth-century story, analyse setting and characterisation, weigh its context and write a GCSE-style critical response.
4 lessons
0 of 4 done
What this unit covers
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books and plays, and texts from the English literary heritage
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Draw on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs
- Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these responses
- 1Reading a whole nineteenth-century storyFilmWorked example4 checks30 min · ★★Start →
- 2Setting, plot and characterisation under pressureFilm4 checks32 min · ★★★Start →
- 3Social and historical context in the novelFilm4 checks28 min · ★★★Start →
- 4Your critical response: a GCSE-style essayFilmWorked example4 checks34 min · ★★★Start →
Unit 11 of 33
Spoken language and academic voice
Control register, speak confidently in formal contexts, debate a motion and move ambitious vocabulary from reading into your own writing.
4 lessons
0 of 4 done
What this unit covers
- Know and understand the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English
- Speak confidently and effectively, using Standard English confidently in a range of formal and informal contexts
- Participate in formal debates and structured discussions, summarising and/or building on what has been said
- Draw on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and use these consciously in their writing and speech
- 1Register: spoken and written EnglishFilm4 checks26 min · ★★Start →
- 2Speaking confidently in formal contextsFilm4 checks26 min · ★★Start →
- 3Formal debate: building on what has been saidFilm4 checks30 min · ★★★Start →
- 4From reading into writing: ambitious vocabulary that worksFilmWorked example4 checks28 min · ★★Start →
Unit 12 of 33
A Christmas Carol: Dickens and redemption
Plot, character and theme in Dickens's 1843 novella: Scrooge's journey from miser to redeemer, set against Victorian poverty.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books and plays, and texts from the English literary heritage
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Draw on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs
- Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these responses
Unit 13 of 33
Frankenstein: the modern Prometheus
Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel of ambition, creation and responsibility: narrative structure, the doubled creature, and Romantic context.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books and plays, and texts from the English literary heritage
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Draw on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs
- Read critically, knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning
Unit 14 of 33
The Odyssey: homecoming and the hero
Homer's epic of journey and return: the structure of nostos, the tests of Odysseus, and the oral tradition behind the written text.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Read and appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage through the study of Shakespeare, seminal world literature and poetry since 1789
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Draw on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs
- Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these responses
Unit 15 of 33
Animal Farm: power and allegory
Orwell's 1945 fable of revolution betrayed: allegory, the corruption of language, and how a fairy story becomes political satire.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books and plays, and texts from the English literary heritage
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Read critically, knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning
- Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these responses
Unit 16 of 33
Lord of the Flies: civilisation and savagery
Golding's 1954 novel of boys on an island: symbolism, the descent from order to chaos, and the novel's post-war context.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books and plays, and texts from the English literary heritage
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Draw on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs
- Read critically, knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning
Unit 17 of 33
Wonder: kindness and viewpoint
Palacio's novel of a boy with a facial difference: first-person narration, multiple viewpoints, and the ethics of empathy.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books and plays, and texts from the English literary heritage
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Compare and contrast the treatment of themes and viewpoints across two or more texts
- Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these responses
Unit 18 of 33
The Woman in Black: Gothic atmosphere
Susan Hill's modern ghost story in the Gothic tradition: setting, suspense, the unreliable narrator and the haunted past.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books and plays, and texts from the English literary heritage
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Read critically, knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning
- Draw on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs
Unit 19 of 33
Noughts & Crosses: prejudice and power
Malorie Blackman's dystopian romance: inverted racial hierarchy, first-person dual narration, and how form carries theme.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books and plays, and texts from the English literary heritage
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Compare and contrast the treatment of themes and viewpoints across two or more texts
- Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these responses
Unit 20 of 33
GCSE Shakespeare: Macbeth
Literature Paper 1 Section A. Ambition, guilt, kingship and the supernatural, read closely from extract to whole play, with a full essay.
3 lessons
0 of 3 done
What this unit covers
- Respond to an extract from the set play and then to the play as a whole, developing an informed personal response.
- Analyse the language, form and structure the playwright uses to create meanings and effects, using subject terminology.
- Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.
Unit 21 of 33
GCSE nineteenth-century novel
Literature Paper 1 Section B. A Christmas Carol and Jekyll and Hyde: structure, character change, Victorian context and whole-text argument.
3 lessons
0 of 3 done
What this unit covers
- Respond to an extract and the whole novel, tracing character and theme across the text.
- Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.
Unit 22 of 33
GCSE modern text essay
Literature Paper 2 Section A. Responsibility, staging and structure in a modern play, and how to build a conceptual essay from memory.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Answer one essay question from a choice of two on the studied modern prose or drama text.
- Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures with accurate spelling and punctuation.
Unit 23 of 33
GCSE poetry: anthology and unseen
Literature Paper 2 Sections B and C. Comparing power and conflict poems, and reading unseen poetry under timed conditions.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Compare one named anthology poem with another of your choice from the same cluster.
- Analyse one unseen poem, then compare the methods of two unseen poems.
Unit 24 of 33
GCSE Language Paper 1: fiction and description
Unseen fiction reading — information, language, structure and evaluation — then crafted descriptive or narrative writing.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Explain how a writer uses language — words, phrases, language features and sentence forms — to achieve effects.
- Explain how a writer has structured a whole text to interest the reader, including focus shifts and endings.
- Communicate imaginatively, matching tone, style and register to purpose and audience, with accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Unit 25 of 33
GCSE Language Paper 2: viewpoints and perspectives
Two non-fiction texts from different centuries: summary with inference, language analysis, comparison of attitudes, and viewpoint writing.
3 lessons
0 of 3 done
What this unit covers
- Summarise and synthesise differences or similarities between two texts using inference.
- Compare writers' ideas and perspectives and how these are conveyed across two texts.
- Write a letter, article, speech or essay presenting a point of view, organised for effect and technically accurate.
Unit 26 of 33
Year 9 English: literary study, response and academic writing
Setting, plot and characterisation, poetry across time, personal and critical response, context, formal essays and structured debate.
6 lessons
0 of 6 done
What this unit covers
- Study setting, plot and characterisation, and the effects of these on the reader
- Read a wide range of poetry, including representative Romantic poetry, to develop the habit of reading widely and often
- Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these responses
- Draw on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs
- Write formal and academic essays as well as personal and creative writing, summarising and organising material, and supporting ideas and arguments with any necessary factual detail
- Participate in formal debates and structured discussions, summarising and/or building on what has been said
- 1Setting, plot and characterisationFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 2Romantic poetry and the natural worldFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 3Making an informed personal responseFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 4Context, audience and literary traditionFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 5Writing the formal academic essayFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 6Formal debate and structured discussionFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
Unit 27 of 33
Drama and spoken performance
Rehearsing and performing scripts and poetry, and giving short, well-shaped speeches.
2 lessons
0 of 2 done
What this unit covers
- Improvise, rehearse and perform play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact
- Give short speeches and presentations, expressing their own ideas and keeping to the point
Unit 28 of 33
Reading like an examiner: language and structure
How writers build meaning word by word, and how to write about it the way GCSE answers do.
4 lessons
0 of 4 done
What this unit covers
- Read critically, knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning
- Study the effectiveness and impact of the grammatical features of the texts they read
- 1What a single word choice doesFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 2Sentence and text structure as a deliberate choiceFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 3Structure: tracking what changes across a whole extractFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 4Writing a full language answer in twenty minutesFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
Unit 29 of 33
Two texts, two viewpoints
Comparing what two writers think and how they say it, and choosing the right level of formality yourself.
4 lessons
0 of 4 done
What this unit covers
- Compare and contrast the treatment of themes and viewpoints across two or more texts
- Consciously control levels of formality, including through the use of Standard English, and know when it is appropriate to use
- 1Comparing two writers' viewpointsFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 2Choosing your level of formality on purposeFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 3Comparing methods, not just opinionsFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 4Register in real tasks: email, letter, articleFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
Unit 30 of 33
Poetry: conventions and precise words
Form, rhythm and imagery in poems, and stealing better vocabulary from what you read.
4 lessons
0 of 4 done
What this unit covers
- Recognise a range of poetic conventions and understand how these have been used
- Draw on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and use these consciously in their writing and speech
- 1Poetic conventions and what they are forFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 2Stealing better words from what you readFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 3Unseen poetry: a method for a poem you have never readFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 4Making a new word yours: from noticing to usingFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
Unit 31 of 33
Writing at length, then making it better
Planning and sustaining a full essay or story, then redrafting it properly.
4 lessons
0 of 4 done
What this unit covers
- Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and information, including well-structured formal expository and narrative essays
- Amend the vocabulary, grammar and structure of their writing to improve its coherence and overall effectiveness
- 1Writing at length without falling apartFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 2Redrafting: the four passesFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 3Narrative writing: openings, turning points and endingsFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 4The five-minute accuracy sweepFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
Unit 32 of 33
Persuading a real audience
Writing for a named audience and purpose, then standing up and saying it out loud.
4 lessons
0 of 4 done
What this unit covers
- Write for a wide range of purposes and audiences, selecting and organising ideas and information appropriately
- Give short speeches and presentations, expressing their own ideas and keeping to the point
- 1Writing for a named audience and purposeFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 2Giving a short speech that keeps to the pointFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 3Writing an article for a named publicationFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
- 4Taking questions after your speechFilm4 checksExit quiz30 min · ★★★Start →
Unit 33 of 33
Writing for animals
Turning what you know into writing that changes what a reader thinks or does.
1 lessons
0 of 1 done
What this unit covers
- Write for a wide range of purposes and audiences, selecting and organising ideas and information appropriately