Objectives 0 Update you on Year 7s in English 0 Provide overview of KS3 English curriculum 0 Understand how English teachers assess Reading,

Writing and Speaking & Listening skills 0 Understand how progress in English is reported

to parents 0 Offer some key tips on how to help your child

make good, sustained progress in English

0 …and all this in 45 minutes!

Welcome 0 The new Year 7s have settled in well 0 3 English lessons per week – taught in form groups 0 2 Gallery (Reading ) lessons per term 0 ‘Grammar Matters Too’ textbook issued and weekly

grammar homework being set 0 May be other homework tasks as well 0 Currently reading ‘Private Peaceful’ by Michael

Morpurgo

Reading: the best thing to develop English skills

0 Please encourage your children to read regularly 0 It can be anything - so long as they are reading 0 Encourage them to form good habits

0 Always have a book or e-reader available 0 Establish reading routines (bedtime?) 0 Reward reading

0 Encourage them to try out different genres 0 Non-fiction as useful to read as fiction 0 Talk to them and take an interest in their reading 0 We encourage reading through our Gallery lessons 0 Gallery is open before school and in breaks

Weekly homework is set to promote grammar skills

0 Homework challenge is differentiated for students but they can do as much as they feel able – they should be spending 30 minutes on this homework. We recommend:

0 Tricky – if you have been working up to level 4c at Key Stage 2

0 Trickier – if you have been working from 4b to 5c at Key Stage 2

0 Trickiest – if you have been working at 5b or above at Key Stage 2

KS3 Curriculum Overview Autumn 1 Autumn 2 Spring 1 Spring 2 Summer 1 Summer 2

Y7 Private Peaceful

Reading + Creative Writing

Poetry Writing

Frankenstein Reading

Escape to Kraznir Writing

Shakespeare Reading

Newspapers Writing

Y8 Refugee Boy/ Stone Cold Reading + Creative Writing

Poetry Writing

War Horse Reading

Moving Image Writing

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Reading

Media Advertising Writing

Y9 Sherlock Holmes/ Noughts and Crosses Reading + Creative Writing

A View from the Bridge/ Our Day Out Writing

Twelfth Night / The Tempest/ Richard III Reading

Poetry Writing

Functional Skills Reading and Writing exam

Spoken Language Speaking and Listening

How do you know how your child is doing in English?

0 Look in their exercise books – targets will be recorded in there 0 In the form of National curriculum levels (i.e. 5a) 0 Individual targets (i.e. Use the possessive apostrophe)

0 Handwriting and Presentation of work 0 We have high expectations and may set targets for these

areas as well 0 Go 4 Schools

0 We will record all the assessment marks throughout the year, and you will see an average English level, based on these Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening assessments

Capitals- have you used capitals at the beginning of EVERY sentence? Have you used capitals for every Proper Noun (Place/Name)?

Understanding- does it make sense? If your grammar is incorrect in any place, underline it in green and rewrite it below.

Punctuation- full stops on the end of every sentence? Commas in the right place?

Spelling- underline any words you think you might have misspelled. Then choose one you think you might want to use again and look it up

in a dictionary. Then write it correctly 3 times below!

Some shorthand we use when marking books

We want to establish a dialogue with the students when marking their books, so look out for comments in green pen.

Green Pens

What are levels?

0 At secondary school levels range from 2 – 8

0Most students enter Year 7 at Level 4 or 5

0 Students progress from 4c 4b 4a 0 Then they progress from 5c 5b 5a and so on…

Where should my child be? 0 Every child is different – there is no “should be” 0 Students should make 1 or 2 sub-levels of progress

per year. 0 So if they finished Year 7 at 5b, they should be 5a or

6c by the end of year 8. 0 Aspirational grades represent the accelerated

progress we would like students to make (so go for that 6b!)

0 If a student is on a solid level 5 at the end of Year 9, this should equate to at least a C grade at GCSE.

Assessment Focuses

0 8 for writing 0 7 for reading 0 Tie in to the National Curriculum 0 Designed to help students see the areas

they need to develop 0Help teachers to set specific targets 0Take a copy of each for your information

Speaking and Listening

0 We still have to assess and report in KS3 0 KS2 and KS4 no longer count as part of

overall English assessment level 0May explain some variations in KS3 level

progression 0For current Year 7s, we only receive data

on reading, spelling, punctuation and grammar (no writing level)

Life after Levels? 0 National Curriculum levels are to be phased out 0 New GCSE grades coming in

0 Grades 1-9 0 4 equates to current Grade C 0 9 equated to current Grade A* 0 Your children will use this system

0 No current plan on what measure will replace National Curriculum levels at KS3 0 Watch this space..... 0 Write to Education Secretary with any ideas, please!

PEE Paragraphs 0 We are reading ‘Private Peaceful’ by Michael

Morpurgo 0 We have taught the Year 7s a key skill for essay

writing : 0 PEE paragraphs – quoting directly from text,

analysing these quotes and making developed points about their ideas

0 They will write PEE paragraphs at GCSE level so we return to this essay writing skill regularly

0 PEEs also used in History

Mark a Reading assessment 0 Recent reading assessment was:

0How is the character of Grandma Wolf presented?

0 Look at 3 sample answers and : 0 Level it using APP grid for AFs

2,3,5,6 (3a? 4c? 5b?) 0 Set an improvement target 0 Use CUPS if you wish!

Reading AFs - Summary

AF Reading

1 I understand what I read

2 Understand, describe and select ideas and quotes from a text

3 Deduce, infer and interpret the text (read between the lines)

4 Analyse the structure, organisation, layout and language in a text

5 Analyse writer’s use of language at word and sentence level

6 Analyse writer’s purpose and its effect on reader

7 Relate text to its social, cultural and historical background

Level 3a/4c –Essay A 0 We thought about giving this a 3a or possibly a 4c 0 The first PEE is the best (and closest to a 4a) because it

analyses the word “lair” as being something a wild animal would live in (AF2, AF3, AF5)

0 This essay was written by an EAL student, hence the grammatical errors

0 The PEE paragraphs are very thin in terms of analysing the text, perhaps due to a lack of vocabulary

0 Target: explain what a quote means using alternative words

Level 4b – Essay B 0Spelling is an issue to be addressed! 0Good quotes used and this student can explain

what the quote tells us about Grandma Wolf in more detail using alternative words (vicious)

0AF6 – the student gives their personal response to a character

0Target: Use a dictionary to check spellings carefully in your next essay

Level 5a – Essay C 0 A much more detailed and mature response, using

much of the essay vocabulary that has been taught (In conclusion, This implies )

0 The first PEE paragraph is particularly impressive as it offers an alternative explanation (a level 6 AF3 response)

0 This reads like a full essay response should 0 Target: Develop your ideas further, to explore how a

character could be further interpreted in an alternative way

Conclusions

0 It can be complicated

0 It takes a lot of time

0 You have to look for ‘best fit’

0 It really helps to identify targets and move pupils on IF

they take their targets on board and IF they act on them in

their next piece of work

Writing Examples 0 To see how we level a KS3 writing assessment, take a look

on the next 3 slides at some sample levelled work for a writing task (please note that the targets set relate to the whole story, not just the sample work presented here)

0 The Writing AFs are also attached so you can see the mark criteria we apply

A Recent Year 9 Task: Write a Detective Story 0 Inspired by our recent reading of some short stories

about Sherlock Holmes, write the opening of your own adventure, drawing upon the key features of a typical detective story.

Writing at Level 7b It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon; for a hot summer day, it was most enjoyable, for there was a slight breeze. Holmes and I had decided to have our lunch in a small, homely café just around the corner of our lodgings. As we walked back to the apartment, we engaged in an affable conversation. “It has been rather quiet lately, has it not?” my companion enquired, looking around the busy street with alert eyes.

• Technical writing accuracy is 100% (SPaG) • Accurate use of semi colon • High control and appropriate formal register • Confident and imaginative adapted to suti conventions of detective genre • Excellent vocabulary choices • Target is to add a couple of ‘WOW’ words in next piece of work

Writing at Level 6a A cry of help from the staircase alerted Holmes, who promptly investigated the source. A woman of around 26 years and dressed in black awaited Holmes’ arrival. She wore a dark purple gem on a silver necklace and a long black dress. There was a faint discoloration on her finger where a ring had previously been and stress marks from its removal. Laced boots with wet mud on them despite the weather being dry for the past few months. Holmes quickly deduced she was from a more northern region and had a rich relative, who profited from a farm of sorts. She indicated fright from her pupil dilation. It took Watson a tad longer to find these indications.

• Overall story was gripping and suited audience for a detective genre • Well controlled story, written in appropriate formal register • Highly accurate paragraphing • Variety of sentence types used for dramatic effect • Target was to improve spelling accuracy on words like:

momentary, entrance, telepathically, carriage

Writing at Level 5b Watson and I decided to visit the crime scene. We weaved through the streets of London effortlessly. Watson’s Renault Clio spluttered to a halt in the main car park for Westfield Shopping centre in Stratford. It was 2 o clock when we walked through the checkpoint to enter the Main Stadium. // The body was covered in a vast sheet of white plastic. “Watson,” I spoke, “We need to search this stadium for any shell casings or other evidence. I’ll take the gound, yout ake the seating.” //An hour later we still hadn’t found anything.

• Story opened at an intriguing point and caught reader’s attention • Technically accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar • Some good vocabualry choices • Target is to start a new paragraph at corrent points // (AF3/AF4)

Writing AFs AF Writing

1 Write imaginative, interesting and thoughtful texts

2 Produce texts which are appropriate to task, reader and purpose

3 Organise and present whole texts effectively

4 Construct paragraphs and use cohesion within and between paragraphs

5 Vary sentences for clarity, purpose and effect

6 Write with technical accuracy of syntax and punctuation

7 Select appropriate, effective vocabulary

8 Use correct spelling

Issues with levels 0Most pieces of work are at different levels

in different AFs

0George Abbot teachers apply a ‘best fit’ model

0Helps to explain variations, which include apparent regression or plateaus

Tips on how to help your child 0 Where teachers have set clear targets, encourage them to

focus on achieving them 0 Look through the work together 0 Do not tell them what they have done wrong – instead

guide them towards making their own corrections 0 Familiarise yourself with key aspects of the assessment

criteria 0 Discourage use of computers for writing tasks unless

suggested. 0 Encourage reading of all genres – even newspapers and

magazines help

Any questions? 0 Thank you for coming this evening 0 If you have any general questions, we can deal with

those now 0 If you have any specific questions about your child,

please address them to your English teacher or to Mrs Hegg who is responsible for KS3 English: 0 E mail: shegg@georgeabbot.surrey.sch.uk

0 This presentation can be found at: 0 http://www.georgeabbot.surrey.sch.uk/year-7