Key Stage 3

Here, with the schemes of work that are available, there is a whole mix of all the skills that get used in KS3 English work. Key Stage 3 is largely viewed as the fun playground where a student exercises all the skills that they will eventually use in their GCSEs.

Within all these different schemes, many skills get repeated use. Many skills are valuable for studying generally, note taking, further research, labelling, annotating, prioritising, inferring, linking ideas and wider critical skills. Students will also develop their reading skills, which will involve understanding how both language and structural devices get used in a story. This will of course, also include guidance on how to structure paragraphs and how to approach a text, so that the student knows what to include in a paragraph in order to answer the question.

For writing, students will learn what devices to include in their creative writing skills and how to structure and use devices for their persuasive writing. Whilst this may seem like a formidable list, a well-crafted teaching session will seamlessly use several of these skills, so developing the student as they go.

What is the format?

For each session, there is a filmed guide. Students can follow the video guide as they work their way through each slide. They will be told when they need to pause and will be told explicitly what each task involves.

Where to start

If wondering how to proceed, I would suggest starting off a the PEZEE lesson – structuring your paragraphs is the very first step to success and it’s important to get this right, before going any further. You may also wish to look at the DEVICES lesson. These terms get bandied about a lot, and it’s worth having a clear idea what these terms may mean. This gets reinforced many times over in ‘Treasure Island’ and you may wish to make this your first port of call. ‘Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ is slightly more mature subject matter, and The Woman in Black’ is perhaps the more advanced.

Books

For most schemes, you will need to buy a book, in order to follow the sessions through to the end. Often, on the first session, the book being used by Write On! Is shown, and it may be easier to get this one, so that the sessions can be followed page by page.

How do I measure success?

Well, first let’s start by saying that children should enjoy learning about different aspects of English! Another success rate would be increased confidence over time – remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and English skills don’t become perfect immediately. Lastly, at the end of every session, there is an exemplar showing what a successful result should look like. There is also the opportunity to see what key skills have been included, and add and improve to paragraphs if need be.