ks3

=__Key Stage 3 English__=


 * The English KS3 curriculum at Heartlands is designed to create:[[image:school.JPG width="324" height="231" align="right"]]**

2) A community of creative and confident individuals who successfully cross social, moral and cultural boundaries and are able to succeed in the wider world 3) A community of responsible citizens who take an active approach in the twenty-first century, globalised world **
 * 1) A community of competent learners who enjoy the subject, recognise it’s value, and use the skills honed to make progress and achieve in other subjects across the curriculum

Go straight to your year group's page - click on the links below:

=Year 7= =Year 8= =Year 9=

=KS3 Homework=

=__Why Is English Important?__=

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. Students learn to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and to communicate with others confidently and effectively.


 * Your attainment in ALL lessons will increase as your English skills improve. As the quote from a student on the homepage says: "I need English now and for the rest of my life!"**

=__Schemes of Work/Assessment__=

Your work will be marked weekly - to see the department's marking policy, download it below. You will also have an APP assessment each half-term which will tell you if you are making progress. Schemes of work can be found by clicking on each year group's page and the long-term KS3 plan can be found in the document below:

=__Achieving In English__=


 * By the end of Year 9, you MUST achieve __TWO__ Levels above the level you achieved in your Year 6 SATs in both Reading and Writing! Improve your reading and writing skills by completing activities below:

IMPROVE MY READING SKILLS IMPROVE MY WRITING SKILLS

You can also get ideas to boost your speaking and listening AND drama skills: IMPROVE MY SPL AND DRAMA SKILLS

Work out what skills you currently have and what skills you need to develop and show by the end of Key Stage 3 to achieve your Target Level**

Work this out by downloading the **Level Ladders** for each area of assessment and find out how you can improve:


 * __ Equipment: __**


 * All students are expected to have: **

2 x Pens (different colours for AFL), Pencil, Ruler, Rubber, Pencil Sharpener + Planner Dictionary Reading Book English Folder + Exercise Book Spelling Booklet Homework Booklet

**ALL of these should be on the desk at the start of EACH and EVERY English lesson.**

=**__Developing Key Skills - 'Developing a competent, creative, critical, confident, culturally-aware community'__**=
 * Writing** is hugely important at Heartlands and an English departmental priority. We are determined to help you to improve your writing skills by developing competent and creative writers who can write for a range of different audiences and purposes.

You can improve your writing by improving your grammar and punctuation. Click on the [|Punctuation Pyramid] link to find out about every aspect of punctuation with examples to help you.

Download the Punctuation Pyramid by clicking on the document below and choosing 'Save'. You will need **Flash Player:**


 * Reading** is equally important as Writing and you should always be reading to improve your wider learning in a range of subjects. Visit the library to find cool new fiction books and non-fiction books that will help you in all different subjects that you study! You can also find newspapers and magazines.

You will find lots of fun activites to help you to improve by logging onto [|'Grammar Games']

You can also complete quizzes here: **IMPROVE MY READING SKILLS**
 * Speaking and Listening** is also a big part of the revised curriculum and there are good opportunities to develop these important skills.

You will also enhance your understanding of **Language**, studying it's development throughout time.

The teaching and learning of these key skills will make you **Functional in English** - you will be able to go on to achieve in other subjects, become confident about your communication skills and take an active role in society and succeeding in the 21st century world.

=__**Assessing Progress in a Personalised Learning Environment (APPLE)**__=


 * __Knowing What Level You Are Currently At And Where You Need To Be__**

You should download the documents below to find out about the Attainment Levels in English. This will help you to review your own skills in each attainment area (SpL, Reading and Writing):


 * __Understanding Your Feedback__**

You will be tested on a different reading or writing task every half term in KS3. After you have completed this and it has been marked, you will receive a Reading and Writing (RaW) skills grid that shows your strong areas and your weak areas in relation to each skill as well as your overall 'working at' level for Reading or Writing. This will tell you **what you need to learn** to move up the levels and tell your teacher **what to teach!** You can see what the grids by downloading one below:

This grid shows that there are many different skills that combine to make you a confident, capable and critical reader and a competent and creative writer in KS3. You will need to understand these skills and develop them by asking yourself questions about your work in English and in other subjects too. These skills are called Assessment Focuses (AFs).You can learn about these skills and what you can do in each area to achieve a certain level by downloading the posters below or clicking on the link. Understanding of these different skill areas will help you to make progress with your targets:




 * __Meeting Your Targets__**

You will receive a highlighted feedback sheet. It will help you understand the weakest areas of your reading/writing assessment. This sheet will direct you specifically to aspects of reading/writing you need to improve and give you ideas on how to do it. You MUST do these in your own time and in class if you are to improve and you will have opportunities in your future lessons as well as being directed to independent online learning to help you to develop your skills and keep meeting your targets.


 * __Logging Your Progress__**

You need to make sure you know where you need to improve and you are doing it. In your English folder, you will find a 'Progress Log'. If you have lost your log, download one here. You need to fill in your log when you get your feedback in the 'Learning Conversation' lesson of each half-term (usually week 2). You should know what you need to improve on and use your own independent learning time and classroom time to help you to improve systematically!

Click on the Powerpoint below to find out what examiners look for in your writing. This will help you to show off your skills in the areas tested.

=**__Extending Your Learning__**=

Online homework that is set can be found at [|Sam Learning]. You will need your username and password. Your username is your date of birth followed by 2 initials; first name then last name.

For example 010885DJ is the User ID for David Jones, born 1st August 1985.

Your password is the same as your username unless you have changed it!

=**__Get Involved!__**=

To discuss anything about English, click on the discussion tab at the top or click on Messageboard on the home page or the links on the left.

Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 can find information about assessment levels used in English, the work they will do in class, download notes and homework exercises, practise their spelling and play games to improve their key skills online.

Just click on the Links page to find games to practise your spelling, grammar, reading and writing key skills!

Click on your year group below to be taken straight to your page:

=Year 7= =Year 8= =Year 9=

=**__Achieving Your Target Level By The End of Year 9__**=

You should know what your current Working At Level in Reading and Writing is from your latest assessments. You should also know what your Predicted Level is in both Reading and Writing. This is the level your teacher believes you will achieved in your end of Year 9 assessment based on your current level of effort and progress. If you are unsure, you should ask your teacher. You also need to know what your Target Level is. This is the Level you are expected to achieve at the end of the Year 9 assessment. It is usually TWO levels above the level you achieved in your KS2 SATs in Year 6!

In order to progress up the levels, find out which skill areas (Assessment Focuses) you need to improve in both Reading and Writing and then look at what each level requires you to do in each skill area (Assessment Focuses)

For more information about **Level Ladders**, refer to the posters in the 'Achievement' part of your English classroom:




 * You will be asked to review your performance at the end of each year to assess how much PROGRESS you have made.**