TSLA English – HT1 Website update (Year 7)

The aim of this year is for students to gain an understanding of characterisation. The work undertaken throughout the year is intended to develop this. In HT1, students have been reading the novel Orbiting Jupiter. They have been exploring the characters in depth, considering the different ways that the author develops them. They have also completed their first assessment, where they were asked to write their own character description inspired by an image.

TSLA English– HT1 Website update (Year 8)

The aim of this year is for students to gain an understanding of setting. The work undertaken throughout the year is intended to develop this. At the start of HT1, the Year 8 students completed their first Forensic Reading text of the year. Their work was centred around the short story The Sniper and they spent time decoding meaning and looking very closely at how the story was constructed. Following on from this, they have been looking at the text Touching the Void. This non-fiction novel tells the tale of an expedition up one of the world’s most perilous mountains. The students have worked on improving their reading skills by practising a range of exam-style questions. Additionally, they have been considering the thoughts and feelings of the men who climbed the treacherous mountain and the resilience they would have needed to survive their mission. This has been a springboard for some of their own creative writing.

TSLA English – HT1 Website update (Year 9)

The aim of this year is for students to gain an understanding of theme, tone and atmosphere. The work undertaken throughout the year is intended to develop this. At the start of HT1, the Year 9 students completed their first Forensic Reading text of the year. Their work was centred around the short story The Darkness Out There. They have spent time considering the characters and their secrets in details, considering whether they might have made similar choices when face with moral quandaries. Following on from this, the students have been exploring how writer’s create suspense in their narratives. They have read a number of extracts from famous suspenseful stories and learned about the techniques the authors used. They have used their reading as inspiration for their own ghost stories.

TSLA English – HT1 Website update (Year 10)

In HT1, Year 10 have been focused on prose writing and the skills required to do this successfully. Using Dunkirk as inspiration, the students have planned, and written, narratives set at this infamous beach. They have been encouraged to pay particular attention to characterisation and the building of tension in order to engage their reader. The students were shocked at the scale and magnitude of this historical event and used this to inform their descriptions of their characters’ thoughts and feelings.

TSLA English – HT1 Website update (Year 11)

In HT1, Year 11 have undertaken a unit of work that has allowed them to demonstrate a wide range of skills in preparation for the November mock examination series. They have been studying travel writing and have not only described places far and wide, but also written extended articles about their local area. Additionally, some of our Y11s have been completing their Functional Skills assessments, writing formal letters about issues in the local community.