The English Department at The Falcons School for Boys Preparatory aims to enthuse and excite boys by engaging our learners with a wide variety of language and literature skills.
In Year 3 the boys discover worlds beyond the page with poems by literary heritage poets such as Robert Browning and even get to try their hand at designing their own theme park as part of non-fiction writing. In Year 4 the boys are challenged by texts such as Kensuke’s Kingdom and Harry Potter as their class readers; the learners discuss literary features and use themes from the books to produce their own creative writing. Year 4 boys also study a media text and learn how to analyse a silent film using media devices and terminology. Over the course of Years 3 and 4, the boys are also taught spelling skills, reading for meaning and specific structures for creative writing.
Year 5 boys have a wealth of opportunity to really fall in love with reading and writing when they study Frankenstein the Play and Holes by Louis Sachar. The boys start to write essays and creative stories at length and include all the relevant writing devices, as well as learning how to use point, evidence and explain to answer more complex comprehension and essay questions.
In Year 6 the boys focus on unseen comprehension and creative tasks to prepare for internal and external exams as well as reading the adapted play of Dracula. Year 6 ends with bridging schemes of work to get the boys prepared for Key Stage 3. The boys also study weekly spelling and reading strategies in Years 5 and 6 and all boys in Years 3-6 use Reading Journals and spelling tests to track progress in these key areas.
In Years 7 and 8 the boys study two Common Entrance exam papers with four components; comprehension, literature, poetry and creative writing. The upper school boys are taught an appreciation of literary heritage and contemporary writers, playwrights and poets in their lessons. All Key Stage 3 English work is planned according to the National Curriculum and requirements of the ISEB Common Entrance exam criteria to fully prepare the boys for the next step in their education.
The English schemes of work at The Falcons are underpinned by the National Curriculum but are also in compliance with requirements set out by the standards and criteria from ISEB.