English

This term in Year 9 English, students have been studying S.E. Hinton’s ‘The Outsiders’, while building and applying their analytical skills. Before starting the novel, students completed a pre-analytical unit designed to prepare them for deeper textual exploration. This included learning how to use analytical verbs, unpack language for meaning and apply metalanguage in their writing. This was invaluable as it has allowed students to engage more thoughtfully with the text as they already had the knowledge of how to do it. They have been unpacking character development, key events, setting, themes, authorial views and values and text construction.

To ensure lessons were engaging and effective, students were invited to provide ideas about what they want to see and do in their lessons. Many expressed a preference for creative tasks and group work, as these approaches helped them better understand and connect with the novel. Students also shared a desire to make meaningful connections between different aspects of the text (for example, linking characters to setting, or themes to author values). This feedback was embedded into the curriculum to cater to a variety of learning styles, and to enhance the engagement of the cohort.

Hear from one of our students below:

Hudson:

I’ve enjoyed reading ‘The Outsiders’ because it’s more about teenage experiences so it’s a bit more relatable. I like that it was written by a girl who was a similar age to us and so she witnessed these sorts of experiences.

I’ve enjoyed drawing characters on an Instagram post because I got to imagine what the characters would look like and how they would present themselves. I also enjoyed drawing the setting because it helped me think about the characters experiences. I drew and learned about the church that Ponyboy and Johnny stay in which helped me understand that it was a safe place for them when they faced with consequences.  I feel like these tasks have prepared me for writing my analysis.