This document outlines the reading comprehension, writing, and assessment tasks for a Year 8 English curriculum across two academic terms. Some of the key tasks included analyzing poems by Robert Frost, writing Sherlock Holmes stories, examining explorer diaries, describing settings, annotating Shakespearean texts, creating costumes for A Midsummer Night's Dream characters, and comparing the characters of Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist. Students were assessed through closed text questions, self/peer evaluations, descriptive/analytical writing prompts, and presentations.

1. Reading Comprehension:
Paper 1 Exam question
on An Old Man’s Winter
Night.
Closed Text: A two part
questions based on Two
Look at Two.
Writing: Write a story
inspired by the picture
Apples. (S)
Self: Give the anthology a
title and write an
introduction.
Evaluative: “He seems
more interested in nature
than people.” What do
you think?
Peer: Select one more poem
by Frost to include in the
anthology and explain your
choice.
Year 8 Aut 1: Frost Poetry

2. Reading : Comparing
extracts: which do you
find most interesting and
why? (S)
Self: Bad/Good/Better
PEE paragraphs: How
does Conan Doyle make
Holmes seem clever?
Evaluative: Some people
think that Dr Watson is
cleverer than Sherlock
Holmes, what do you
think?
Peer: Describe a new
villain for a Sherlock
Holmes story.
Writing: Write a new
case for Sherlock Holmes
using story cubes for
inspiration.
Year 8 Aut 2: Sherlock

3. Reading : Paper 2 Exam
question based on
extracts of Scott’s and
Shackleton’s diaries.
Self: Annotate an excerpt of an
explorer’s diary explaining what it
shows about the life and values of
the writer.
Evaluative: Some people don’t think
that what happens in the artic and
Antarctica is important. Write an
article which persuades these people
to think otherwise. (S)
Peer: Make a guide to the
animals or plants of the
artic.
Year 8 Spr 1: Frozen Journeys

4. Reading : Paper 1 Exam
question on a description
of setting within the text.
Evaluative: A local
magazine for young people
is looking for reviews of
book students have read.
Write a review of the book
you have read. (S)
Writing: write a
description inspired by
the picture The Abbey.
Self: Bad/Good/Better
PEE paragraphs: How
does the writer create
setting?
Peer: Annotate a section
of text focusing on style
and techniques.
Year 8 Spr 2: Magic and Mystery

5. Reading Comprehension:
Read Helena’s speech in
III ii 190-219. Answer
questions. (S)
Self: Design a costume
for Puck and explain the
choices you have made.
Texts in context: “What do you
think attitudes to love and
marriage were like when this
play was written?” Discuss.
Evaluative: “It was good but I
didn’t like the way they presented
the fairies.” Evaluate the way one
or two of the characters are
presented.
Writing: Write your own
story called “A
Midsummer Night’s
Dream”.
Peer: Present one of the
mechanicals’ scenes from
the play using the original
text and puppet theatre.
Year 8 Sum 1: I Dreamed a Dream

6. Self: Write an analysis of how
vocabulary, sentence structure and
overall organisation of your
children’s story are appropriate for
children of this age.
Peer: Write an original
children’s story for children
of ages two to five years.
Speaking and Listening:
Present and original children’s
story to an audience.
Writing: Choose one
setting/building in Ryedale Folk
museum and use it for
inspiration for a story for older
children or adults.
Year 8 Sum 2: Children
Reading/Comparative:
“Jane Eyre” and “Oliver
Twist”. Which child do you
sympathise with most and
why? (S)