English

English Department

English Department.

Staffing in 2022:

Here is the info about the English classes:

      • Mrs Louisa Berry (HOD English): Year 9RW, Year 10RG, Level 1 Senior English, Level 2 English and Level 3 English
      • Mr John Bishop: Year 9FO, Year 10CO,  Level 2 Senior English and Level 2 English.
      • Mr Joseph Jackman: Year 9RG, Year 10FO, Level 1 Senior English, Level 1 English
      • Mrs Tracy Russell: Level 1 English
      • Mr Kieran Spring: Year 9CO, Year 10RW, Level 1 English, Level 2 Senior English.

English 2022

English is a compulsory subject between Years 9 and 12. Our English results are reported to the Board of Trustees annually and we are proud of the fact that year after year our school’s English NCEA results are well above the national statistics for boys at Decile 5 schools. Commendable statistics include our Maori and Pasifika students. Our Excellence and Merit results are also extremely high. Most years we gain Scholarships. These results are, in part, due to a fine junior programme.

Junior Programme and meeting Students' Needs

Junior Programme and meeting Students’ Needs

Assessing students’ abilities and adjusting programmes to meet students’ needs and abilities are vital. The Assistant Principal leading the Curriculum, Mrs Russell, administers Progress and Achievement Test (PAT) results twice yearly. She works with Mrs Versey, HOD Learning Support Department, to provide important information to staff, such as Specific Learning Difficulties. Year 9 diagnostic data identifies “at risk” and “extension” students also. Our Junior English Programme is designed to prepare students for NCEA and to become life-long learners. Most Year 9 classes are not streamed so Differentiated Learning practices are important. In 2021 we have four mixed ability Year 9 classes. Our Year 10 classes are streamed into one large Accelerate Class, two mid-band classes, and a small Learning Support class. The students from the Year 10 Accelerate Class continue to achieve high standards in their future years in reading and writing. When tracking these students, we see high levels of achievement gained once NCEA is commenced, and several utilize their study of Macbeth to gain high grades in Internal Assessments such as ‘Connections Across Texts’. The Scholarship programme later builds on the work done in this Accelerate Class.

Teaching practice is based on the Year 9 and 10 Teachers’ Handbooks, which have common summative assessments for all ten NCEA standards: ‘Written Texts’ has sub-sections: novel, and short texts (short story and poetry) to ensure that a wide variety of literature is taught. Junior Examinations are important. Three ‘Written Texts’ (a short story, poem and novel) and an ‘Oral/Visual Text’ are assessed in class assessments at the end of each unit of work during the year and again in the College Examinations. The College Examinations are two hours and include Written Texts, Visual Oral Text and Unfamiliar Texts (students read and assess the effects of language features in an unfamiliar piece of prose and a poem.) These assessments model the NCEA External Examinations.  Mrs Drabble writes separate Year 9 and 10 Learning Support Exams and reports on these, aligning them to our College Exam.

 

Junior Assessments are used for a variety of reasons. To improve students’ learning, in-class summative assessments are used as both assessment of what has been learned, and as a teaching tool for future units. The class assessments and the College Examination identify students who need future support or extension. Year 9 and 10 class assessments are combined with the Examination grades when selecting the next year’s classes. We use a consistent Examination structure so trends and tracking can be seen.

In conclusion our department is dedicated and determined to improve students’ performance: to encourage young men to love reading, to enjoy expressing their ideas in a range of writing styles, to empower them with skills in oratory and to express their ideas visually, so that they leave school as well-rounded St. John’s Men.

Mrs Louisa Berry (HOD English)

18 Achievement Standards Credits are studied: 8 External Assessed and 10 Internally Assessed.

90849  1.1  |  Show understanding of specific aspects of studied written texts, using supporting evidence  |  4  |  External

908501.1.2  |  Show understanding of specific aspects of studied visual or oral texts, using supporting evidence  |  4  |  External

90052 1.4  |  Produce creative writing  |  3  |  Internal

90053 1.45 |  Produce formal writing  |  3  |  Internal

90852 1.8  | Explain significant connections across texts, using supporting evidence  |  4  |  Internal

13 Achievement Standard Credits.  This course is Internally Assessed.  Students studying this course do not sit the External Examination.

90052 1.4  |  Produce creative writing  |  3  |  Internal

90053 1.5  |  Product formal writing  |  3  |  Internal

90857 1.6  |  Construct and deliver an oral text  |  3  |  Internal

90852 1.8  |  Explain significant connections across texts using supporting evidence  |  4  |  Internal

 

18 Achievement Standards’ Credits are studied: 8 Externally Assessed and 13 Internally Assessed

91098 2.1  |  Analyse specific aspects of studied written texts, supported by evidence  |  4  |  External

91099 2.2  |  Analyse specific aspects of studied visual or oral texts supported by evidence  |  4  |  External

91101 2.4  |  Produce a selection of crafted and controlled writing  |  6  |  Internal

91107 2.10  |  Analyse aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close viewing and / or listening, supported by evidence  |  4  |  Internal

 

13 Achievement Standard Credits.  This course is Internally Assessed.  Students studying this course do not sit the External Examination.

91101 2.4  |  Produce a selection of crafted and controlled writing  |  6  |  Internal

91102 2.5  |  Construct and deliver a crafted and controlled oral text  |  3  |  Internal

91105 2.8  |  Use information literacy skills to form developed conclusion(s)  |  4  |  Internal

18 Achievement Standards’ Credits are studied: 8 Externally Assessed and 10 Internally Assessed.

91472 3.1  |  Respond critically to specified aspects of studied written text(s), supported by evidence  |  4  |  External

91473 3.2  |  Respond critically to specified aspects of studied visual or oral text(s), supported by evidence  |  4  |  External

92475 3.4  |  Produce a selection of fluent and coherent writing which develops, sustains, and structures ideas  |  6  |  Internal

92479 3.8  |  Develop an informed understanding of literature and / or language using critical texts  |  4  |  Internal