Wellington College Belfast Co-educational Grammar School
English

English Department WCB

The aims of the English Department at Wellington College are twofold: to Develop our pupils' ability to communicate with confidence and to foster a love of reading literature.

The Department adopts a holistic approach to the teaching of English. There is a strong focus on active pupil participation in group work, discussion and other active learning methodologies such as role play and drama. Pupils are also offered the opportunity to use ICT and audio-visual facilities to produce their own texts.

In the study of both fiction and non-fiction texts, pupils learn about the literary aspects of poetry, drama and prose as well as the practical application of the spoken and written word.

Creative writing is promoted from Year 8 onwards and pupils are regularly encouraged to submit work for literary competitions. We also have a senior school magazine which showcases the pupils' creative work as well as other arts reviews and discursive articles.

Our Department has vibrant links with the school library and our pupils were the global winners of the Kids Lit Quiz in 2007.

The English Department also supports the value of live productions to enhance the study of literature. We regularly host professional theatrical productions at school as well as bringing our pupils to outside events. A Level pupils also attend literature lectures at the University of Ulster and Queen's University.

In the ETI report 2009, WCB's English Department was commended for its 'very committed and hard-working teachers who have the best interests of the pupils as a focus.'

- Mrs. M. Turley, Mrs S Cochrane, Head of English

The aims of the English department at this level are: to develop sound reading habits; to improve skills in writing for various purposes; to encourage confidence in students' speaking and listening skills. This is achieved through the study of a wide range of literary, non-fiction and media texts. We aim to fulfil all the requirements of the Northern Ireland Revised Curriculum and prepare the students for entry into their GCSE courses. The students have an element of formative written and oral coursework in each year, which is incorporated into their summative assessment.

Here are some examples of the topics studied:

• Modern and pre 20^th Century Prose
• Poetry, including First World War poets
• Shakespeare, including media responses
• Creative and functional writing
• Newspapers
• Class presentations/drama
• Examination practice for Key Stage 3 tests

We also encourage wider interest in the subject through competitions, outside speakers and close liaison with the College Library.

Students are offered a combination of English and English Literature (4 classes) or English and Journalism (1 class).       

Examining Board CCEA

COURSE CONTENT

The course aims to give students the opportunity to enjoy the experience of exploring the English language and its literature through the programme of study while developing their mastery of it.

COURSEWORK REQUIREMENTS:

1          Written

            Students will complete a range of written assignments throughout the two years.  Most written assignments will be carried out at home.

            Occasionally the student will be required to carry out research.  In the spring of the final year the teacher will select the student's best work in 4 specific contexts.

2          Oral

            In Talking and Listening the student will be assessed in his/her performance in a range of activities throughout the two years.

            For examination purposes, the teacher will select the three best performances in tasks which cover a variety of contexts.

ASSESSMENT STRUCTURE:

            The course will be assessed through the three attainment targets of Talking and Listening, Reading and Writing.

SCHEME OF ASSESSMENT

ENGLISH LITERATURE            

Examining Board CCEA

COURSE CONTENT

The course aims to give pupils the opportunity to experience a wide range of Literature from different periods and cultures.  Through literature candidates can explore the world of imagination, inspiration and creativity, and can reflect on aspects of human life other than the physical material.

COURSEWORK REQUIREMENTS

Pupils will complete a range of coursework assignments.  In the spring of the final year the teacher will select three of the pupil's best pieces covering prose written before 1900, poetry from a prescribed list of poets and a Shakespeare play.

Coursework should be completed by the end of October in the school year in which the examination is to be taken.

ASSESSMENT STRUCTURE

The course is assessed through three areas of study:  prose, poetry and drama.  Pupils will be expected to present evidence of attainment in each genre in the terminal examination and in coursework.

The weighting for coursework and terminal examinations are set out below:

            Terminal Examination 70%     (2 hours 30 mins)

            Coursework                             30%

Pupils intending to study Advanced Level English Literature should take the subject at GCSE.

JOURNALISM

Examining Board CCEA

COURSE CONTENT

The GCSE journalism qualification is described as VOCATIONAL - that is, it is considered to be directly work-related. It covers not just traditional print journalism, but also radio, TV, and internet. The vocational element, therefore, is likely to be fulfilled through visits, talks, and school-based journalism.

The course is assessed as follows:

Examining Board: CCEA

Course Description

This course should encourage students to develop their interest and enjoyment in literary studies through reading widely, independently and critically. At AS Level, students should develop as confident, independent readers of a range of texts. The A2 course should broaden and deepen the knowledge, skills and understanding developed at AS Level. A Level courses should also encourage students to explore connections between texts and appreciate the significance of cultural and historical influences upon readers and writers.

Aims

Pupils should be encouraged to:

• read widely and independently both set texts and others they have selected for themselves;
• engage creatively with a substantial body of texts and ways of responding to them;
• develop and effectively apply their knowledge of literary analysis and evaluation in speech and writing;
• explore the contexts of the texts they are reading and others' interpretations of them;
• deepen their understanding of the changing traditions of literature in English.

Summary of courses 

English Department Events

2008-10

Events so far 2008-09

1. Gothic Lit author Darren Shan visits school and holds a workshop in the Library. Joint venture with Aquinas (Sept)
2. A Level theatre trip to see Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" as part of the Belfast Festival at Queens. (Oct)
3. Study Day at U U Jordanstown for 2 AS Eng Lit classes on F.Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby". (Nov)
4. "At least Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" Poetry night at the Seamus Heaney Centre, QUB for AS students. (Nov)
5. Lecture by Dr David Agnew (History Dept) for A2 Eng Lit pupils on American History as context for "The Great Gatsby". (Jan)
6. Theatre trip to see "The Canterbury Tales" at the Waterfront for Year 13 and 14 English Lit students. (Feb)
7. Artyfact Theatre visit. "Macbeth" Year 11.
8. Box Clever Theatre Company workshop and performance of "Romeo and Juliet" (Years 9 and 10).

Events 2009-10

1. September 2009 - AS English Literature class. Theatre Trip. Tennessee Williams night at the theatre. Grand Opera House.
2. October 2009 - AS and A2 English Literature classes. Theatre trip. 'Terminus' (Belfast Festival at Queen's) The Waterfront Hall.
3. December 2009 - AS English Literature class. The Great Gatsby Lectures at QUB.
4. January 2010: A2 English Literature class. Montague and Heaney lectures at QUB.
5. February 2010: GCSE English Literature classes. Artefact Theatre Company visit school to perform 'A Inspector Calls'.
6. February 2010: A2 English Literature class. 'The Butcher Boy' lecture at QUB.

Events coming up

• March 2010: A2 English Literature classes. 'The Pardoner's Tale' lectures at QUB.
• May 2010: Years 8, 9 10. Box Clever Theatre Company visit school with performances and workshops on 'Macbeth' and 'Romeo and Juliet'.

AS English Literature Trip, 10 September 2009

A Tennessee Williams night at the Theatre

The year got off to a good start for our new AS students, with a theatre visit in the second week of term. On Thursday, 10th September, we went to see a Tennessee Williams' double bill at the Baby Grand in the Grand Opera House. In Something Unspoken, the complex relationship of two women from different social backgrounds was explored effectively. 27 Wagons Full of Cotton was a more brutal examination of greed and exploitation in the deep south.

The two one act plays that were performed provoked the audience to consider many of Williams' themes of violence, weakness and unfulfilled dreams, providing a good introduction to Williams' work.

Theatre Trip

"Terminus" The Waterfront, 22nd October 2009

"we go, see the slo-mo ebb and flo; the mill, the babble. the rabble of wobbling waywards, exiled and aimless, unlike us as, purposeful and double file, like kids on a dare, we head who knows where?"

As part of the Belfast Festival at Queens, Ms Cochrane and Ms Turley took a group of Year 13 and 14 students to see "Terminus" by Dublin playwright Mark O Rowe.

The dark, supernatural performance was a roller coaster ride following three intertwined narratives delivered as three monologues, each monologue describing the extraordinary events of a single night in Dublin. The odyssey through the city was charted by each character in a series of rhyming soliloquies; a mother seeking atonement who is driven to a shocking act of salvation, a lovelorn young woman who's life is saved by a demon and a singing serial killer!

As English Literature students, our group was impressed by the dense, lyrical language bursting with black humour and sometimes unbearable poignancy - an exhilarating and often visceral encounter with a fantastical world.

Ms S Cochrane/Mrs M Turley  (HoDs)
Miss S Foster
Ms V Baird-Gunning
Mrs R Lowry
Mr A King
Mr D Young