English Year 8 | Rye College

What our students will learn in Year 8

Year 8 extends students’ knowledge of the literary cannon, particularly of the 18^th and 19^th Centuries, by first exploring the concept of ‘Demonisation’. This begins through the study of ‘The Crucible’, which extends students understanding of prejudice and superstition particularly towards women, linking back to their study of stories from the Bible in Year 7. This concept is explored further by the study of the prominent female writers Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen, where students will explore how these writers present the female experience, developing their understanding of the misogyny women suffered from due to the Patriarchal society of the 18th and19th Century.

Students then explore the concept of ‘Innocence and Experience’ by first studying the Romantic Poets, many of which they will study as part of the Poetry Anthology in the Literature GCSE. This feeds back to the study of myths and legends in Year 7, which the Romantic Poets were heavily influenced by. Students will develop this concept further through studying 19^th Century Gothic Horror. This builds upon the concepts and themes studied in ‘The Crucible’ and feeds forward to building their knowledge of 19^th Century history and culture, in preparation for the study of Dickens in the GCSE Literature exam. Students will study how Romanticism and the Gothic are interlinked through similar themes and concepts and how both literary movements are commentaries on society’s changing religious and moral beliefs, as well as the rise of Industry, Science and technology. Finally, students will explore the concept of ‘The Voiceless’, which develops their knowledge of 19^th Century society and history through the study of Dickens and other 19th Century authors. This builds upon their knowledge of the Romantic Poets and Gothic Horror genre in Year 8 and lays a secure foundation of the knowledge needed to study Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ and the Anthology Poetry in GCSE English Literature. They also study the Detective genre, which feeds into the study of ‘An Inspector Calls’ in GCSE English Literature.

Our termly overview

Term	Topic	Content Overview	Vocabulary	Vocabulary
1	The Crucible	Who was Arthur Millar and why did he write ‘The Crucible’? Who were the Puritans? Why did they flee England? What were their religious beliefs? What were the Salem Witch Trials? How are the concepts of superstition and demonization presented in the play? How does Millar use language to present the characters in the play? How does Millar present Abigail and Proctor’s relationship in the play? What are the wider themes of the play? How are women treated in the play?	Puritan Heathen Corrupt Prodigious Adultery Perjury Righteous Magistrate Hierarchy Convicted Devout Repent Pretence	Persecute Harlot Abide Partisan Enrapture Immoral Prejudice Blasphemy Communism Adamant Deference Pride
2	Love and relationships	Who was Jane Austen and what influenced her writing? What was society like in the 18th Century? What were the different gender roles and expectations for men and women? What were 18th Century attitudes to love and relationships? How does Austen use language to present the characters in Pride and Prejudice? How does Elizabeth Bennet subvert typical female behaviour and attitudes in the 18th Century? How does Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s relationship develop across the novel? How does Austen explore the themes of Pride and Prejudice in the novel? Who was Charlotte Perkins Gilman and what influenced her writing ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’? What were the 19th Century attitudes towards mental illness, particularly in women? How does Gilman present attitudes towards mental illness, particularly in women? How does Gilman present the treatment of the narrator in the story? How does Gilman use language to show the narrator’s descent into insanity in the story? What rights did women have in the 18th and 19th Centuries and how does this differ from today?	Advantageous Prejudice Supercilious Affability Munifence Impropriety Inferiority Philanderer Indecorous Debauchery Licentious Obstinate Infamous Insufferable Hysteria
3	Innocence and Experience	What is Romanticism and what beliefs did the Roman Poets have? How were the beliefs and ideals of the Romanic Poets linked to the rise of science and technology and the development of religious beliefs of 18th and 19th Century society? How are the beliefs and ideas of the Romantic Poet linked to their use of language, form and structure in the poem? Who was Lewis Carroll and what inspired him to write ‘Alice in Wonderland’? What is the effect of Carroll’s use of language in ‘Alice in Wonderland’ What is the effect of Carroll’s use of language in ‘The Jabberywocky	Industrial Pastoral Innocent Oppression Chartered Insurrection Subjugate Rapture Sublime Hubris	Eccentric Surreal Enthralled Portmanteau Transcend Salvation Eternal Naturalist Sophistry Animism Stoic
4	Gothic Horror	Who was Bram Stoker and what inspired him to write ‘Dracula’? Who was Mary Shelley and what inspired her to write ‘Frankenstein’? Who was Edgar Allan Poe and how did he change the Gothic Horror genre? How is language used in the Gothic texts to create fear and tension? How is language used to present the monster or villain of the story? What themes do the writers explore in the Gothic Horror texts? How can setting be used to create a specific mood and atmosphere? How do the Gothic Horror texts reflect the developments and changes of the 19th Century?	Gothic Trepidation Aghast Pathetic Fallacy Primeval Dismal Aesthetic Evade Surreptitious Sociopath	Psychopath Annihilate Delirium Repellent
5	Detective Genre	Who was Arthur Conan Doyle? What inspired him to write Detective stories? What are his intentions when writing? Is he successful in realising these intentions? What are the conventions of the Detective Genre? How is Sherlock Holmes presented in the extracts? What are Conan Doyle’s intentions in presenting him in this way? What themes does Conan Doyle explore in the extracts? What are Sherlock Holmes/ characteristics and how has this become characteristic of a stereotypical fictional detective? How can setting be used to create a specific mood and atmosphere? What structural techniques can be used to create tension, danger and excitement in a text?	Deduction Intellectual Tenacious Enigmatic Idiosyncratic Malignant Expostulate Consternation Dubious Seldom Obstinate Decisive Blunder	Exhilaration Cunning Adversary Introspective Exalted Brawl Derision Intricate Suave Incorrigible
6	19th Century Context	Who was Charles Dickens? What trauma did he experience as a child? How did this experience inspire his writing? What are his intentions when writing? Is he successful in realising these intentions? What was Dickens view of British society in the 19th Century? How is the novel structured? What is the effect of this structure? How does Dickens present vulnerable characters in his novels? How does their presentation link back to his social views? What themes does Dickens explore in the novel? How do these themes link to his intentions? Do you think he presents the themes effectively in his novels? Who was Emily Bronte and what themes and ideas does she explore in ‘Wuthering Heights’? How is Cathy presented in ‘Wuthering Heights’? How does she compare to the other representations of women in the Literature you have studied What is a Byronic Hero and how is Heathcliff presented as one? How does this link back to your study of Romanticism?	Meagre Affluent Abhorrent Inequality Haggard Malefactor Incarceration Sullen Wretch Demure Debt	Ignorant Solitary Scanty Ignominious Withered Oxymoron Condemnation Maniac Repression Anti-Hero Byronic Hero Haughty