APPROVED BY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
SOLONGO.
Scheme of work for 8th grade
Term 1 – Checkpoint 1 – Lower Secondary English Stage 7
Covering curriculum requirements: There are reading, writing, and the stimulus materials which reflect the suggestions for reading in
the Cambridge framework. The stimulus material is drawn from both fiction and non-fiction texts written in English from countries
throughout the world and from different periods of time. Reading exercises test straightforward fact retrieval, understanding of vocabulary
and inferential and interpretative reading skills. Writing tasks allow students to write in a variety of genres and provide opportunity to write
both short passages and more extended, complex responses, in some cases as part of a small group project.
№ Content
Comments
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Factual writing
Autobiography
Descriptive writing
Non-fiction
Folk tales
Short stories
Literature from around the world
Poetry
Descriptive writing to create an atmosphere an setting
Diaries and journals
Myths and legends
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Time management
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Resources
Students book, flashcard, poster, chalk, printed paper , pictures, marker, hand-outs, music, CD, speaker, laptop,
https://schoolsupporthub.cambridgeinternational.org/
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Techniques
We use: role-play, wall and corner, double line, counter circle, party mingling, dialogues, musical fairs, information
gaps, total physical response, three stop interview, problem solving, survey...etc.
Teacher will guide students. All the lessons are going to be organized by student-centred. Work in pairs and groups.
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Assessment criteria
/tasks/
At the end of the unit students will give a unit exam related to the theme. Also use oral and test assessment. They
do self –progress /self-assessment/
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Scheme of Work
Unit 7.1 Adventures
Unit 7.1 Adventures
Outline of unit:
In this unit, learners will explore the key features of text structures, show understanding of how writers create a distinctive voice and apply their understanding as
relevant to their own writing. Learners will discuss how readers make choices about what to read, express a personal response to their choice, and use a range of
sources to develop their own writing. Learners will show awareness of accommodating different purposes and contexts, adapting their speech, showing sensitivity
in turn-taking, and responding sensitively when developing a discussion.
Recommended prior knowledge:
This unit explicitly builds on the following learning objectives covered in Stage 6:
Reading
Explore and recognise the key features of text structure in a range of different fiction and non-fiction texts, including poems and playscripts.
Read and explore a range of fiction genres, poems and playscripts, including identifying the contribution of any visual elements or multimedia.
Distinguish between texts with a writer's voice and texts with a narrator's voice.
Enjoy independent and shared reading of fiction genres, poems, playscripts and non-fiction texts.
Express personal responses to texts, including preferences in terms of language, style and themes.
Writing
Use own lists of interesting and significant words, dictionaries and thesauruses to extend the range of vocabulary used in written work.
Manage the development of an idea across an extended piece of writing, e.g. by linking the end to the beginning.
Develop creative writing in a range of different genres of fiction and types of poems.
Develop writing for a purpose using language and features appropriate for a range of text types.
Develop a personal handwriting style to write legibly, fluently and with appropriate speed.
Begin to choose appropriate ways to lay out and present texts to suit the purpose and audience (handwritten, printed and onscreen).
Speaking and Listening
Adapt pace and tone of speech appropriately in formal and informal contexts.
Extend a discussion by building on own and others’ ideas.
Encourage others to take turns in a discussion.
Begin to explain variations in communication, including register.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Learning objectives
Suggested teaching activities
Resources
7Ra.04 Discuss how readers
make choices about which
texts to read.
Ask learners to list everything they read in a day, including all the texts they must read and all
the texts they choose to read. Learners should be prepared to explain why they must read a
text (e.g. read a timetable to know when a bus will leave) or choose to read each text (e.g.
read a novel for enjoyment).
Age-appropriate adventure
novels, graphic novels or short
stories for learners to read
independently.
Focus on the texts learners choose to read and ask:
 What helps us choose a text we would like to read?
Learners may focus on concrete sources such as the book cover, a printed review, an
advertisement or a film adaptation, but in the course of the discussion, also try to elicit
abstract influences such as a recommendation from a friend.
Ask learners to reflect on what influences their choice the most and why. During feedback,
challenge learners’ responses by asking:
 You say that an attractive cover would influence your choice of book, but would you
still choose to read it if your friend gave it a bad review?
During the unit, give learners an opportunity to choose a text to read independently and time
to review it with their peers at the end of the unit. Independent reading can take place at
home, but can also be supported in the classroom. You can do this by setting aside time for
personal reading during a lesson. If it is done during a lesson, remember to bring your own
book to read to emphasise that reading is for everyone.
After they have chosen a text, learners should explain what influenced their choice.
7Ri.01 Read and discuss a
range of fiction genres, poems
and playscripts, including the
contribution of any visual
elements or multimedia.*
7Ra.02 Express personal
responses to texts, including
preferences and opinions,
referring back to specific
content.
Challenge learners to define the term genre and explain it with examples if necessary. This
can be done as think [individually] – pair [discuss with one other person] – share [discuss with
a group], with each group adding further detail or exemplification during feedback.
Give groups of learners a range of short text extracts to read and sort into groups according
to genre. Circulate around the room during the activity and elicit learners’ thinking by asking
open questions such as:
 Why have you put those texts together?
 What do these texts have in common?
 How are these texts different from those texts?
A range of short fiction text
extracts. The extracts should
cover a range of different
genres, including an extract from
the class novel for this unit.
Once each group has finished sorting the texts, they should compare their own choices with
another group and share their reasoning. Encourage them to support their explanations with
references to the texts.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Ask learners to read the texts again and reflect on which one they preferred and why. After
this reading time, ask learners to group themselves according to their preferences and
discuss their rationale for choosing that text.
Ask for feedback from each group, encouraging learners to refer back to the text to support
their choice. If support is required to demonstrate the expected level of detail in their
rationale, you could explain your own preference and rationale.
7Ri.12 Show understanding of
how writers create a distinctive
voice.
7Wc.06 Begin to develop
distinctive voices, both
personal and for different
characters.
7SLr.02 Explain features of
communication, showing
awareness of the impact of
accommodating different
purposes and context.
Organise learners into small groups. Ask them to think of someone they know, e.g. older
family members, younger siblings, teachers, friends, and discuss aspects of their ‘voice’:
 Do any of them have a particular way of talking?
 How do they talk? Can you imitate them?
 Do they use any words that you never use?
 What is the pace of their speech? Slow and hesitant? Fast-paced?
 Do they use any particular phrases often?
 Do you use any words that your grandparents, teachers or parents do not use?
A range of character scenarios,
with each outlining a different
voice.
An adventure novel with a
distinctive character voice.
Annotatable copies of the
opening of the story.
When eliciting feedback, establish that ‘voice’ in a story can mean the way a writer uses
language to differentiate between characters or the way they write the narrative. The intention
of the discussion is to explore the idea that everyone has his or her own distinctive voice and
that there are certain features that writers use to create distinctive voices.
Organise learners into small groups and give each learner a character in a different scenario
(e.g. a character who is nervous about an exam, a character who is rude to a restaurant
server). Tell them not to share it with the rest of their group. After planning and thinking time,
ask them to act out the scenario to the rest of the group in character. The rest of the group
should try to identify what the scenario is and identify the features of speech that supported
their reasoning.
Once all learners have acted out their scenarios, collate the different features used to create
a distinctive voice, for example, sentence length, tone, choice of vocabulary.
Read the beginning of your choice of an adventure story as a whole class. After reading, ask
learners for their first impression of the character. Give learners annotatable copies of the
opening of the story and ask them to identify defining features of the character’s voice. If
necessary, support learners by asking questions such as:
 What sort of words does the character use?
 Are there any words or phrases that are repeated?
 Are the sentences long or short?
 Can you see any pattern in the punctuation?
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Ask learners to revisit their first impression of the character and add to it using evidence from
their notes, for example, ‘The character appears to be insecure as he repeatedly says “sorry”
for minor things.’
Ask learners how the story would be different if someone with a different voice were to tell it.
Ask learners to rewrite a section of the story opening using a different voice. This could either
be a particular voice you give them, as with the scenarios, or one of their own choice. Refer
learners back to the collated list of features that they will need to consider as they write their
adaptation.
7Wp.01 Sustain a fast, fluent
and legible handwriting style.*
Place copies of a paragraph of an adventure story around the room. Ensure that learners are
some distance away from the texts. Learners work in pairs. One learner in each pair runs
back and forth to the text between their table and the text, memorising a sentence or phrase
at a time, before returning and reciting the sentence or phrase for their partner to write down.
The first pair to complete the text correctly wins. The learners’ copy must be correct and fully
legible. Learners look at their written copies and discuss how writing quickly affects their
handwriting. Ask questions such as:
 Why is it harder to write neatly when you are writing fast?
 Is it easier to write quickly in joined-up writing or non-joined-up writing? In upper-case
letters or lower-case letters?
 Which letters in your writing are the hardest to read? Why?
Copies of a paragraph from your
choice of adventure novel.
Copies of a paragraph from an
adventure novel in handwriting
that is difficult to read.
Ask learners to copy the text as neatly as they can and compare it with their first version.
Ensure that learners establish good handwriting habits during this first unit of the Lower
Secondary stages. You can give time limits for regular, short writing activities to encourage
learners to write faster while writing legibly. Particular letters and letter combinations that
cause difficulty can be drilled by repeated writing of words containing those combinations.
Alternatively, this activity can be done by placing handwritten extracts that are difficult to read
around the room, to illustrate why good handwriting is important. Learners’ own handwriting
should not be used for this.
7Rs.01 Comment on the key
features of text structure in a
range of fiction and non-fiction
texts, including poetic forms.
Explain that you are going to review the narrative structure of introduction, conflict, climax and
resolution. Show learners four images and ask them to identify which part of the narrative
structure each image exemplifies. When they have identified the part of the structure in all the
images, ask learners to explain the rationale for their choices.
7SLg.04 Be sensitive to others
when turn-taking, ensuring that
the intended outcome of the
discussion is achieved.
Read a short adventure story. Ask learners to mark the four parts of the narrative structure in
the story, for example, using a different colour highlighter for each part. Once complete, ask
learners to review their annotation and consider how the text has been structured. The
questions you ask learners will depend on the choice of text, but could include:
Four images. Each image should
exemplify a part of the narrative
structure.
A short adventure story.
Learners should be able to
highlight and annotate their
copy.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
7Ws.01 Shape the overall
structure and sequence of a
chosen text to convey the
intended purpose accurately.
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Scheme of Work
Is one part of the structure noticeably shorter or longer than the rest?
Is the narrative structure in the expected order?
Are any parts of the narrative structure missing?
Discuss why the writer chose to structure the story in this way, recording all learners’
suggestions on the board. Once suggestions have been exhausted, organise learners into
groups to review the suggestions and decide which are the most likely reasons, based on the
evidence that they have collected.
During whole-class feedback, to ensure that learners do not interrupt one another, tell them
that they can only speak if they are standing up and only one person may stand up at a time.
If two or more learners stand up at the same time, they must decide (quickly and fairly) who
will remain standing. If they cannot decide for themselves, you can support effective and
sensitive turn-taking and guide them towards a decision by asking questions such as:
 Have you already spoken?
 Has [name] had a chance to contribute yet?
 Are you adding something new to the discussion or are you repeating what has
already been said?
Tell learners that they are going to create the beginnings of a story plan which outlines the
plot of their own adventure story. Ask them to consider how they will use the four parts of the
narrative structure to convey the intended purpose and be ready to share and explain their
choices.
Once their plans are complete, ask learners to share them in small groups. Remind learners
how to manage turn-taking for a more effective discussion. After learners have discussed
their plans, give them time to update them.
7Wp.03 Use different layouts
and presentation in a variety of
texts (handwritten, printed and
onscreen).
Organise learners into groups. Ask them to research an adventurous character, real or
fictional, to present to the class. Agree the type of content to be included, for example, key
information about the person’s life, examples of their adventures and any other interesting
details.
7SLg.03 Summarise and
develop a discussion,
responding sensitively to the
range of ideas.
Ask groups to make a mind map showing different methods they can use to support a verbal
presentation of information, e.g. a poster, presentation software. Ask learners to decide which
way will be the most effective for this piece of work and why. Once they have chosen a
method, work with learners to create a list of success criteria for presenting the information
effectively. To support the generation of the list, show examples of effective and ineffective
presentations. Ask guiding questions such as:
 Why is it inappropriate to include extended text on a presentation slide?
 What size font should you use? Why?
7SLm.01 Adapt speech,
including length, pace and
tone, in a range of contexts,
Examples of effective and
ineffective presentations, for
example, a presentation slide
where the writing is too small to
read, a poster with too many
colours and different fonts.
Access to materials for learners
to research their chosen
character.
Videos showing people
delivering a presentation. Each
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
showing some awareness of
its impact.
Give groups time to access relevant research materials and plan their presentation.
Scheme of Work
video should exemplify different
styles of pace and tone.
Show videos of people delivering presentations. Ask learners to make notes on the key
features of the presentations as they watch, e.g. pace, tone. Gather feedback from learners,
discussing each example in turn. Once all feedback has been heard, ask learners to reflect
on the discussion and identify which presentation they think was the most effective and why.
You should expect learners to be able to summarise information from the preceding
discussion to support their choices.
Ask each group to deliver their presentation to the class, sharing the information about their
character. Remind them that they should apply the effective features of presentation that they
identified in the example presentations.
7Wv.03 Use a range of
sources to develop and extend
the range of language used in
written work.*
Give learners an extract from an adventure story with some of the verbs, adverbs and
adjectives removed. Ask them to replace the missing words to create a text that is
appropriate and effective for the intended purpose.
Once learners have completed the task individually, ask them to compare their word choices
with a partner, discuss the effects of the words they have chosen, and agree an improved
version together. This process can be repeated with two pairs of learners comparing their
improved texts.
An extract from an adventure
story with some verbs, adverbs
and adjectives missing. If the
extract is taken from the chosen
class novel, it should be a
section that learners have not
yet read.
Once learners are confident with their choice of words, ask them to compare their improved
version with the original, considering the following question:
 Which words do you think are the most effective at conveying the intended purpose?
Why?
As they compare versions, ask learners to check the meanings of new words. Encourage
them to discuss the nuance and implied meaning of different words. Elicit more complex or
more effective synonyms of words learners have used.
7Wc.03 Use relevant features
when writing for a chosen
purpose.
7Wc.01 Write confidently in a
range of different genres of
fiction and types of poems.*
Remind learners about the story plans they began earlier in the unit. Tell learners that they
will be adding to their plans and using them to write their own adventure story.
Learners’ story plans (begun
earlier in the unit).
Learners have already had the opportunity to consider features of different genres earlier in
the unit. Ask them to reflect on their learning from across the unit to identify features of the
adventure genre, for example:
 a brave main character
 dialogue
 mystery and suspense
Sticky notes or small pieces of
paper.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
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Scheme of Work
unexpected events.
For each feature, ask learners to plan the ways in which they can incorporate these features
into their own writing. The example below shows part of a mind map outlining ways in which a
brave main character can be created:
If necessary, you can produce a model text that includes these features. One way to do this is
to put a simple paragraph on the board and edit it as a class to incorporate the identified
features. Learners can use this model for their success criteria.
Learners should have now planned the structure of their adventure story and the different
ways that they can include specific features for the intended purpose. Using their prior
knowledge of planning for story writing, learners should complete their plans, including details
of settings and characters.
Ask learners to leave their plans on their table and to move around the room, reading their
peers’ plans. Using sticky notes or small pieces of paper, learners can leave ideas and
questions for their peers on or next to their plans. When they have all returned to their seats,
give learners time to review the notes left for them and improve their plans as necessary.
Ask learners to write their adventure story. Their plans should support their writing and give
them confidence in their writing ability.
7Ra.01 Enjoy reading and
sharing a wide range of texts.*
At the start of the unit, learners had an opportunity to choose a text to read independently.
Ask them to bring in the text they read and be ready to share their reading experience with
others. They could share orally or in writing. In their feedback, encourage learners to refer to
their learning from across the unit. Ask questions such as:
 Did you enjoy the story? Why / why not?
 What sort of voice is it written in?
 How is the plot structured?
The texts chosen by learners for
independent reading at the start
of the unit.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
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Scheme of Work
What language choices has the writer made?
What features has the writer used? What is their effect?
Would you recommend this story to your peers?
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Scheme of Work
Unit 7.2 Sports: past and present
Unit 7.2 Sports: past and present
Outline of unit:
In this unit, learners will comment on a writer’s choice of language, show awareness of reasons for using simple, compound, complex and compound-complex
sentences, and identify differences between formal and informal language, before applying these features in their own writing. Learners will analyse what they
hear, and will infer and deduce to recognise and explain implicit meanings. Learners will use different methods of note-taking for different purposes, planning to
generate, organise and shape ideas, and using reading strategies to extract relevant information from a text. Learners will shape their writing for clarity and effect,
and show awareness of the impact of accommodating different purposes and contexts.
Recommended prior knowledge:
This unit explicitly builds on the following learning objectives covered in Stage 6:
Reading
Comment on a writer's choice of language, demonstrating some awareness of the impact on the reader.
Identify the main clause and other clauses (subordinate clauses) in a complex sentence.
Explore and discuss grammatical features in a range of texts, e.g. verb forms, sentence types, use of different word classes.
Read and explore a range of non-fiction text types.
Explore implicit meanings in a range of texts.
Locate and use relevant information from one or more points in a text, or from different texts, confidently and efficiently.
Writing
Explore and use different ways of representing consonants, e.g. -ck, -k, -ke, -que or -ch for /k/; -ch or -tch for /ʧ/; j-, g- or -dge for /ʤ/.
Use specialised vocabulary accurately to match a familiar topic.
Use a variety of simple, compound and complex sentences chosen for effect.
Use effective planning to inform the content and structure of extended writing, e.g. chapters.
Develop writing for a purpose using language and features appropriate for a range of text types.
Begin to decide when it is helpful to take notes and how to record them.
Speaking and Listening
Structure information to aid the listener’s understanding of the main and subsidiary points.
Listen, reflect on what is heard and give a reasoned response with reference to at least one specific point made by the speaker.
Begin to explain variations in communication, including register.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Key vocabulary:
skimming
scanning
annotating
formal
informal
register
synonym
simple
compound
complex
compound-complex
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Learning objectives
Suggested teaching activities
Resources
7Ri.02 Read and discuss a
range of different non-fiction
text types.*
Tell learners that they are going to read about a famous athlete. Explain that one half of the
class is going to read about one athlete and the other half is going to read about another
athlete. Divide the class in two. Give a different text to each half of the class. Ask learners to
read their text.
Two contrasting texts about two
different athletes. Each text
should be at least 400 words.
Try to find texts that are as
different as possible, such as an
online news article reporting an
incident involving a sportsperson
that is not entirely positive; and a
magazine interview with a
female athlete encouraging other
women and girls to take up her
sport.
7Ri.07 Use a range of reading
strategies to extract the
relevant information from a
text, including annotation.
7SLm.02 Shape talk for clarity
and effect, and to engage the
listener, in a range of familiar
contexts.
Ask learners to write six questions about their famous athlete. Emphasise that the answers to
their questions must be in their text. Pair each learner with someone who has worked on the
other text. Ask them to swap texts and questions and write an answer for each question, with
reference to the text. Before they start writing, ask learners:
 What strategies can you use to help you find the right information quickly and
accurately?
Learners should be able to refer to skills they used in Primary English, e.g. skimming,
scanning, annotating.
As learners answer the questions, circulate around the room and ask them which reading
strategies they are using and why.
Ask learners to choose an athlete to research. This could be one of the athletes from the
texts who they want to research further or an athlete of their choice. Before learners begin
their research, discuss which reading strategies will help them to structure and support their
research, e.g. questioning, summarising. The discussion should identify similarities and
differences between the strategies they use to answer the questions and those they use for
research.
Access to a range of non-fiction
sources about learners’ chosen
athletes. This could include
printed texts (e.g. newspapers
and magazines) or online texts
(e.g. athlete’s official website,
articles).
Sticky notes or small pieces of
paper.
Once learners have finished their research, tell them that they are going to present their
findings. Give them a time limit for their presentation and tell them that they need to prioritise
the information that they want to share to keep within the time limit. Ask learners to
summarise the key information and group it under different headings, e.g. Childhood, Awards,
Training. Ask learners to write each heading on a sticky note or small piece of paper. They
should arrange the sticky notes in the order that they want to share the information in their
presentation.
Organise learners into pairs and ask them to share their lists and discuss whether they would
change the order (or even remove any content) and why. Once they have had a chance to
review each other’s lists, ask questions such as:
 Do your orders differ? Why / why not?
 Who is the audience for your presentation?
 What is the purpose of your presentation?
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
 Whose order do you think you should use and why?
Elicit the importance of considering the purpose and audience when shaping any talk, rather
than just doing it the way you want to. Give learners the opportunity to reorganise their
presentations, if necessary.
Organise learners into groups to present what they have learned from their research.
7Wp.02 Use different ways of
note-taking when writing for
different purposes and use
notes to inform writing.
Activate learners’ prior understanding and knowledge of note-taking by asking questions such
as:
 Why do we take notes?
 When is it useful to take notes?
7Wc.02 Use a range of
planning methods to generate,
organise and shape ideas.
Elicit the different methods of note-taking that are familiar to learners and ask them if they
have a preferred method. Ensure that they are familiar with linear notes, graphic organisers
(e.g. mind maps and Venn diagrams) and flowcharts. Ask learners:
 In different situations, such as listening, reading or watching a video, is there one way
of note-taking that is better than the others?
 Why do you think this is?
7Wc.03 Use relevant features
when writing for a chosen
purpose.
A video of people participating in
sport (e.g. football, cricket,
tennis, cycling) in the early 20th
century.
Tell learners that you are going to show them a video of people playing a sport in the early
20th century. Tell them which sport it is and, before watching the video, ask them to write
notes on all the ways they think this sport was different in the past compared with now.
Suggest headings for their notes, e.g. Clothing, Equipment, Other differences. Ask them
which type of note-taking they think is most suitable for this activity and why. Not all learners
will, or should, use the same type of note-taking. They should, however, have a reason for
their choice.
Show learners a video of people playing a sport in the early 20th century and ask them to add
to their notes based on what they see and hear.
Once learners have finished making notes, ask them to work in small groups to compare
notes. Ask questions such as:
 Does anything in the video surprise you about [the sport] in the past?
 Has anyone missed something that others noticed?
 Did everyone notice and note the same things?
 Can you understand one another’s notes?
The discussion should ensure that learners reflect on how effective their note-taking was and
what (if anything) they would do differently next time they take notes.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Learners use their notes and work with a partner to plan an article entitled ‘[Chosen sport]
then and now’. To help learners prepare for writing:
 discuss possible ways they could use their notes to lay out their plan (e.g. as a mind
map, under headings and sub-points).
 elicit the purpose of their article (to inform, to compare the sport in the past with the
sport now).
Once they have clarified the purpose of the article, ask learners to use their prior knowledge
to contribute to a list of features that they can use for that purpose, e.g. subheadings. Record
this list somewhere visible so that all learners can refer to it to support their writing. You can
support the activity by asking questions such as:
 What features does an information article have?
 How will you structure your article?
 Will you use subheadings? Why?
 What sort of language or language features could you use?
Learners write their article from their plan.
7Rg.05 Identify differences
between formal and informal
language.
7SLr.02 Explain features of
communication, showing
awareness of the impact of
accommodating different
purposes and contexts.
7Wg.06 Use formal and
informal registers appropriately
according to context, purpose
and audience
Write a word, e.g. happy, on the board and ask learners to think of as many synonyms as
possible for the word. Record all synonyms on the board. Ideally, each learner should
contribute at least one word or phrase. You may get a range of synonyms, including
colloquialisms and slang, for example, happy might elicit thrilled, over the moon, chuffed to
bits, ecstatic, joyful, felicitous.
Elicit the meaning of formal and informal. Explain that formal/informal language is a spectrum,
not an either/or.
Pick two or three of the synonyms. Using the following continuum, discuss with learners
where they think the synonyms should be placed. This discussion may lead to learners
clarifying the meanings they gave earlier for formal and informal.
Formal ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Informal
Ask learners to continue placing the remaining words where they think they should be on the
continuum. Once they have done this, allow learners to see where others have placed the
words. Discuss the similarities and differences, asking learners to focus on any significant
differences and reasons for these.
Give learners two different versions of the same imaginary scenario featuring a conversation
between, for example, a teacher and learner – one version with both speakers using the
same level of formality, and the other version with the speakers using different levels of
Two versions of a short written
conversation showing a familiar
scenario, for example:
1. both teacher and learner
are using formal
language
2. the teacher is using
formal language and the
learner is using informal
language.
A range of scenarios featuring
people having a conversation,
e.g. an athlete talking to a
reporter, an athlete talking to
their coach, two athletes from
the same team talking in the
changing room. Each learner
should have one scenario, with
the scenarios evenly distributed
around the class.
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Scheme of Work
formality. Ask learners to work in pairs to read out each scenario in role. After they have read
the scenarios, ask learners to share their initial impressions with the whole class. If
necessary, you can support their feedback with questions such as:
 Was the learner rude to the teacher or were they polite? What makes you think that?
 Why did the teacher not use informal language with the learner?
 Do you think the learner uses formal or informal language with their friends? With
their parents?
Give learners a new scenario and ask them to write a conversation for the two speakers. In
their writing plan, learners should identify the context, purpose and audience for the scenario
and use this to inform their choice of formal/informal register.
Pair learners with a partner who had a different scenario. Ask them to share their
conversations with each other and explain their choices of formal/informal register with
reference to the context, purpose and audience.
7Ri.04 Use inference and
deduction to recognise and
explain implicit meanings.
7Rv.02 Comment on a writer’s
choice of language,
demonstrating an
understanding of the impact on
the reader.
7Wv.01 Use language
precisely to clarify and extend
intended meaning.
Show learners a range of images or video clips showing sports people expressing different
emotions. Ask learners to infer how the people are feeling and to identify the clues that led
them to make that inference, for example:
 He feels exhausted because he collapsed to the floor on his knees.
 She’s angry because she threw her racket on the ground.
A range of age-appropriate
images or video clips of sporting
moments, including moments of
different emotions (e.g. elation,
joy, exhaustion, anger).
Give learners an article or blog about an athlete or sports event. Ask learners to read the text
quickly (skim read) and then answer the questions:
 What is the writer’s attitude towards [the athlete or event]?
 How can you tell?
An article or blog about an
athlete or sports event that has
clear examples of facts and
opinions, for example, a report of
a sports match by a supporter of
one side.
As learners give their feedback on the writer’s attitude and the reasons for their inferences,
demonstrate annotating the text to capture this information. Ask learners to read the text
again by themselves and find further information that they can infer about the athlete or
event. Tell them to annotate the text as they read.
Ask learners to share the language they annotated and what they inferred from it:
 Why has the writer used that word/phrase?
 Why did the writer make you infer that information rather than tell you directly?
 What do you think of [the athlete or event] now that you have read this text?
 Has this article changed your opinion of [the athlete or event]? Why?
Choose a sentence or short paragraph that learners have annotated. Here is an example of
the type of sentence that you might identify:
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A typical mistake that we have come to expect from an overhyped contender.
Model how to make implicit information explicit, drawing on learners’ annotations:
 ‘A typical mistake’ implies that the athlete is always making mistakes, so let’s state
this explicitly: ‘[Athlete’s name] makes another mistake.’
 What other information can we add to make the meaning explicit?
Ask learners to compare the original text with the new text and identify any defining features.
Write these features on the board for learners to refer back to.
Ask learners to look at the notes they made on the text and choose another part where
information is implied. Ask them to write a sentence or a short paragraph to make the implicit
information explicit.
7Rg.02 Show awareness of
reasons for using simple,
compound, complex and
compound-complex
sentences.
7Wg.03 Use simple,
compound, complex and
compound-complex sentences
accurately, in a variety of
sentence types, to
communicate meaning.
7SLs.01 Listen, analyse what
is heard and give a reasoned
response that draws on a
range of sources.
Activate learners’ prior knowledge of different sentence structures. Display a piece of paper
with each sentence type in each corner of the room. Read out different sentences (and
display them on the board) and ask learners to stand next to the correct sentence type for
each sentence, for example:
 Mary eats lots of fruit. [simple]
 I do not have a cat because I am allergic. [compound]
 On Wednesdays, I play cricket, which is my favourite sport. [complex]
 Although David prefers watching comedy films, he rented the latest horror film and
enjoyed it very much. [compound-complex]
Read a paragraph that only has simple sentences in it. Elicit learners’ responses about
whether or not it is a good piece of writing. Explain that different sentence structures in writing
to add interest and because different structures can have specific functions. Ask learners to
suggest different reasons for using each type of sentence, for example to add:
 suspense [simple]
 emphasis to an important point [simple]
 precision to a description [complex].
Give learners a short text about someone who has completed an extraordinary sporting feat
such as taking part in the Paralympics or climbing a mountain. Ask learners to identify the
different sentence types used in the text, using colour coding. Ask learners to work in pairs to
look at the distribution of different sentence types and discuss why the writer used those
types of sentences and their effect on the reader. If learners require scaffolding, provide
sentence stems for them to complete, for example:
 I think the sentence that is most descriptive is … because …
 I think the sentence that stands out the most is … because …
Four pieces of paper. Each
paper should have one of the
following sentence structures
written on it:
 simple
 compound
 complex
 compound-complex.
A paragraph written using only
simple sentences.
A short article (or an extract from
an article) about someone who
has completed an extraordinary
sporting feat.
Photos or video clips of people
who have completed
extraordinary sporting feats.
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Show learners photos or video clips of people who have completed extraordinary sporting
feats. Ask learners to choose one of them to use as a stimulus for a piece of writing. If they
prefer, learners can use the text you looked at as a model, but ensure that they do not copy
from it.
When they have written their text, ask them to identify key elements within their writing, for
example, the most important thing they want readers to remember or the part that has the
most detail. For each element, ask them to think about which sentence structure would be the
most appropriate. Ask learners to edit their writing as necessary.
Organise learners into groups and ask them to take turns to read their work aloud. As they
listen to others’ work, learners should listen for examples of sentence structures that have
been used for a particular effect. If learners require scaffolding, give them different things to
listen out for, for example:
 [Name], you are listening for simple sentences. What kind of information do they give
you?
After listening, each learner should give feedback on the effects they heard and explain
whether they thought it was effective.
7Ww.01 Use known spelling
patterns to correctly spell most
commonly used words.
As a regular activity to develop spelling and extend vocabulary, put any new words on the
board. Ask learners to brainstorm any other forms of the word, (e.g. noun, adjective, adverb,
comparative, superlative). Ask them if they can think of any other words whose spelling works
the same way. Learners list all the words that work the same way and learn them together.
Using this approach, encourage learners to broaden their view of spellings and word
formations, from a focus on individual words to words in groups, according to how they are
spelt and how the different forms of the words are made. Whenever new words are
introduced, ask learners to use three of the new words (in any form) in their next piece of
writing.
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Unit 7.3 Animals observed
Unit 7.3 Animals observed
Outline of unit:
In this unit, learners will describe how writers use linguistic and literary techniques and comment on the key features of text structure before discussing how the
different features are combined for effect. Learners will use structural, linguistic and literary techniques to accurately convey their intended purpose in their own
writing. Learners will identify explicit information from a range of texts, commenting on the main ideas, viewpoints and purposes in a text, and writing to express
their own viewpoint. Learners will use language to express concrete and abstract ideas and opinions in detail, show insight into texts and issues through choice of
speech, gesture and movement, and read aloud with confidence, accuracy and style.
Recommended prior knowledge:
This unit explicitly builds on the following learning objectives covered in Stage 6:
Reading
Begin to explain how figurative language creates imagery in texts and takes understanding beyond the literal.
Explore and recognise the key features of text structure in a range of different fiction and non-fiction texts, including poems and playscripts.
Read and explore a range of fiction genres, poems and playscripts, including identifying the contribution of any visual elements or multimedia.
Explore explicit meanings in a range of texts.
Comment on how different viewpoints are expressed in fiction and non-fiction texts.
Enjoy independent and shared reading of fiction genres, poems, playscripts and non-fiction texts.
Writing
Begin to use figurative language to evoke an imaginative response from the reader.
Manage the development of an idea across an extended piece of writing, e.g. by linking the end to the beginning.
Develop creative writing in a range of different genres of fiction and types of poems.
Develop writing for a purpose using language and features appropriate for a range of text types.
Write balanced arguments, developing points logically and convincingly.
Begin to choose appropriate ways to lay out and present texts to suit the purpose and audience (handwritten, printed and onscreen).
Speaking and Listening
Use language to convey ideas and opinions, with increasing clarity and detail.
Read aloud with accuracy, and increasing confidence and style.
Convey ideas about characters in drama in different roles and scenarios through deliberate choice of speech, gesture and movement.
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Key vocabulary:
alliteration
sibilance
assonance
simile
personification
rhyme
onomatopoeia
literary technique
linguistic technique
viewpoint
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Learning objectives
Suggested teaching activities
Resources
7Ri.01 Read and discuss a
range of fiction genres, poems
and playscripts including the
contribution of any visual
elements or multimedia.*
Give learners a poem about an animal and ask them to read it independently. Once they
have read the poem, ask learners to write down what they think it is about, whether they liked
it, and any words that stand out. Discuss learners’ initial responses to the poem.
A poem about an animal and
related multimedia resources, for
example:
 The Fly by William Blake
- this was originally
published in an
illustrated manuscript
and there are readings
available online.
 The Raven by Edgar
Allen Poe. There are
readings and an
adaptation by The
Simpsons available
online.
Play learners a reading of the poem. As they listen, ask them to add to their initial responses
to the poem. Discuss their response to the reading:
 Did the reader read it differently to the way you read it? How was it different?
 Are there any parts of the poem that stood out in the reading? Why did they stand
out?
Show learners a visual depiction or accompaniment to the poem, for example an illustration
(or illustrations) from the original manuscript or an animation, depending on your choice of
poem. Ask learners again to add to their responses to the poem. If necessary, you can ask
questions to guide learners responses, for example:
 Does the illustration (or illustrations) depict the whole poem or just part of it?
 If only one part is illustrated, why do you think the poet/illustrator chose that part?
 Did your response to the poem change when they saw the illustration/illustrations?
Why / why not?
7Ri.03 Identify and explain the
meaning of explicit information
from a range of texts.
7Ra.01 Enjoy reading and
sharing a wide range of texts.*
7SLp.03 Show insight into
texts and issues through
choice of speech, gesture and
movement, within drama.
Show learners an extract from a nature documentary featuring an animal. While they watch,
ask them to note down any information the documentary explicitly presents about the animal,
for example:
 what the animal looks like
 how it behaves
 how it is treated by others
 what the voice-over says about it.
An extract from a nature
documentary. Choose a section
that focuses on a specific
animal, e.g. monkeys.
A poem about the same animal
as in the documentary, e.g. The
Monkey by Nancy Campbell.
Once they have watched the extract, ask learners for their impressions of the animal.
Learners should refer back to their notes to give reasons for their response.
Give learners a poem about the same animal as the one in the documentary. When they
have read the poem once, ask learners to read it again and identify what the poem explicitly
tells the reader about the animal, for example, from the line “a little ape that had such human
eyes” in The Monkey by Nancy Campbell, learners might note:
 the animal is small
 the animal has human-like eyes.
Ask learners to compare the similarities and differences in the way the animal is presented in
the two different texts, for example, using a Venn diagram.
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Once they have engaged with both texts, ask learners whether their impression of the animal
has changed since they first watched the extract from the documentary. Learners should give
a rationale for their response, ideally referring back to evidence from their notes. Responses
might refer to the difference between the purposes of the text (e.g. one is a factual
documentary, whilst the other a poem) or the use of factual or emotional language. Explain
that even though both texts present the animal differently, both of them may still contain
factual information. Texts can be created in such a way as to present a subject however the
writer wants.
Tell learners that they are going to create their own documentary about the animal. Organise
learners into groups. For the content of their documentary, ask them to use only the
information from the poem. For the format, tell them they can use the documentary as a
model. We suggest you do this as a drama activity, but it could be recorded and edited to
create a documentary.
Within each group, a ‘director’ could be chosen with the job of asking their peers the following
questions about the effectiveness of their speech, gestures and movements:
 Do our choice of words make it obvious what we want people to feel and think about
this animal?
 Do our gestures and movements clearly express the intended point?
Learners perform their documentaries for the rest of the class.
7Rv.03 Describe how linguistic
and literary techniques are
used to create effects in a
specific context, and use
accurate terminology, e.g.
using terms such as
assonance or sibilance to
differentiate between types of
phonetic repetition.
7Wv.02 Create an effect by
using key linguistic and literary
techniques.
7Wc.01 Write confidently in a
range of different genres of
fiction and types of poems.*
Ask learners to give examples of alliteration. Tell them that there are different types of
alliteration, and one type is sibilance. On the board, show some examples using different
graphemes on the board, for example:
 She sells seashells by the seashore.
 The charming children changed their chants.
 The crowds buzz waiting for the ships at the shore.
 A noisy noise annoys an oyster.
A poem about an animal
containing examples of sibilance
and other linguistic and literary
devices that learners are familiar
with, e.g. To the snake by
Denise Levertov.
An image of an animal.
Ask learners to identify what stands out from the examples. They may identify the graphemes
s-, sh-, ch-, zz-; the repeated hissing sound; or that the repeated sound does not have to be
at the start of a word. Use their responses to develop a definition of sibilance.
Give learners a poem, for example To the snake by Denise Levertov, and ask them to read it
and underline any examples of sibilance. Choose one example from the poem, for example:
“and stroked your cold, pulsing throat / as you hissed to me, glinting”, and discuss the effect
of the sibilance on the reader. This quote could elicit the following points or similar:
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

Scheme of Work
It evokes the sound of a snake and, as each example is spaced by two or three other
words, it suggests that the snake is moving slowly.
The sibilance on the word ‘hissed’ emphasises the onomatopoeic sound of a snake.
Ask learners to choose another example of sibilance from the poem and work independently
to describe its effect. Give them the opportunity to share their analysis.
Ask learners to read the poem again and identify any other linguistic and literary devices, e.g.
similes, personification, rhyme. Once they have annotated the poem, ask learners to add to
their previous analysis. They should choose examples of at least two different techniques and
describe how they are being used to create effects in the poem.
Show learners an image of an animal. Ask them to note down anything that they think of in
relation to the animal when they see the image, for example:
 What does the animal look like?
 How is it behaving?
 What could it be feeling?
 How does it make you feel when you look at the image?
Ask learners to prepare to write their own poem about an animal by writing examples of a
range of linguistic and literary techniques, using the image as a stimulus. Ask them to look
again at their notes and think about the image that they want to create with their words.
Encourage them to include their examples of these techniques in their own poem.
As learners write their poem, circulate around the room and offer support through targeted
questioning, for example:
 Why did you use [linguistic/literary technique]?
 Does it create the effect you intended?
7Rs.01 Comment on the key
features of text structure in a
range of fiction and non-fiction
texts, including poetic forms.
7Ws.01 Shape the overall
structure and sequence of a
chosen text to convey the
intended purpose accurately.
Organise learners into groups. Give each group a range of poems that exemplify different
types of poems and short descriptions of each type. Ask learners to match the poem to the
description of its structure.
Ask each group to choose one type of poem to focus on. Ask them to identify where the
different structural features are within the poem and to annotate the text accordingly.
Ask learners to each plan and write their own poem using the poetic structure they identified
and annotated. Before they start writing, discuss different ways of planning. You can support
the discussion with questions such as:
A range of poems about
animals. Each poem should
exemplify a different type of
poem, e.g. haiku, limerick.
A short description of the
different types of poems you
have chosen, for example:
 17 syllables, arranged in
three lines of 5, 7 and 5
syllables. They are often
about nature and
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7

Scheme of Work
Should we start with the thematic features, for example, with a reference to a season,
or with the linguistic features, for example, with the number of syllables per line?
Why?
contain a reference to a
season. [Haiku]
Once learners have a draft of their poem, ask them to swap it with someone else in their
group. Ask learners to identify the different structural features in their partner’s poem and give
their partner feedback in answer to the following questions:
 Which structural features are used in this poem?
 Have these structural features been used successfully? If so, how?
7Ri.10 Begin to discuss how a
writer combines different
structural, linguistic and literary
features for effect.
7Wc.03 Use relevant features
when writing for a chosen
purpose.
7Wp.03 Use different layouts
and presentation in a variety of
texts (handwritten, printed and
onscreen).
Show learners a poem that exemplifies a poetic structure they are familiar with, for example
haiku:
An old silent tree…
A squirrel jumps on the branch
Crash! Silence again.
A poem that exemplifies a
particular poetic structure that
learners are familiar with, e.g.
haiku, limerick.
Different coloured pens.
Read the poem aloud and encourage learners to give their initial impressions and express
what they think it is about. There are no wrong answers as this is asking for personal
interpretation, and so they could be either literal or metaphorical. One possible interpretation
of the above example could be:
 Someone is disrupting what normally occurs, but after the initial disruption everything
goes back to the way it was.
Once their initial impressions have been shared, ask learners to annotate the linguistic and
literary features of the poem, for example:
For each linguistic/literary feature that they identify, ask learners to analyse why the poet
might have used it, for example:
 The onomatopoeia of ‘crash’ emphasises the noise that breaks the silence.
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Ask learners to annotate the structural features of the poem using a different coloured pen,
for example:
For each structural feature that they identify, ask learners to analyse why the poet might have
used it, for example:
 The ellipsis adds to the silence without having to add any more words and break the
5-7-5 syllable structure.
Tell learners to look again at all their annotations and find any overlap in their analysis. Model
some observations that learners could make, for example:
 [identifying the features that show overlap] The repetition of ‘silent’/‘silence’, the
onomatopoeic use of ‘crash’, the use of the ellipsis, and the 5-7-5 syllable structure
all relate to the presentation of noise/silence in the poem.
 [demonstrating how evidence from the structural, linguistic and literary features
combine to support their interpretation] Repeating the theme of silence emphasises
its importance. The ellipsis makes the reader silent, which emphasises the effect of
the silence without adding any more words. This makes the squirrel’s jump very
disruptive as it breaks the strong sense of silence.
Ask learners to write their observations independently using different evidence from their
annotations. If learners require scaffolding, you can provide sentence stems for them to
complete:
 [first feature] suggests … and [second feature] suggests …
 This makes the reader think …
 The poet is trying to show …
Ask learners to revisit a poem that they have previously written and reflect on their intended
effect. Ask them to compare their poem with the poem that they have just analysed,
considering the following questions:
 Look at the structural, linguistic and literary features you have used in your poem.
Does each feature support the intended effect? Why? / Why not?
 What could you do differently?
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Give learners time to redraft their poems and create a final draft.
7SLm.03 Use language to
express concrete and abstract
ideas and opinions in detail.
7Ri.11 Identify and comment
on the main ideas, viewpoints
and purposes in a text.
7Wc.05 Write to express a
personal viewpoint in fiction
and non-fiction writing.
Write an animal on the board, e.g. cat, chicken, and ask learners to think-pair-share their
viewpoint on it based on their knowledge or experience. Their responses will be personal,
some based on facts and others on emotional responses, so there are no wrong answers. If a
cat, for example, learners’ viewpoint could include:
 Soft and gentle – just wants to be stroked all the time.
 Vicious – they’ll attack your feet if you move them.
A poem about an animal that
describes it from a particular
viewpoint, e.g. The Rum Tum
Tugger by TS Eliot or The Hen
by Oliver Herford.
Give learners a poem that presents the same animal from a particular viewpoint and read it
as a class. Ask questions such as:
 Is the poet’s viewpoint different from yours or is it the same? How do you know?
Ask learners to identify the words and phrases that support or contradict their viewpoint. For
each word/phrase that they identify, ask learners to explain how it supports or contradicts
their viewpoint and be prepared to feed back to the rest of the class.
Tell learners that earlier, when you asked them for their initial thoughts about the animal, they
gave a mixture of factual and emotive responses. This time, however, they need to either use
evidence from the poem to support their viewpoint or provide a quotation and contrast the
poet’s viewpoint with their own evidence. You can provide sentence stems to support
learners, for example:
 The poem says …, which supports my view that …
 The poem says …, which I think is incorrect because …
Tell learners that they are going to rewrite the poem (or part of it) from a different viewpoint,
for example, from the animal’s viewpoint. Demonstrate that it is not enough to just change a
couple of words and phrases. Do this by modelling adapting a line or two, for example:
[Original]
When you let him in, then he wants to be out;
He’s always on the wrong side of every door
[Adapted]
Their job is to let me in, then let me out;
Though I often wonder – what is the point of the door?
Discuss the changes, asking questions to support the discussion, such as:
 How have we shown that the speaker has changed?
 What has stayed the same?
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Ask learners to rewrite the poem from a different viewpoint.
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Scheme of Work
Unit 7.4 Heroes
Unit 7.4 Heroes
Outline of unit:
In this unit, learners will comment on the writer’s use of punctuation and text organisation for an intended purpose, and will apply these skills in their own writing.
Learners will identify and comment on the main ideas, viewpoints and purposes in a text, and will collate and summarise ideas, expressing their own personal
viewpoint. Learners will demonstrate expertise as they take up different group roles, plan and deliver presentations, and use non-verbal communication to
enhance meaning. Learners will use the conventions of standard English consistently in their own writing.
Recommended prior knowledge:
This unit explicitly builds on the following learning objectives covered in Stage 6:
Reading
Deduce the meanings of unfamiliar phrases from their context, including phrases which are no longer common in modern times.
Explore in texts, and understand, the uses of colons, semi-colons, ellipses, parenthetic commas, dashes and brackets.
Explore and recognise how ideas are organised and linked cohesively across a text, e.g. new chapters to manage flashbacks or events which are presented out of
chronological order; use of however and on the other hand to introduce a new paragraph in a balanced argument.
Read and explore a range of non-fiction text types.
Locate and use relevant information from one or more points in a text, or from different texts, confidently and efficiently.
Comment on how different viewpoints are expressed in fiction and non-fiction texts.
Begin to choose a more diverse range of books to read, including writers or genres which compare or contrast with previous reading.
Writing
Use punctuation effectively to clarify meaning in complex sentences.
Use the conventions of standard English appropriately in writing, including for different types of texts, e.g. verb forms, sentence structure, use of different word
classes.
Use paragraphs, sections and chapters to organise ideas and support overall cohesion of a text, e.g. new chapters to manage flashbacks or events which are
presented out of chronological sequence.
Use effective planning to inform the content and structure of extended writing, e.g. chapters.
Write balanced arguments, developing points logically and convincingly.
Develop a personal handwriting style to write legibly, fluently and with appropriate speed.
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Scheme of Work
Speaking and Listening
Adapt non-verbal communication techniques for different purposes and contexts.
Take different assigned roles within groups, and begin to assign roles within a group.
Plan and deliver independent and group presentations confidently to a range of audiences, adapting presentations appropriately to the audience.
Key vocabulary:
legible
word family
word root
summary
hyphen
standard English
non-verbal communication
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Scheme of Work
Learning objectives
Suggested teaching activities
Resources
7Wp.01 Sustain a fast, fluent
and legible handwriting style.*
Give learners a text about someone who could be considered a hero. Ask them to copy out
as much of the text as they can in one minute.
7Rv.01 Deduce the meanings
of unfamiliar words in context
using a range of strategies,
including knowledge of word
families, etymology and
morphology.*
At the end of the minute, ask learners to share their work with a partner and count the
number of words they have written. Only legible words can be counted. Tell them to record
this number and aim to beat it next time. In their pairs, ask learners to identify ways to
improve their handwriting, for example, by focusing on the formation of certain letters, making
upstrokes taller, writing on the line, or leaving clearer gaps between words.
An information text about
someone who could be
considered a hero. The text
should be long enough for
learners not to run out of words
in one minute.
7Ww.02 Show understanding
of word families, roots,
derivations and morphology in
spelling.*
This activity can be repeated at various stages during the unit so that learners can measure
their progress.
Ask learners to look again at the text they have just copied out and to:
 underline all the new words
 deduce the meaning of each new word from the rest of the sentence
 check the meaning of the new words in a dictionary and compare it with how close
their own idea of the meaning was
 brainstorm in pairs and write down any related words they can think of, for example,
words with the same root or words in the same family.
Give learners a few more words and ask them to identify which group they belong to, by
reason of either their root or their formation. Learners can record these in their vocabulary
books and group them by root or formation family, not alphabetically.
7Ri.02 Read and discuss a
range of different non-fiction
text types.*
7Ri.06 Collate and summarise
ideas and information from a
text.
Give learners a text about someone who could be considered a hero. Ask them to read the
text and identify the information that is given about the hero.
An information text about
someone who could be
considered a hero.
Once they have a list of the information, ask learners to:
 say what you know about the hero in five sentences
 say what is in those five sentences in one sentence
 say what is in that sentence in five words
 say what is in those five words in one word.
Ask learners to look again at their summaries and evaluate the usefulness of each level of
summary, for example, the one-word summary can be useful for identifying the main idea or
purpose.
7Rg.01 Comment on the use
of punctuation to create
Show learners two versions of the same sentence – one with punctuation and one without, for
example:
Punctuation bingo cards. Each
card should have a different
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
effects, e.g. using an ellipsis to
show a cliffhanger.
7Wg.02 Use a range of
punctuation accurately to
clarify meaning in sentences
and dialogue
7Wg.05 Use the conventions
of standard English
consistently in writing.


Scheme of Work
combination of punctuation
marks.
I like cooking my family and my pets.
I like cooking, my family and my pets.
Emphasise to learners the impact of punctuation on the meaning of a sentence and discuss
how punctuation marks can have different purposes.
Give learners a bingo card with a set of different punctuation marks, for example:
.
-
!
()
An unpunctuated paragraph
from a story about a hero
learners are familiar with that
includes direct speech.
Play the punctuation bingo game. Ask learners to listen to definitions of different punctuation
marks, for example:
 It can be used to emphasise a point or show that a character is shouting [exclamation
mark]
 It can be used to join two adjectives together [hyphen]
As you read out each definition, learners identify the punctuation mark referred to, scan their
bingo card for that mark and, if they it on their card, cross it out. The first learner to cross out
all their punctuation marks correctly is the winner.
Give learners an unpunctuated paragraph from a story about a hero with whom learners are
familiar and ask them to punctuate it accurately. Once they have completed the paragraph,
ask learners to share their paragraph with a partner, checking for accuracy and any
differences in meaning resulting from their choice of punctuation.
Tell learners that they are going to write the continuation of the paragraph. You can assign
particular punctuation marks to different learners and challenge them to use them in their
writing, for example:
 [Learner 1] use at least three different punctuation marks.
 [Learner 2] include at least one colon and one exclamation mark.
Explain to learners that even though they are focused on and developing other skills in their
writing, they still need to apply the conventions of standard English consistently. Before any
extended writing task, ask learners to reflect on the conventions of standard English and
include these in the success criteria.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
7Ra.03 Experiment with the
choice of books read, including
choosing writers or genres
which compare or contrast
with previous reading.
7Ri.11 Identify and comment
on the main ideas, viewpoints
and purposes in a text.
7Wc.05 Write to express a
personal viewpoint in fiction
and non-fiction writing.
Give learners a graphic novel or comic about a superhero, give them time to read it
independently and ask:
 How is this text similar to other ‘hero’ texts you have read in this unit?
 How is it different?
Scheme of Work
A short graphic novel or comic
about a superhero.
As part of the discussion, elicit the difference between a hero and a superhero, e.g.
superheroes have superpowers.
Focus on the superpowers the character uses in the graphic novel or comic. Ask learners to
decide whether the superpowers are shown as a positive attribute or a negative attribute.
Depending on the text chosen, you could split learners into groups to focus on different
characters, for example, the superhero and villain. Learners should identify evidence from the
images and words from the text to support their decisions.
Give learners a different superpower to focus on, e.g. flying, turning invisible, reading minds.
Ask learners to write a short rationale considering:
 whether they themselves would like to have that superpower
 why it would be a good thing or a bad thing to have that superpower
 what superpower they would choose to have and why.
7SLg.01 Independently
identify and take up group
roles as needed, and
demonstrate expertise.*
Tell learners that they are going to research a hero of their choice in groups of four to six and
present their research in a poster and an oral presentation for the rest of the class. Ask
learners to consider the different roles that result in a successful group and tell them that at
the end of the activity they will reflect on their role in the group.
7Rs.02 Identify and comment
on the variety of ways in which
the content of texts can be
organised and linked to
support the intended purpose,
including paragraphs.
Show learners a range of informative posters and ask them to identify the common
organisational features, e.g. title, sub-headings, images.
7Wc.02 Use a range of
planning methods to generate,
organise and shape ideas.
7Ws.02 Use a range of
organisational features
accurately to link ideas, and
clarify and extend meaning.
Organise learners into groups and ask them to choose a hero to research. Give each group a
different poster and ask learners to identify its intended purpose. Once the purpose has been
identified, ask learners to look at each organisational feature and say how they think it
supports the purpose. If learners require scaffolding, provide sentence stems for them to
complete such as:
 The choice of image supports the purpose because …
 The subheading supports the purpose by…
A range of informative posters,
enough for one per group.
Resources as required for
learners to create their posters.
This may include poster paper,
access to research materials
(books, internet, etc.), a printer
or photocopier.
A few short video clips of people
delivering presentations. Try to
choose those that demonstrate a
range of non-verbal
communication techniques, both
successfully and unsuccessfully.
Give learners time to research their chosen hero.
Once their research is done, ask learners to agree the intended purpose for their poster and
to plan which organisational features they will use to support it. Learners should already be
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
7SLm.04 Use non-verbal
communication techniques to
enhance meaning.*
7SLp.04 Plan and deliver
presentations confidently in a
range of contexts, making
choices about the most
appropriate media.
Scheme of Work
familiar with a range of planning methods, but offer support as they identify an appropriate
planning method for themselves by asking questions such as:
 Which planning method are you going to use?
 Why have you chosen that particular planning method?
Give learners time to finish their planning and create their posters.
Show learners short video clips of speakers presenting to an audience. As learners watch the
clips, ask them to make notes about the use of non-verbal communication techniques, for
example:
 general movement (including pacing, standing still)
 facial expressions
 hand gestures.
Ask learners for feedback on their notes and discuss which presentations were the most
successful and why. As a class, generate a list of success criteria for using non-verbal
communication in a presentation.
Give learners time to plan and practise their presentations in their groups. As they practise,
learners can give feedback to one another about their use of non-verbal communication and
how it could be adapted to further enhance the speaker’s intended meaning.
Ask learners to deliver their presentations to the rest of the class.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Unit 7.5 Travel and transport
Unit 7.5 Travel and transport
Outline of unit:
In this unit, learners will identify bias in a text and use inference and deduction to recognise and explain implicit meanings. Learners will comment on how the
writer builds up detail through the grammatical structure of their sentences, uses the key features of text structure, uses connectives and sentence openings for
impact, and conveys theme; applying these skills in their own writing. Learners will evaluate their own and other’s work, ensuring that their content is appropriate
for the intended audience and purpose. Learners will plan and deliver a persuasive speech and adapt their communication for impact.
Recommended prior knowledge:
This unit explicitly builds on the following learning objectives covered in Stage 6:
Reading
Explore differences between written and spoken English by comparing narrative and dialogue.
Explore and recognise the key features of text structure in a range of different fiction and non-fiction texts, including poems and playscripts.
Explore implicit meanings in a range of texts.
Distinguish between fact and opinion in a range of texts.
Recognise explicit and implicit ways in which the theme of a text is conveyed.
Writing
Explore a range of spelling rules and exceptions.
Manage the development of an idea across an extended piece of writing, e.g. by linking the end to the beginning.
Use a range of connectives to link paragraphs and sections clearly and cohesively, e.g. use of however and on the other hand to introduce counter-arguments in a
balanced argument.
Develop writing for a purpose using language and features appropriate for a range of text types.
Develop writing of a range of text types for a specified audience, using appropriate content and language.
Evaluate own and others’ writing, suggesting improvements for sense, accuracy and content, including to enhance the effect.
Speaking and Listening
Show awareness of different audiences, e.g. by using the appropriate register.
Begin to make choices about the most appropriate media for a particular presentation.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Key vocabulary:
bias
fact
opinion
imply
connective
non-standard English
35
Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Learning objectives
Suggested teaching activities
Resources
7Ri.05 Identify bias in a text.
Say a biased statement to learners, for example:
 When I go on holiday, I always fly with [name of airline] as they are the most
comfortable and offer the best value.
A print travel advertisement
containing examples of explicit
and implicit bias.
7Ri.04 Use inference and
deduction to recognise and
explain implicit meanings.
Discuss the statement, asking questions such as:
 Is this a fact or an opinion? How do you know?
 Do you trust in my statement about the airline? Why / why not?
 What other information do you need to know before you can trust me to be telling the
truth?
Give learners a hypothetical piece of information, for example:
 By the way, I am related to the owner of the airline.
Discuss how this affects their view by asking, for example:
 Does this additional information affect what you think of my first statement?
 Now that you have this information, do you find the statement more or less
trustworthy? Why?
In the discussion, introduce the term bias and explore how the statement was biased.
Show learners a travel advertisement and ask them to identify any examples of bias within
the text. Ensure that learners do not only focus on explicit information, but also consider
implicit information:
 Does the advertisement suggest anything without actually stating it?
 What does it imply?
 How does it do this?
 Why has the writer implied it rather than stating it explicitly?
Once learners have identified examples of implicit bias in the advertisement, ask them to
consider why the writer has used bias. If necessary, support learners to avoid statements that
are too general, e.g. To help persuade the reader that they are the best, and instead focus on
the impact of the specific word choice.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
7Ws.03 Use appropriate
connectives and sentence
openings to clarify connections
in writing, e.g. connectives for
comparison, sequencing,
qualifying.
Give learners a piece of paper, each with a different part of a compound sentence written on
it. Ask them to get into groups to make a complete sentence.
7Rs.03 Comment on the
impact of a writer's choice of
connectives and sentence
openings on the intended
purpose and audience.
Write a short text on the board, for example:
Once they have made their sentences, ask groups to share their sentence with the rest of the
class and explain why they thought it was the best sentence they could make. Ask:
 What is the connective signposting for the audience?
Mia carefully crept up the creaking staircase. The lights were out.
Model how connectives could have different functions, for example, if the writer wanted to
signpost additional information the passage could be rewritten as:
Mia carefully crept upstairs. Each stair creaked and the lights were out.
Scheme of Work
One piece of paper per learner
with part of a compound
sentence on it. There should be
enough for one per learner.
Each sentence should include a
different connective, for
example, three of the pieces of
paper could read:
 the passenger stood up
on the bus
 because
 there were no seats left
A short, gapped text with the
connectives removed.
Discuss how the emphasis of the passage has changed and what the impact of this is.
Ask learners to rewrite the text with different signposts for the reader. Give them different
connectives to use, for example to signpost a:
 comparison (e.g. similarly, likewise, equally)
 qualification (e.g. however, although, unless)
 sequence (e.g. next, after, meanwhile).
Once learners have their updated passages, ask them to share their texts with the class and
record them on the board. Discuss how the emphasis of the passage differs with each
example, and elicit how this affects its impact.
Give learners a short, gapped text with the connectives removed and ask them to fill in the
gaps with the most appropriate connective, for example:
____ we ran as fast as possible, the train closed its doors ____ sped off. ____ we
were late meeting our friend.
Once learners have completed the text, ask them to swap with a partner. Ask learners to
annotate their partner’s writing, considering the following questions:
 What is the connective signposting?
 What impact does the connective have on the sentence?
 Is there another connective that would have greater impact? Which connective and
why?
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
7Rs.01 Comment on the key
features of text structure in a
range of fiction and non-fiction
texts, including poetic forms.
7Ws.01 Shape the overall
structure and sequence of a
chosen text to convey the
intended purpose accurately.
Give learners a travel article that has been cut up into parts. Ask learners to put the pieces of
the article back together. Before they start, tell learners to be mindful of the textual clues they
use to restructure the text as you will ask them for feedback later.
Once they have put the article in order, ask learners to identify the features that helped them
to decide the correct order. Depending on the text, learners may identify some of the
following:
 an overview is given in the first paragraph to introduce the rest of the text
 the connective at the start of the paragraph signposts its relationship to the
paragraph before
 these two paragraphs are both about [x], so I placed them underneath the [x]
subheading.
Scheme of Work
A piece of travel writing, e.g. an
extract from a newspaper travel
article. Cut up the article so that
any headings, sub-headings and
paragraphs are all separate.
Ask learners to annotate each structural feature they can identify in the article, giving its
name and commenting on it purpose in this text.
Give learners a writing brief, for example:
 Purpose: to inform readers about a place
 Text type: a travel article
 Content: an incident that occurred, a description of the place, etc.
Ask learners to plan a piece of writing that meets the brief, giving a rationale for each of their
structural decisions, e.g. I am going to describe the place first because …
Once they have written their plan, ask learners to discuss it with a partner, identifying any
ways in which the structure and sequence could be improved.
Give learners time to write their travel article.
7Rg.03 Comment on how a
writer builds up detail through
the grammatical structure of
their sentences.
7Wg.04 Build up detail through
the grammatical structure of
sentences, e.g. expanding
verb phrases.
Model how to build up detail in a sentence, for example:
 The girl
 The girl waited. [verb added]
 The quiet girl waited. [adjective added]
 The quiet girl waited impatiently. [adverb added]
A piece of travel writing, e.g.
from a newspaper travel article.
It should be no longer than 500
words.
A scenic picture.
After each addition, encourage learners to comment on what has been done to change the
grammatical structure of the sentence and what the added detail tells them about the girl.
Show learners a travel article. Once learners have read it, ask them to choose two or three
sentences, identify and comment on the grammatical features the writer has used in each
sentence, suggesting why the writer has used those features.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Show learners a scenic picture. Ask them to imagine that they are in the place shown in the
picture and write an extract for a travel article, detailing their experience in that place.
Once learners have written a paragraph, ask them to stop and reread their work. As they
reread their paragraph, ask them to annotate the grammatical features that they have used,
considering the following:
 Have you overused any feature?
 Are there any grammatical features you have not used, but which you could use?
Ask them to reflect on the grammatical features and to set themselves a goal in order to build
up further detail in their writing, e.g. I will use more adverbs to detail how I …
Give learners time to add further detail to their writing to achieve their goal.
7Rg.04 Comment on the ways
in which a writer uses nonstandard English.
7Ri.09 Comment on the
different ways in which writers
convey theme and the impact
on the reader.
Give learners two texts to read. Both should contain the same information, but one should be
written in standard English and the other in non-standard English, for example:
Standard English
We were in an unfamiliar part of town and
our guide suggested, “If I were you…”
Non-standard English
We was now in a bit of town we ain’t never
been to before. Me mate suggested, “If I
was you…”
Ask learners to identify what makes the text non-standard, e.g. incorrect subject–verb
agreement, incorrect use of a double negative.
Ask learners to think-pair-share about why writers may choose to use non-standard English.
Once a list of reasons has been compiled, ask learners to consider why the writer of this text
in particular may have used non-standard English.
Two texts: both should contain
the same information, but one
should be written in standard
English and other in nonstandard English.
An audio recording or video of a
persuasive speech, such as ‘The
Decision to Go to the Moon’ by
John F. Kennedy. Try to find one
that contains examples of both
standard and non-standard
English.
A transcript of the same speech.
Play a recording of an extract from a persuasive speech. Allow learners to listen to it without
giving them the transcript. Ask questions such as:
 What is the speaker trying to persuade us of?
 How does the speech make you feel when you hear it?
 Is the speaker using standard or non-standard English?
 Is the speaker talking the same as they would in a normal conversation?
 In what ways does the speech sound different from everyday conversation?
Play the extract again and allow learners to follow along with the transcript. Ask them to
highlight any grammatical, structural or literary features that they can identify. Ask learners for
feedback on the features that they identify. Choose a couple of features as examples and
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
discuss how these support the theme of the speech and its intended impact. Ask questions
such as:
 How does this structural feature support the theme of the speech?
 How does this grammatical feature affect you when you hear it? Why?
Ask learners to choose another feature that they identified in the speech and comment
independently on how it supports the theme and what its impact is on the audience.
7Wc.03 Use relevant features
when writing for a chosen
purpose.
Give learners a set of cards with persuasive features on some of them and the corresponding
definitions on the rest of them . Ask learners to match the definitions to the features. Tell
learners that these are all features that writers can use when communicating to persuade.
7Wc.04 Create content to suit
a specified audience.
Give learners a travel advertisement and ask them to identify and annotate the persuasive
features they find in the text.
7SLp.05 Plan and deliver a
persuasive speech in a familiar
context.
Show learners a list of words, e.g. our, I, together, and ask them to sort them into two groups:
an ‘inclusive language’ group and a ‘non-inclusive language’ group. Discuss the groupings
with learners, asking them to identify any further examples and to explain why it is useful to
include inclusive language when persuading.
7SLm.05 Adapt
communication to create
appropriate impact on different
audiences.*
Cards for a matching activity,
containing the names and
definitions of different persuasive
features, e.g. repetition,
alliteration, rhetorical question.
A travel advertisement
containing persuasive features.
Give each learner a different mode of transport, e.g. plane, car, bus, train. Tell them that they
are going to persuade a group of business executives who need to travel from Town A to
Town B to use their mode of transport.
Ask learners to create a mind map, thinking about the things that would be important for their
target audience to consider, for example:
Ask learners to plan the main points that they will make in their speech to address the things
that the audience find important, adding these to their mind map, for example:
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Ask learners to plan which persuasive features they will use to support each point of their
argument, for example:
Your points
This mode of transport is the most
comfortable and stylish.
Persuasive features
Triples – emphasise the features of the
mode of transport
Personal pronouns – use inclusive
language to make the audience feel
involved
For each point, ask learners to write a paragraph using the features from their plan, for
example:
Ready to take to the friendly skies? Well, take your time, sit back and relax: let us
take care of you. Our chic, calm and comfortable first class and business class cabins
mean that whether you want to work or unwind you can do so in style …
Ask learners to look at their paragraphs and place them in the most effective order for their
purpose. Tell learners that they need to consider the structural features that they will use to
shape their writing.
Ask learners to review the draft of their persuasive speech and underline the key words and
phrases that they want to emphasise to their audience, for example:
Ready to take to the friendly skies? Well, take your time, sit back and relax: let us
take care of you. Our chic, calm and comfortable first class and business class cabins
mean that whether you want to work or unwind you can do so in style …
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Ask learners to annotate the underlined words and phrases to indicate how they will
emphasise them. This could include non-verbal techniques, pace or tone of voice, for
example, emphasising the rhetorical question by smiling and holding out arms or adding an
extended pause on the comma after ‘well’.
Give learners time to practise their speech before delivering it to the rest of the class.
7Wp.04 Evaluate and edit to
improve the accuracy and
effectiveness of language,
grammar and structure of own
and others' writing.
7Ww.03 Use relevant
strategies for spelling
correctly.
Organise learners into pairs. Ask them to swap their persuasive speeches from the previous
row and review each other’s work, checking for:
 accuracy of language (spelling/word choice)
 effectiveness of language (word choice, imagery)
 grammatical accuracy (verb forms)
 grammatical complexity (range of sentence lengths/types)
 structure (paragraphs).
A copy of learners’ own
persuasive speech, written in a
previous activity.
Ask learners to edit their speech taking into account their partner’s feedback.
When they are checking spelling, if they are uncertain of a particular spelling, ask learners to
think of related words with the same root or grammar form. Elicit and recap any spelling rules
they know.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Unit 7.6 On stage
Unit 7.6 On stage
Outline of unit:
In this unit, learners will support personal and critical responses to texts with relevant textual references, show insight into texts and issues through their choice of
speech, gesture and movement, and write with confidence. Learners will comment on the use of punctuation to create effects and use a range of punctuation in
their own writing. Learners will read aloud with confidence, accuracy and style, and will show evidence of reading ahead when reading an unseen text aloud.
Learners will comment on the different ways texts can reflect the social, cultural and historical contexts in which they were written, identify and comment on the
main ideas, viewpoints and purposes in a text, and express a personal viewpoint in their own writing. Learners will use a range of planning methods to generate,
organise and shape ideas, use different ways of note-taking, identify points of agreement and disagreement in opposing points of view, and evaluate own and
others' talk, including giving constructive feedback.
Recommended prior knowledge:
This unit explicitly builds on the following learning objectives covered in Stage 6:
Reading
Explore in texts, and understand, the uses of colons, semi-colons, ellipses, parenthetic commas, dashes and brackets.
Support answers to questions with reference to, or quotations from, one or more points in a text.
Comment on how different viewpoints are expressed in fiction and non-fiction texts.
Comment on how readers might react differently to the same text, depending on where or when they are reading it.
Writing
Develop creative writing in a range of different genres of fiction and types of poems.
Use effective planning to inform the content and structure of extended writing, e.g. chapters.
Write balanced arguments, developing points logically and convincingly.
Begin to decide when it is helpful to take notes and how to record them.
Speaking and Listening
Show consideration of another point of view.
Read aloud with accuracy, and increasing confidence and style.
Convey ideas about characters in drama in different roles and scenarios through deliberate choice of speech, gesture and movement.
Evaluate own and others' talk, including what went well and what could be improved next time.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Key vocabulary:
gesture
movement
colon
semi-colon
ellipsis
context
register
formal
informal
44
Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Learning objectives
Suggested teaching activities
Resources
7Ri.08 Support and inform
personal and critical
responses to texts with
relevant textual references.
Introduce a drama text to learners and begin reading a scene or two as a class. Different
roles can be allocated to different learners. Check frequently for understanding, asking
questions such as:
 What just happened?
 What does the character mean by that?
A playscript written at least 100
years ago, e.g. Much Ado About
Nothing by William
Shakespeare.
7SLp.03 Show insight into
texts and issues through
choice of speech, gesture and
movement, within drama.
7Wc.01 Write confidently in a
range of different genres of
fiction and types of poems.*
Organise learners into groups and give each group an extract from the play and a large piece
of paper with the outline of a character from that section drawn in the middle. Ask learners to
discuss in their groups the personality, temperament, feelings of the character (in other
words, their ‘internal’ characteristics) and their actions, behaviour (their ‘external’ self). Any
impressions that are about the character’s internal character, e.g. emotions, personality,
should be recorded inside the outline; their impressions of the character’s external behaviour
should be written outside the outline.
For each characteristic that they identify, ask learners to find relevant textual references to
support their view, for example:
An extract from the play that
includes stage directions and
dialogue.
Extract of dialogue from a novel
that includes dialogue.
Large pieces of paper with the
outline image of a character from
the extract on each one.
BEATRICE: I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick: nobody
marks you.
BENEDICK: What, my dear Lady Disdain! are you yet living?
BEATRICE: Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food
to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to disdain, if you
come in her presence.
BENEDICK: Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all
ladies, only you excepted: and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a
hard heart; for, truly, I love none.
Benedick is vain.
‘But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted’
For each characteristic, ask learners to think about how the character would show it through
their tone, gesture and movement, for example, pointing at Beatrice when saying the word,
you.
Reorganise learners into small groups so that each group consists of learners who have each
focused previously on a different character. Ask them to act out part of the play in their group,
taking on the role of the character they have analysed and using the features of speech,
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
gestures and movements they noted down. As they rehearse, encourage learners to develop
their initial plan into a performance by asking questions such as:
 What else can you do to improve your performance?
 How will you use your voice?
 How will you use gestures?
 How can you use body language to make it seem more real?
Give learners the opportunity to perform their piece to the rest of the class. Ensure that the
performances are given in the order that they appear in the play.
Once each group has performed, ask learners to imagine that they are still in character; it is
the end of the day and they are reflecting on the events that have happened. Ask them to
write a diary entry sharing their thoughts and feelings.
7Wg.01 Use ellipses, colons,
semi-colons and hyphens,
including hyphens for
compound adjectives.
7Rg.01 Comment on the use
of punctuation to create
effects, e.g. using an ellipsis to
show a cliffhanger.
Write a colon, semi-colon and ellipsis on the board and remind learners about these
punctuation marks. Demonstrate how to use each punctuation mark correctly.
Give learners a list of unpunctuated sentences that require the use of at least one colon,
semi-colon or ellipsis, for example:
 There is only one thing to remember your lines
 I love the stage it is my home
 So I waited nothing happened
A list of unpunctuated
sentences. Each sentence
should require the use of at least
one colon, semi-colon or ellipsis.
A playscript that was written at
least 100 years ago, e.g. Much
Ado About Nothing by William
Shakespeare.
Ask learners to punctuate the sentences correctly.
Read further scenes from the chosen drama text with the class. Show learners a passage, if
possible from a scene you have just read, which contains examples of different punctuation
marks, for example:
BENEDICK: Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all
ladies, only you excepted: and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a
hard heart; for, truly, I love none.
Ask learners to identify the different punctuation marks and annotate the text, suggesting
what effect that punctuation mark has on the meaning, for example:
 The commas around the word ‘truly’ make the speaker pause before and after the
word, which adds emphasis to it. Emphasising ‘truly’ makes the speaker sound like
he is trying to protest too hard.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
7SLp.01 Read aloud with
confidence, accuracy and
style.*
7SLp.02 Show evidence of
reading ahead when reading
an unseen text aloud.*
Model reading a monologue in a very flat, inexpressive way. Read it again with confidence,
accuracy and style, taking into account any stage directions. Do this to highlight why effective
reading aloud is important. Ask learners:
 Why does it matter how you read something aloud?
 What difference does it make to our enjoyment of the text?
Scheme of Work
Two different monologues.
Give learners a copy of the monologue and ask them to follow the text as you read aloud a
second time with confidence, accuracy and style.
Read the text aloud a third time with confidence, accuracy and style, and ask learners to
make notes about what makes the reading confident, accurate and stylish. Responses will
vary depending on your choice of monologue and reading of it, but encourage learners to pick
out features such as:
 speaking audibly and clearly
 responding to the use of punctuation
 using tone to emphasise particular words.
Ask learners to feed back their notes for discussion and record them on the board for use as
success criteria.
Give learners a different monologue (or part of a monologue) and ask them to read it aloud
with as much confidence, accuracy and style as possible. After learners have read aloud, ask
questions such as:
 What was difficult about reading it aloud with no preparation?
 How did you try to show confidence, accuracy and style?
Give learners positive feedback if they adapt their reading to emphasise the content or style
of their speech.
Ask learners to prepare to re-read the monologue aloud to the rest of the class using features
listed in the success criteria. You may want to give each learner a different monologue for
this, or ask them to choose one for themselves.
Give learners the opportunity to deliver their monologue to the rest of the class.
7Ra.05 Comment on the
different ways texts can reflect
the social, cultural and
historical contexts in which
they were written.
Organise learners into small groups to research the context in which your chosen play was
written. Groups could focus on topics such as everyday life in the playwright’s time, the life of
the playwright or family dynamics.
Research materials such as
online resources or printed
articles about the context of your
chosen play.
Elicit some key differences between the writer’s context and now, asking questions such as:
 What sort of things mattered to people then that still matter to us now?
47
Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7


What sort of things mattered to people then that no longer matter to us now?
What problems did they have that we do not have?
Once learners are familiar with the contextual background of the play, discuss how this
information can impact our understanding of the text, for example:
Scheme of Work
A playscript that was written at
least 100 years ago, e.g. Much
Ado About Nothing by William
Shakespeare.
FRIAR FRANCIS Pause awhile,
And let my counsel sway you in this case.
Your daughter here the princes left for dead:
Let her awhile be secretly kept in,
And publish it that she is dead indeed;
Maintain a mourning ostentation
And on your family’s old monument
Hang mournful epitaphs and do all rites
That appertain unto a burial.
Friar Francis is suggesting that Hero continues to pretend that she is dead. There are
various reasons why this would not be a viable course of action today:
 There are laws about registering a death within a certain number of days.
 Girls are no longer expected to be hidden away, so if Hero had died, she
probably would have had lots more friends who would want to come and mourn
her.
Give each group a different section of the text to focus on. Ask them to comment on how the
context affects the events and our understanding of the text, and how the text would differ if it
were set in the present.
7Wg.06 Use formal and
informal registers appropriately
according to context, purpose
and audience.
7Wc.02 Use a range of
planning methods to generate,
organise and shape ideas
7SLr.01 Evaluate own and
others' talk, including giving
constructive feedback.*
Review the meaning of the word register. Give each learner a different character from the
play to focus on. Ask learners to identify the register used by that character. Depending on
the choice of text, there may be multiple registers used by different characters within the
same scene. Tell learners that they need to find evidence to support the register that they
have identified.
A playscript that was written at
least 100 years ago, e.g. Much
Ado About Nothing by William
Shakespeare.
Tell learners that they are going to predict what they think will happen next to their character
and write a new scene of the play. Organise learners into groups, so that each group consists
of learners who focused on a different character. Before learners start planning together what
they think will happen next to their characters, ask them to consider how planning in groups
differs from planning independently and what the best planning method might be for this
work.
Give learners time to plan their new scene.
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Once each group has a plan, ask learners to write the dialogue for their character. Tell them
that they need to use the same register for the character in their own writing. Elicit from
learners the features that they will need to consider when writing for a particular register, for
example:
 choice of vocabulary
 use of punctuation
 application of grammar.
Give learners time to write their character’s dialogue, using the choice of vocabulary, use of
punctuation and application of grammar features as success criteria. Ask each group to
collate the dialogues and rehearse their scene ready to perform it for the rest of the class.
As each group performs their scene, ask the audience of learners to focus their attention
particularly on the learner playing the same character as themselves. Ask learners to
evaluate the performance based on the agreed success criteria for creating an appropriate
and consistent register. One example of an evaluative model that learners could use is ‘two
stars and a wish’, where learners give two pieces of positive feedback and one target for
improvement.
Give learners time after each performance to feed back their evaluations.
7Ri.11 Identify and comment
on the main ideas, viewpoints
and purposes in a text.
Give learners a review of a play. Once they have read it, ask learners to comment on
whether, in their opinion, the reviewer liked the play.
Show learners a quotation from the review, for example:
7Wp.02 Use different ways of
note-taking when writing for
different purposes and use
notes to inform writing.
7SLg.02 Identify points of
agreement and disagreement
in opposing points of view.
7Wc.05 Write to express a
personal viewpoint in fiction
and non-fiction writing.
[Actress] and [actor] gave fine performances, but this production may be too clever for its own
good.
Discuss how words and phrases in the review convey the reviewer’s opinion without it being
explicitly stated, for example, describing the performances as just fine suggests that there
was nothing, good or bad, to comment on.
Organise learners into small groups and give each group a different quotation from the
review. Ask learners to discuss how the reviewer’s viewpoint is conveyed and identify another
quotation from the review that supports this viewpoint.
A review of a play that learners
are familiar with. Ideally, the
review should contain a mixture
of positive and negative
comments.
A play for learners to watch. This
could be a live performance in a
theatre or could be a film
recording that learners watch in
class. It does not have to be the
same play as covered by the
review. It may be a performance
of the drama text studied as a
class.
Tell learners that they are going to write their own review of a play and first need to make
notes to inform their writing. Ask learners:
 Which note-taking method do you think will be best for this purpose?
49
Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7

Scheme of Work
Which features are you going to report on?
Give learners the opportunity to watch a play. It does not necessarily have to be the same
play as the one you are studying in class. Ask learners to make notes about the performance.
If you watch a filmed version of the play in the classroom, learners can write notes as they
watch; but if you go to see a live production, they should make their notes afterwards.
Split the class according to their responses to the play. Ask learners to refer to their notes
and discuss their opinion of the production. As learners discuss their responses, model and
provide a scaffold to show them how they can draw on points of agreement and
disagreement, for example:
 I agree that …, but I think …
 I disagree that … because …
After their discussion, give learners time to update their notes with any further points that they
want to borrow from their peers.
Ask learners to use their notes to plan and write their own review. If necessary, learners can
use the review they read at the start of the activity as a scaffold for the structure of their own
review.
50
Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Sample lesson 1
CLASS:
DATE:
Learning objectives
7Rg.05 Identify differences between formal and informal language.
7SLr.02 Explain features of communication, showing awareness of the impact of
accommodating different purposes and contexts.
7Wg.06 Use formal and informal registers appropriately according to context,
purpose and audience
Lesson focus /
success criteria
The focus of the lesson is on the differences between formal and informal
language, exploring how it can impact communication for different purposes and
in different contexts. Learners apply their understanding of formal and informal
language in their own writing.
Prior knowledge /
Previous learning
Explore and discuss grammatical features in a range of texts, e.g. verb forms,
sentence types, use of different word classes.
Begin to explain variations in communication, including register.
Plan
Timing
Introduction
Main activities
Planned activities
Write a word, such as ‘happy’, on the board and ask
learners to think of as many synonyms as possible for
the word.
As learners give feedback, record all synonyms on the
board.
Notes
Ideally, each learner will
contribute at least one word or
phrase. Aim to get a range of
synonyms (e.g. happy might
elicit thrilled, over the moon,
felicitous, etc.)
Elicit the meaning of formal and informal from learners.
Explain that ‘formal/informal’ language is a spectrum,
not an either/or.
Pick two or three of the synonyms. Using the following
continuum, discuss with learners where they think the
synonyms should be placed.
Formal --------------------------------------------------- Informal
Ask learners to continue placing the remaining words
where they think they should be on the continuum.
Once they have done this, allow learners to see where
others have placed the words.
Discuss the similarities and differences, asking learners
to focus on any significant differences and reasons for
these.
Give learners two different versions of the same
imaginary scenario featuring a conversation. Ask
learners to work in pairs to read out each scenario in
role. After they have read the scenarios, ask learners to
share their initial impressions with the whole class. If
necessary, support their feedback with questions, such
as:

Was the learner rude to the teacher or polite?
What makes you think that?
In one version of the scenario
both speakers use the same
level of formality. In the other
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Timing
Scheme of Work
Planned activities


Why did the teacher not use informal language
with the learner?
Would the learner continue to use formal or
informal language with their friends? With their
parents?
Notes
version should show where
the speakers are using
different levels of formality.
Give learners one of the following new scenarios and
ask them to write a conversation for the two speakers:



an athlete talking to a reporter
an athlete talking to their coach
two athletes from the same team talking in the
changing room.
In their writing plan, learners should identify the
context, purpose and audience for the scenario and
use this to inform their choice of formal/informal
register.
End/Close/
Reflection/Summary
Pair learners with a partner who had a different
scenario. Ask them to share their conversations with
each other and explain their choices of formal/informal
register with reference to the context, purpose and
audience.
Reflection
Use the space below to reflect on your lesson. Answer the most relevant questions for your lesson.
Were the learning objectives and lesson focus realistic? What did the learners learn today?
What was the learning atmosphere like?
What changes did I make from my plan and why?
If I taught this again, what would I change?
What two things went really well (consider both teaching and learning)?
What two things would have improved the lesson (consider both teaching and learning)?
What have I learned from this lesson about the class or individuals that will inform my next lesson?
Next steps
What will I teach next, based on learners’ understanding of this lesson?
52
Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Scheme of Work
Sample lesson 2
CLASS:
DATE:
Learning objectives
7Ws.03 Use appropriate connectives and sentence openings to clarify
connections in writing, e.g. connectives for comparison, sequencing, qualifying.
7Rs.03 Comment on the impact of a writer's choice of connectives and sentence
openings on the intended purpose and audience.
Lesson focus /
success criteria
The focus of the lesson is on the use of connectives and sentence openings for a
specific purpose. Learners are expected to use them in their own writing and be
able to comment on their impact in other’s writing.
Prior knowledge /
Previous learning
Use a range of connectives to link paragraphs and sections clearly and
cohesively, e.g. use of however and on the other hand to introduce counterarguments in a balanced argument.
Explore and recognise how ideas are organised and linked cohesively across a
text, e.g. new chapters to manage flashbacks or events which are presented out
of chronological order; use of however and on the other hand to introduce a new
paragraph in a balanced argument.
Plan
Timing
Planned activities
Notes
Introduction
Give learners a different part of a sentence on a piece
of paper and ask them to get into groups to make a
complete sentence.
Once they have made their sentences, ask learners to:
Pieces of paper with parts of a
compound sentence on it.
There should be enough for
one per learner. Each
sentence should include a
different connective, for
example, three of the pieces of
paper could read:



Main activities
share the sentences that they have created
with the rest of the class
explain why they thought that was the best
sentence to create with the parts they were
given
explain what the connective is signposting for
the audience, e.g. ‘The word ‘because’
signposts for the audience that they are about
to be told the reason why something has
happened’.



the passenger stood
up on the bus
because
there were no seats
left
Show learners a short passage, for example:
Mary carefully crept up the creaking staircase. The
lights were out.
Model to learners how connectives can have different
functions, for example, if the writer wanted to signpost
additional information the passage could be rewritten
as:
Mary carefully crept upstairs. Each stair creaked and
the lights were out.
Discuss how the emphasis of the passage has
changed and what the impact of this is.
53
Cambridge Lower Secondary English (0861) Stage 7
Timing
Planned activities
Scheme of Work
Notes
Ask learners to improve the passage to signpost the
reader using different types of connectives, for
example:



comparing
qualifying
sequencing
Once learners have their updated passages, ask them
to share with the class and record them on the board.
Discuss how the emphasis of the passage differs with
each example, and elicit how this affects its impact.
Give learners a paragraph of text with spaces missing
for connectives and ask them to fill the spaces with the
most appropriate connective, for example:
____ we ran as fast as possible, the train closed its
doors ___ sped off. ____ we were late meeting our
friend …
End/Close/
Reflection/Summary
Once learners have completed the paragraph, ask
them to swap with a partner. Ask learners to annotate
their partner’s writing by identifying:



what the connective is signposting
what impact the connective has on the
sentence
if necessary, an alternative connective that
would have a greater impact and a reason to
support the alternative.
Reflection
Use the space below to reflect on your lesson. Answer the most relevant questions for your lesson.
Were the learning objectives and lesson focus realistic? What did the learners learn today?
What was the learning atmosphere like?
What changes did I make from my plan and why?
If I taught this again, what would I change?
What two things went really well (consider both teaching and learning)?
What two things would have improved the lesson (consider both teaching and learning)?
What have I learned from this lesson about the class or individuals that will inform my next lesson?
Next steps
What will I teach next, based on learners’ understanding of this lesson?
54
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