English

Mr P G O'Kane MA (Head of Department)
Mrs T Lafferty BEd
Mrs D Riddell MA
Mrs N Greener BA

The Department's general policy is both simple and daunting: we aim to encourage pupils to write clearly, accurately and with feeling. This is achieved through the practice of many genres, but also through exposing them to as wide a scope of Literature as possible: the latter will widen their experience as well as stimulate them. We also strive to develop oral articulacy through various talking exercises: these, in turn, will increase the self-confidence of the pupils. Pupils are also made aware of the numerous influences of much of the popular writing to which they are exposed - newspapers, magazines, the spoken language of popular radio and television programmes.

As a department, we also aim...

  • to encourage pupils to express feelings articulately;
  • to write clear, comprehensible English;
  • to be accurate in spelling and punctuation;
  • to write in correct sentences;
  • to be aware of grammatical terminology, mainly for the easy pinpointing of errors and improvement in expression and comprehension;
  • to undertake different types of writing: discursive, descriptive, narrative, personal experience; dialogue; poetry; letter-writing;
  • to be involved in varying types of Talking: class discussions, group discussion, one-to-one interviews etc.
  • to read for pleasure.

Courses

S1 and S2
Pupils will study and develop skills in Writing, Reading, Knowledge About Language and Talk.

S3 and S4
The nature of the S3/S4 English course reflects the demands of Intermediate 2 and Intermediate 1. At both levels there are three units which must be completed as well as an end-of session exam. The three units are as follows:

  • Language Study
  • Literary Study
  • Personal Study

The nature of the Higher Still courses is one of progression. As the pupil works through the S3 course, the level at which he/she is performing will be constantly reviewed by the teacher. The key decision as to whether the pupil will sit Intermediate 1 or 2 will be based on the accumulation of evidence from his/her work and effort.

Higher and Intermediate 2

From the start of session, the courses at Higher and Intermediate 2 will each consist of three 40-hour units. The three units are:

  • Language Study
  • Literary Study
  • Personal Study

Advanced Higher
The course structure is as follows:

  • Specialist Study (compulsory): a dissertation of between 3500 and 4500 words
  • Literary Study (compulsory): a study of literature texts (both Scottish and English).

and one unit from the following:

  • Textual Analysis
  • Creative Writing
  • Language Study
  • Reading the Media