The KING’S Medium Term Plan – ENGLISH
Y9 LC4 Programme 2015-2016
Module
Dystopia
Building on
prior learning
In this unit, students will learn about the dystopian genre. They will explore a number of great dystopian novels, looking
at established classics such as 1984, Animal Farm and Brave New World, as well as more recent novels such as The
Hunger Games and Gone. Through close readings of extracts from the texts, students will discover how the authors of
these successful novels create settings and histories for their dystopias, explore contemporary issues through fictional
worlds, control the pace of action in their narratives and build a sense of fear within their readers. The texts and
activities in this unit will help students to develop your creative writing skills to write your own dystopian short story.
In year 7 students explored a range of short fiction texts in ‘The History of English”, ‘Urban Legends”, ‘Gothic Fiction’ and
wrote a number of short fiction texts.
Future learning Explorations in creative reading and writing will be revisited in Years 10 and 11.
Overarching
subject
Challenge
question
How do writers explore social issues through fictional worlds?
Exam board
links:
This skills covered in this unit will help prepare students for the AQA English Language exam Paper 1: Sections A & B
Lines of
Enquiry
Week 1: What are utopias and dystopias?
Week 2: How do writers explore contemporary issues through fictional dystopian societies?
Mid-term Assessment: Plan and writer the opening of a dystopian short story about a school of the future. Aim to write
between 150 and 200 words.
Week 3: Line of enquiry: How do writers create believable and unsettling dystopian worlds?
Week 4: How do writers create believable and unsettling dystopian worlds?
Week 5: Line of enquiry: How can I plan and write an effective dystopian short story
Week 6:
End of learning cycle assessment:
Week 1
Line of Enquiry: What are utopias and dystopias?
3 1hr lessons
Overview:
This week students will be introduced to the dystopian genre. They will consider the features of the genre and how
writers use the dystopian genre to highlight issues in the real world.
Lesson Hypotheses
Hypothesis 1: A utopia is a vision of an ideal and perfect world.
Hypothesis 2: Writers use adverbs, adverbial phrases and sentence length to control the pace of action in a narrative.
Hypothesis 3: A literary genre is a group of texts that share common features.
Learning Intentions:
 Understand what is meant by ‘utopia’
 Understand how writers can use nouns and noun phrases to create an impression of a place
 Understand how to use adverbs, adverbial phrases and the sentence length to control the pace of action in a
narrative
 Understand the features of a dystopian narrative
Weekly success criteria:
 Analyse the description of the setting in The Beaches, focusing specifically on the writers use of nouns and noun
phrases
 Rewrite the blurb from the beaches hinting that all is not as perfect as it seems.
 Compare the blurb from Gone with a student’s summary of the book, focusing specifically on the way the writers
have used adverbs and adverbial phrases to create a sense of a rapidly changing world
 Analyse the writer’s use of sentences (Gone)
 Use the techniques explored to write a blurb to a dystopian novel
 Identify and explore the features of the dystopian genre
Learning outcomes:
GP3: Increasing variety of linked and relevant ideas; some use of paragraphs and some use of discourse markers; some use
of structural features.
GP4: Writing is engaging with a range of connected ideas; usually coherent paragraphs with a range of discourse markers;
usually effective use of structural features.
GP5: Communication is consistently clear, with tone, style and register matched to audience and purpose; increasingly
sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing chosen for effect with a range of linguistic devices. Writing is organised into
appropriate paragraphs using a range of discourse markers to guide the reader.
Week 2
Homework:
Revise key terms for knowledge quiz
Line of enquiry: How do writers explore contemporary issues through fictional dystopian societies?
Overview:
4 1hr lessons
(including up to
one hour of
REACH1) plus
1hr homework
This week students will read extracts from The Hunger Games and Harrison Bergeron and will consider how writers’
language choices influence readers’ responses. The will consider the way writers explore current issues through the
dystopian societies they create. They will plan and write an opening for a dystopian short story.
Lesson Hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: Writers often present dystopian worlds as an outcome of a past apocalyptical event
Hypothesis 2: The reader is interpolated into the protagonist’s subject position through the narrative ‘I’
Hypothesis 3: Dystopian writers explore contemporary issues through fictional dystopian societies.
Mid-term Assessment: Plan and writer the opening of a dystopian short story about a school of the future. Aim to write
between 150 and 200 words.
Learning Intentions:
 Understand how writers use nouns and noun phrases to influence the reader’s view of a fictional world
 Understand how choice of pronouns, nouns and verbs can influence the reader’s response to characters and
their points of view.
 Understand how writers explore current issues through fictional dystopian societies.
 Understand how to write a story opening using features of the dystopian genre
Weekly Success Criteria:



1
Read and analyse an extract from Hunger Games, focusing specifically on the way the writer uses nouns and noun
phrases to influence her readers’ responses
Create a timeline of events for dystopian narrative
Explore the writer’s choice of narrative viewpoint and perspective in Hunger Games, focusing specifically on the
way the writer uses abstract nouns, verbs, pronouns and related determiners to present character’s feelings and
attitudes.
Review and Evaluate Attainment then Challenge and Hone: students are given feedback on an extended piece of writing from their teacher. Students then redraft their work
based on the targets they have been given.


Read and analyse the opening of the science-fiction story Harrison Bergeron and consider the way the writer uses a
current issue and taken to an extreme
Plan and writer the opening of a dystopian short story about a school of the future. Aim to write between 150 and
200 words.
Learning Outcomes:
GP2: Some linked and relevant ideas; attempts to write in paragraphs with some discourse markers, not always
appropriate; attempts to use structural features.
GP3: Increasing variety of linked and relevant ideas; some use of paragraphs and some use of discourse markers; some use
of structural features.
GP4: Writing is engaging with a range of connected ideas; usually coherent paragraphs with a range of discourse markers;
usually effective use of structural features.
GP5: Communication is consistently clear, with tone, style and register matched to audience and purpose; increasingly
sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing chosen for effect with a range of linguistic devices. Writing is organised into
appropriate paragraphs using a range of discourse markers to guide the reader.
Homework:
Literacy task
Week 3
Line of enquiry: How do writers create believable and unsettling dystopian worlds?
Overview: This week students will explore the way writers use elements of the familiar within a disturbing world to
unsettle the readers. Through close analysis of extracts from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Animal Farm, they
4 1hr lessons
will examine the way writers use language and structural features to manipulate readers. They will draft a persuasive
(including up to
piece of their own.
one hour of
Lesson Hypotheses:
REACH) plus
1hr homework
Hypothesis 1: Writers of dystopian fiction include elements of the familiar within a disturbing world to unsettle the reader
Hypothesis 2: Writers use dialogue to convey characters’ thoughts and feelings
Hypothesis 3: Language can be used to manipulate others
Learning Intentions:
 Understand how writers of dystopian fiction include elements of the familiar within a disturbing world to unsettle
the reader
 Understand how language can be used to persuade and control the reader in dystopian fiction
 Understand how writers use dialogue to convey characters’ thoughts and feelings
 Understand how language can be used to manipulate people
Weekly Success Criteria:




Read and analyse extracts from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? And Animal Farm.
Explore the ways language can be crafted to control and persuade
Consider the way language and structural features are used to make objects and ideas sound appealing
Use the persuasive techniques explored in the extracts to write an advert for a robot
Learning Outcomes:
GP2: Some linked and relevant ideas; attempts to write in paragraphs with some discourse markers, not always
appropriate; attempts to use structural features.
GP3: Increasing variety of linked and relevant ideas; some use of paragraphs and some use of discourse markers; some use
of structural features.
GP4: Writing is engaging with a range of connected ideas; usually coherent paragraphs with a range of discourse markers;
usually effective use of structural features.
GP5: Communication is consistently clear, with tone, style and register matched to audience and purpose; increasingly
sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing chosen for effect with a range of linguistic devices. Writing is organised into
appropriate paragraphs using a range of discourse markers to guide the reader.
Week 4
4 1hr lessons
(including up to
one hour of
REACH) plus
1hr homework
Homework:
Literacy homework
Line of enquiry: How have developments in science influenced dystopian fiction?
Overview:
This week students will consider the influence of scientific advancement on dystopian fiction. They will explore extracts
from Brave New World and 1984 and consider the way writers create worlds which mirror society. Students will
consider the way writers create a sense of fear by deliberately withholding information from readers.
Lesson Hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: The power of science is a key influence on dystopian fiction
Hypothesis 2: Writers can create a sense of fear by controlling the release of information
Hypothesis 3: Writers can create a sense of fear through the structure of a text
Learning Intentions:

Understand how proper nouns can be chosen to convey a structured society in an imaginary world

Understand how short, simple sentences can emphasise key moments in a narrative that highlight the dystopian


features of a plot
Understand how writers can create a sense of fear by controlling the release of information to the reader
Understand how writers can create a sense of fear through the structure of a text
Weekly Success Criteria
 Read and analyse extracts from Brave New World and 1984
 Explore the way the writers use a variety of linguistic techniques to create a believable fictional world
 Consider the way writers use structural features to create a sense of fear in the reader
 Students will adapt the techniques explored in the extracts to write an extract from a dystopian short story in
which the protagonist is tortured with their worst fears.
Learning outcomes:
GP2: Some linked and relevant ideas; attempts to write in paragraphs with some discourse markers, not always
appropriate; attempts to use structural features.
GP3: Increasing variety of linked and relevant ideas; some use of paragraphs and some use of discourse markers; some use
of structural features.
GP4: Writing is engaging with a range of connected ideas; usually coherent paragraphs with a range of discourse markers;
usually effective use of structural features.
GP5: Communication is consistently clear, with tone, style and register matched to audience and purpose; increasingly
sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing chosen for effect with a range of linguistic devices. Writing is organised into
appropriate paragraphs using a range of discourse markers to guide the reader.
Homework:
Literacy homework
Week 5
Line of enquiry: How can I plan and write an effective dystopian short story
4 1hr lessons
Overview:
(including up to
one hour of
REACH) plus
1hr homework
This week students will recap on the range of skills covered in the module, before beginning to plan and write a dystopian
short story for their end of learning cycle assessment piece. Students will then be introduced to Section A format of Paper
1 and will complete a walkthrough of this section of the paper.
Lesson hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: Most stories follow the four-part narrative structure.
Hypothesis 2: How can we choose the best words and phrases to create our intended effects of the reader
Learning Intentions:


Understand how to plan a dystopian short story
Write a dystopian short story
Weekly Success Criteria

Plan and write dystopian short story
Learning outcomes:
GP2: Some linked and relevant ideas; attempts to write in paragraphs with some discourse markers, not always
appropriate; attempts to use structural features.
GP3: Increasing variety of linked and relevant ideas; some use of paragraphs and some use of discourse markers; some use
of structural features.
GP4: Writing is engaging with a range of connected ideas; usually coherent paragraphs with a range of discourse markers;
usually effective use of structural features.
GP5: Communication is consistently clear, with tone, style and register matched to audience and purpose; increasingly
sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing chosen for effect with a range of linguistic devices. Writing is organised into
appropriate paragraphs using a range of discourse markers to guide the reader.
Homework: Literacy homework
Week 6
GAP