ENGLISH
The focus of English in the Lower School is to promote a love of reading and to continue to develop skills of writing , listening and speaking .
During the two years all students will read a wide range of books including novels , plays and poetry . We aim to read both modern and more classic texts and to help all students to develop their own taste in reading . Most teaching is done through discussion and creative activities . In this way students rapidly become confident in handling complex and challenging material .
Written work seeks to build on the literacy teaching that students have already experienced . We set a wide range of different writing tasks which seek to enforce and develop literacy , creative and thinking skills . Much literature teaching is done through creative writing . While all students will study a Shakespeare play this will be experienced through Drama activities and creative writing . Writing stories and poems remains at the heart of Lower School teaching , not simply because students enjoy it so much but because it is by playing with ideas and language that students become at ease with the written word . However , we also start to introduce ideas of formal essay writing and teach analytical and organisational skills .
In addition to reading and writing we undertake a considerable amount of oral work . Most lessons will involve discussion at some stage . However , we also teach formal skills of presentation and speaking in public . This can build confidence , and many examinations now demand a spoken element both in secondary and tertiary education .
THE LOWER SCHOOL | AT SEVENOAKS 15