Welcome to English at St Paul’s!
S1/S2
In S1 and S2, pupils will work on a broad range of skills that develop their reading, writing, talking and listening. They will read a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts and respond to them in the following ways: creative pieces, critical essays, persuasive essays, textual analysis answers, and close reading answers, to name a few.
They will also embark on several paired and group projects in order to improve their confidence, resilience, independence, and cooperation. All of which will give them the necessary skills for life, learning, and their own health and well-being.
As a Reading School, we ask pupils to select books of their own choosing and read them regularly. We support this by giving them reading time in class and encourage them to read at home. It is proven that pupils who read regularly perform better across ALL subjects. The earlier this begins the better for the young learner.
S3/S4
As pupils enter S3, preparation will begin for the Nationals in S4. The work carried out in class and texts that are chosen will reflect the National pathway that they are on. With only four periods per week, it is vital that pupils make time to work at home and are accessing Teams daily to keep up to date. All resources that pupils require can be found in their designated Teams page.
Tasks include textual analysis, close reading, critical essays, group discussions, listening assessments, and development of research for folio.
Again, pupils must read challenging texts at home to prepare them for their mock exam in S3, and their prelims/SQA exam in S4. If learners continue to build on their vocabulary at home, they will be more able to engage confidently with the assessments in S4.
Shakespeare in Schools
Pupils in S1-3 will have the option to choose an elective in English – Shakespeare in Schools. This gives young people the opportunity to learn and perform a Shakespeare play on a real theatre stage in front of an audience of friends, family and teachers. Pupils get the chance to build their confidence and work together to create the best performance, having lots of fun along the way.
