Welcome to English

Welcome to the English Department at The British International School, Abu Dhabi. We pride ourselves on delivering an engaging and enriching curriculum that fosters a love of language and literature in your child. Our primary aim is to empower students with strong communication skills, enabling them to articulate their thoughts effectively and express themselves with clarity and confidence. Alongside this, we focus heavily on developing key reading and writing skills throughout all of our units. These are further developed with library lessons, and the embedding of literacy skills within lessons each week. English is, by nature, a skills-based curriculum where we focus on developing these core skills over time; skills that will ultimately help students be successful in English and other subjects in school.

In addition, we also believe in the transformative power of literature to broaden horizons, encourage empathy, and inspire critical thinking. Our lessons are designed to develop a deep appreciation for diverse cultures and perspectives through the study of various literary works. This will help to develop a lifelong love of reading in our students, and we actively encourage everyone in our community to read as often as possible. Ultimately, our department is guided by the belief that a strong foundation in English is essential for future success in all aspects of life.

Our current learning

In term 3 we are very much looking to the future with year 9 students and exploring what skills and knowledge is needed at IGCSE English Language and Literature. Students will explore different aspects of the course; focusing on what they have already achieved thus far in their English curriculum journey and how this applies to the next step. Students will look at unseen poetry and how to approach this and read for deeper meaning and understanding across a wide range of poetry, alongside some pre-reading of the non-fiction texts that are to be studied next year and again, how they can begin to approach this in order to feel confident and ready in Term 1 of Year 10. There will be opportunities for group project work, learning and researching contextual understanding for the modern play that is studied, An Inspector Calls, and evaluating the way that social, political and historical context impacts that way in which the text is viewed by contemporary and modern audiences. Students will continue to build on their reading and analytical skills alongside creative writing and non-fiction writing as we end their KS3 English journey. 

Curriculum Overview

New Starters

All new starters, and all of our students, are required to have the following.

1. A device as per 'Bring Your Own Device' school policy. This will be used for a variety of literary research activities.
2. A reading book - students are expected to carry their own reading book with them at all times.
3. An active imagination and creative mindsight.
4. A positive and enthusiastic attitude to all English lessons.

Resources List

Recommended reading and core textbooks required for this subject.

These are the most common websites that can support learning in English

Software List

You will need to make sure the following software is installed on your device as it will be used within this subject.

Ensure you have all the necessary Office 365 apps downloaded.

• Microsoft Word
• Powerpoint
• Teams
• Onenote
• Outlook

Meet the Team