There has been lots going on in English. Our students have been provided with some amazing opportunities and experiences. Check them out below.

Harpenden Creative Writing Competition

We launched the ‘Harpenden Creative Writing’ Competition last week. Our students are being challenged to write an original story up to 1500 words about one of the following subjects:

What initiatives should the local community and schools be doing to reduce the impact of climate change.
How would you survive being washed up on desert island?
A fictitious story on a subject of your own choosing.
How would you like to see Harpenden 10 years from now?

The closing date for the competition is Friday 4th February. Judges will announce the winners on Wednesday 16th March. We can’t wait to send off the fabulous entries!

Read Aloud

Once a week, our students take part in a Read Aloud session where they are read to by Mrs Aikman on the big screen. This session builds foundational skills of reading, introduces vocabulary, provides a model of fluency, expressive reading, and helps our students to recognise what reading for pleasure is all about.

Currently, we are reading a book called ‘The Tulip Touch’ by Anne Fine. The story of a strange and disturbing friendship seen through the eyes of Natalie as she gets to know Tulip Pierce, a delinquent girl most others go out of their way to avoid.

The students are enjoying it so far! Here is a little review by Isla W (Year 8)

“I think this book was chosen by the year group because it is quite an exciting and interesting one to read. It is about a girl who is always disobeying the rules and is extremely stubborn toward others, her wild and daring games always cause her trouble whilst she is out and about. So far I have learnt that Tulip is always out to get Natalie into trouble along with her wherever she goes. From what we have read so far, I believe that Tulip can sometimes be quite a cruel and defiant character, especially towards animals. The characters in this book are quite interesting, especially Tulip and her brutal ways.”

Library Competition

Congratulations to all of those students who took part in the Christmas library quiz in the weeks leading up to the break. Dean H (Year 8), Izzy P (Year 8) and Darcy W (Year 8) were successful in the draw! Winning chocolate and a copy of Matt Haig’s book ‘A Boy Called Christmas’.

Odyssey Trip

Our Year 8’s set off on an exciting trip to the Odyssey Cinema in St Albans to see the 2020 release of ‘A Christmas Carol’. In English, Year 8’s study a unit called Morals in Victorian Literature. At the end of the unit, they are expected to write an analytical essay focused on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The film is a retelling of the classic tale and the story is voiced by an eclectic cast of the world’s most recognisable actors including Carey Mulligan, Andy Serkis, Daniel Kaluuya and Martin Freeman. Take a look at some pictures from the trip!

Coming up!

– Toastmasters International will be working with a small group of Year 8 students from February to help improve Oracy and Public Speaking Skills.

– Anthony Glenn from ‘Shaking Up Shakespeare’ will be visiting Year 7 and Year 8 in the Spring term. Watch out for information about this as we do ask for a small contribution from parents.

The English Department