what books do kids in year 7 and 8 in english these days?

[iamnotaprincess]

just wondering what books kids study in english at the beginning of secondary. is there a difference between comp and grammar?

[DancingDuck]

Our local comp English teacher told me they'd study Hunger Games as they'd all read it anyway and she wanted to make sure they really got it. which I thought was a clever move. They were also studying extracts from Shakespeare plays - Twelth Night I think. They'll be doing more but those are the only ones I know about.

DC are at an independent school and did My Family and Other Animals, Edgar Allen Poe horror stories, Browning poems and First World War poems. They also did Stone Cold a very grim YA book about a homeless man. Think they've done some Shakespeare too but no homework on it yet.

[Shortandsweet20]

My youngest brother is in year 7 and he is currently reading Private Peaceful if that's any help?
That's in the local state not too sure what they do in independent or grammars.

[CalliopeTorres]

Kensuki's (sp?) kingdom according to DD in year 7

[EvilTwins]

Where I teach, yr 7 do Holes, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas and Tins. The Yr 8 top sets have done Animal Farm this term. Not sure about other sets. I would imagine there shouldn't be much of a difference between top sets in a comp and grammar schools but comps should be differentiating for different abilities within a year group.

[AppleSetsSail]

My son in year 8 read Of Mice and Men.

[susannahmoodie]

Private Peaceful and The boy in the striped pyjamas in y7.

The Woman in Black in y8.

Of Mice and Men in y9.

They also so a Shakespeare every year.

Changes to gcse mean that many schools with be studying 19th century texts in ks3 to better prepare pupils.....which is no bad thing imo. I remember reading Jane Eyre in y7 and loving it. But it's about striking a balance between challenging kids and putting them off for life.....

[ravenAK]

Lots of texts from the 2010-2015 GCSE spec as the book cupboards are full of them...

Private Peaceful, Holes & Millions are all good solid Y7 staples, but there's an increasing emphasis on 'pale, male & stale' (ie C19th literary heritage) to prepare for GCSE.

If I had my choice I'd plan a KS3 long term plan chronologically through English literature, starting with Beowulf - I know one school that do that brilliantly - & balance Beowulf with A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness as a modern class reader.

The Boy With Two Heads by Andy Mulligan is also excellent.

[Leeds2]

Can't really remember (DD now in Sixth Form), but I know she did The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas in Year 7.

[thelaundryfairy]

I teach English at an independent school. This year I don´t teach Years Seven or Eight, but from memory, we teach titles including Private Peaceful, I Am David, Frankenstein (adaptation), Romeo and Juliet in Year Seven, and Stone Cold, The Great Elephant Chase, Dracula (adaptation), The Moonstone (adaptation), A Midsummer Night´s Dream in Year Eight.

[mummytime]

My DS studied Beowulf in year 7 at his comp, he loved it and was never top set material (solidly struggling to get a C material).
Normal stuff for 7 and 8: Shakespeare, poetry, Animal Farm, Private Peaceful or War Horse, ghost stories including Edgar Allan Poe.

At GCSE they will do A Christmas Carol if possible (I did Great Expectations and have never got to the end).

[Helmetbymidnight]

Animal farm, lord of the flies, Shakespeare...war poets

[YeOldeTrout]

ds in y7, no set text but writing essays after reading in class extracts of Canterbury Tales, Dickens or Shakespeare (7 ages of man). High set, comp.

[TheSecondOfHerName]

Y7: Private Peaceful

Other Y7: The Ruby in the Smoke

Y9: Of Mice and Men, The Merchant of Venice
Last year (Y8): War of the Worlds

[DontCallMeBaby]

Wonder and Featherboy next term, apparently (they've done writing and speaking/listening so far, reading next), and Romeo & Juliet later in the year.

[CarlaJones]

Dd has been studying Beowulf recently at her comp. (First term of year 7.)

[Elibean]

Y7, top set, indie. Coraline and Frankenstein - clearly a year for horror

[theshield]

My DD is in year7 and she has read Oliver Twist at school

[Maladicta]

Yr7 ds's grammar school has so far looked at Skellig, some Shakespeare sonnets and Beowulf.

[NewLife4Me]

My dd is y7 and is starting Lord of The Flies this term and then they go onto Of Mice and Men.
Some lovely teachers on here explained to me why they would be starting the GCSE books so early.

I think it's important for them to choose other books to read though and dd has just started Watership Down, but enjoys a wide range of material.

Mine is private and specialist boarding, so not a huge amount of time for reading at school. Have no idea about grammar, but our local high schools won't start GCSE books until next year.

[ladydepp]

Woman in black
Beowulf
Various poetry - Sylvia Plath....

[HearTheThunderRoar]

DD did Holes in y8 and Matilda in y7.

[EvilTwins]

Woman in Black in yr 7? I remember reading it when I was about 15 - it scared me witless.

[notmynameohno]

DS is in yr 7, first book was Skellig and they are now on Boy by Roald Dahl.

[pieceofpurplesky]

Top set year 9 have studied the following over three years - animal farm, a Christmas Carol, heroes, day of the triffids, boy in the striped pyjamas, othello and taming if the shrew.
Comprehensive.
A lower ability set will have studied holes, private peaceful, of mice and men, Oliver Twist, boy in striped pyjamas, Macbeth and another Shakespeare

[Elibean]

I love Skellig!

We used it in a Y6 bookclub and they all loved it too. Lucky things doing it in Y7.