Sigma Sixth Tendring Course Guide

A LEVEL ENGLISH LANGUAGE “Knowledge of Language is the doorway to wisdom” Roger Bacon Language is both a tool for expression and a means for social connection. Language is woven into every aspect of our lives. You may be woken up by the voice of the news. You go on to take a shower and the label on your shampoo makes you smile. On the way to school the slogan on a new billboard catches your eye. You notice the sign in your favourite coffee shop and wonder when words like ‘frappuccino’ and ‘babyccino’ were first invented. You absent-mindedly glance at the leaflet about an exhibition that was just pushed in your hands. As you approach the school gates, you hear your friends sharing a story before suddenly changing their topic and tone when they see the biology teacher appearing from around the corner. Before you had even had a chance to say your first ‘good morning’, you were exposed to language through marketing and corporate communication, political discourse through media reporting, you wondered about language change and the ways we use language in interaction differently in different contexts with different people. By studying A Level English language at Sigma Sixth you’ll develop a critical awareness of the world around you and how people communicate within that world. CURRICULUM STATEMENT • Language in the Media - an examination of how language is used in the media, with specific focus on gender, power and technology. • Child Language Acquisition – how children learn to speak. • Spoken discourse - how and why people use different accents, dialects and sociolects • Writing about a Topical Language Issue – writing creatively language focused topics. • Language Change – how the English language has changed over time. • Language Investigation – An individual research project focused on an aspect of language. For example, does Eminem use language that is gender biased? COURSE CONTENT Students need to have achieved a minimum of 6 grades 5-9 incl. English and maths and a grade 6 in English language. ENTRY CRITERIA