1. The Plans & Pitfalls of building an interleaved English curriculum
The session should:
Dig under the surface of major changes to a departments curriculum map to embed these new systems and ways of working into the delivery of curriculum content, across all key stages in English, with the rationale of embedding ideas into the long-term memory of students. The session will look at how the seeds of ideas, grow, flourish and change as they are implemented, reflected on and adapted to suit the context of the school, the staff involved in the teaching and learning and the way that the students engage with them.
What to expect:
1 - Curriculum model
2 - Changes & Rationale
3 –Potential Problems
4 – Solutions focused implementation
5 - New Curriculum Model
6 - Adapting
7 - Next Steps

2. Curriculum Model 1
Year 10 example – The old specification and fully blocked units, no interleaving
or focus on embedding knowledge over time with students:
no longer fit for purpose!
TERM 1
8 WEEKS
( )
TERM 2
7 WEEKS
( )
TERM 3
6 WEEKS
( )
TERM 4
( )
TERM 5
5 WEEKS
( )
TERM 6
( )
Formal letter response to an article:
Language coursework
(6 weeks)
Begin Review or Speech:
Language Coursework
(2 weeks)
Review or Speech: Language coursework
(4 weeks)
Begin Macbeth/Poetry/Links
(3 weeks)
Macbeth/Poetry/Links:
Literature Controlled Assessment
Narrative/ Descriptive Writing: Language Coursework
(5 weeks)
Begin Of Mice and Men:
Literature exam preparation
(1 week)
Of Mice and Men:
Y10 exams week 12th – 16th May: possible disruption No English exam
Speaking & Listening: Paired or Group Assessment.
Speaking & Listening:
Individual speaking assessment for Language
Y10 exams week 12th – 16th May: possible disruption No English exam

3. Changes & Rationale Keep blocked units (not 100% interleaving)
Embed consistent prior learning starters in every lesson in every year group style 5 in 5) or other starter activity
‘Pause’ lessons or Revision interleaving lessons – teachers, purposefully complete a revision lesson during a larger SOL
Knowledge/Skills lessons – linking current learning & skills to prior learning
Y9 – Embedded fortnightly grammar lessons using Of Mice and Men - thanks for this idea)
Knowledge organisers created for every unit – bespoke KOs created ‘in house’
KO MCQ quizzes – using Googleforms – researched and created ‘in house’
More focus on target reflection work/metacognition work
Homework to take a three pronged approach – metacognition/target work/consolidation work
English lectures into the revision programme for Y11 ‘Aim HIgher’

4. KEY STAGE 5 (Literature Only)
DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC Focus (created to define what embedding learning over time means and how it works)
What is ‘Embedding Learning Over Time’ = defined as the use of embedded revision in lessons and in homework, the interleaving and spacing of learning to ensure students in all academic stages are able to retain information in their long term memories in order to achieve academic success and have life-long learning strategies in place.
Embedding Learning over time by Key Stage: English
KEY STAGE 3
KEY STAGE 4
KEY STAGE 5 (Literature Only)
Application of Knowledge Organisers
Quizzes at the end of each unit testing on knowledge organisers
Homework set to support learning information on the knowledge organisers
Homework set to improve literacy – specifically reading
Grammar based homework booklet embedded by RL as specific literacy over time focus
Starters to reflect on knowledge organisers
Starters to link back to prior learning
Starters that are used to address misconceptions in work picked up by the teacher
Commonality of language around the concise analysis system
Ensuring learning that has been completed in Y7 is revisited in Y8
Ensuring learning links into next year of learning – Overviews – adapted to have learning over time at the heart of the process
Quizzes at the end of each unit testing on knowledge organisers Google forms MCQ
MCQ end of year tests in KS4 to test overall effectiveness of learning over time
Homework set to interleave knowledge across the year
Interleaved revision lessons embedded in the overviews (pause lessons)
KO lessons embedded in the overall learning plan
Y9 Grammar focused lessons Of Mice and Men
Consistent reinforcement of KO learning in starters/lessons/pause lessons
Use of 5 a day questions to link to prior learning in every lesson
Use of quote exploding quizzes for starters
Use of Posters to embed learning – on walls and used on Twitter/Weebly as a revision tool
Student created booklets – R&J – Anthology etc, created in class and returned to by students for revision purposes
Key focus on supporting students to understand and use active revision strategies
Some knowledge organisers have been created and shared with students
Revision Quizzes
Literature Blog set up for revision purposes with students and teachers populating the Revision Blog as they are learning
Duffy/Larkin teaching constant reflection back to Duffy
Use of exam board feedback to embed strategies recommended

5. New Curriculum Model
Year 10 example – The new specification with blocked units, revision interleaving, pause lessons, knowledge & skills lessons and starters to embed knowledge with students in their long-term memories and offer ‘forgetting time’

7. Your thoughts:
Are you currently using any of these ideas in your department?
OR,
Is there anything that you think might work for your context?
Could you adapt these ideas to suit your way of working?
AND,
What challenges do you imagine?

8. Potential Problems Teacher buy in
Time – large project to roll out in one year
Ensure that it is viewed as and used as a long term strategy – not a flash in the pan initiative
How do we get the KOs to work?
KO not being used and just being another piece of paper
What about the way skills and knowledge cross over?
Why do MCQ? What about ICT issues etc.? MCQ set up – how do we want to proceed with these?
How will it impact on workload?
What if I forget to use the new approach?
How do we get teachers in the team to understand the research behind the approach?
What if teachers don’t use the new approach?

9. Solutions Focused Implementation
Getting teachers involved in the process from day one –KO decisions, implementing, checking and ideas from teachers on using them (making them specific for our dept. needs)
Sending out lesson suggestions and sharing ideas of how to embed the strands
Teachers feedback sought consistently over time (both informally and in department meetings as discussion points)
Using department meeting time to put in place a constant review process
Using student voice – year group and year 11 revision feedback
Talking as a leadership strand about the potential drawbacks and pre-empting these before roll out
Offering time to go through the strategy
Revisiting constantly in department fortnightly bulletins
Communicating areas of struggle and coming up with solutions as a team
Sharing good practice through learning walks
Reading up on research in blogs and books
Creating MCQ using the information from research – ‘desirable difficulty’
Working together and talking to each other all the time about what and how we are using the different strands

10. Adapting Plans – What didn’t work? What were the solutions?
KO’s worked – but needed consistency – we met – worked on this and adapted – now definitions and resources consistent
KO as lots of loose sheets not brilliant – consolidated this into the ‘Pink Assessment’ booklet – Also, as a homework booklet for consideration
MCQ – became messy in Google forms – creation of individual teacher folders – time consuming doing in class – better than complete student autonomy for consistent checking of learning
MCQ – the admin side – arduous process to get set up and have the kids sorted and ready to go – set as homework and check all set up on google forms
Time – it is a constant process – this process will take 5 years until we can evaluate the effectiveness of the new model

11. Are there other solutions you think would work?
Your thoughts:
What problems or issues could you foresee with this type of change in your context?
Or,
Are there other solutions you think would work?

12. What next?
Writing challenges into Y7 and Y8 to address concerns with grammar
Audit of definitions, KOs and adapting these for consistency
Embed the KO documents into the student booklet (see examples)
MCQ – have an end of year – whole year MCQ quiz
Ensure students re-quiz on units over the course
Re-visit the strategy for knowledge retention
Evaluate year on year the effectiveness through learning walks, teacher and students feedback
Continue to develop and embed core revision strategies and independent reflection of previous learning with all students
Strengthen parent – teacher communication for awareness of independent revision strategies and rationale behind using knowledge retention strategies

13. Your thoughts:
Any questions?
I have put together all the instructions and documents that I created in the preparation for ‘going live’ as a team with KO, MCQ, ‘Embedding learning over time’ and added this to a blog post.

14. “No man is an island” John Donne
The Plans & Pitfalls of building an interleaved English curriculum
“No man is an island” John Donne
This quote resonates for ending this presentation as the work I’ve discussed is as a direct result of team, which consists of full time and part time teachers and an excellent teaching assistant – all of whom have helped shape and adapt this interleaved English curriculum.
This in particular is with thanks to the Leadership strand:
Dave
Laura KS5
Susan KS4 coordinator
Rachel KS3
(former second in Department & KS5 coordinator)