English Puzzles for KS3/KS4

KS3 curriculum

This page details the correspondence between English Puzzles for KS3/KS4 and the 2008 National Curriculum for Key Stage 3.

General coverage

Some areas of the curriculum are relevant to a large number of puzzles, particularly where students use a particular puzzle as a stimulus for their own work, or where they work in groups to discuss possible solutions. These are listed here:

Specific coverage

Some curriculum areas also relate to one or more specific puzzles. Click on a strand to see a list of puzzles that relate to it.

1.2b Playing with language

Using inventive approaches to making meaning, taking risks, playing with language and using it to create new effects.

1.4d How meaning is shaped

Analysing and evaluating spoken and written language to appreciate how meaning is shaped.

2.3v Punctuation

Students should be able to signal sentence structure by the effective use of the full range of punctuation marks to clarify meaning.

2.3w Spelling

Students should be able to spell correctly, increasing their knowledge of regular patterns of spelling, word families, roots of words and derivations, including prefixes, suffixes and inflections.

3.1e Range of purposes for speaking and listening

The range of purposes for speaking and listening should include describing, instructing, narrating, explaining, justifying, persuading, entertaining, hypothesising; and exploring, shaping and expressing ideas, feelings and opinions.

Instructing:

Explaining:

Justifying:

Hypothesising:

3.3d Explaining and describing information and ideas

In their writing, students should explain or describe information and ideas relevantly and clearly.

3.3e Forms of writing

The forms for such writing should be drawn from different kinds of stories, poems, play scripts, autobiographies, screenplays, diaries, minutes, accounts, information leaflets, plans, summaries, brochures, advertisements, editorials, articles and letters conveying opinions, campaign literature, polemics, reviews, commentaries, articles, essays and reports.

Stories:

Poems:

Accounts:

Step by step

4.1a Experimenting

The curriculum should provide opportunities for students to experiment with a range of approaches, produce different outcomes and play with language.

4.1f, 4.2c, 4.3g Cross-curricular links

The curriculum should provide opportunities for students to develop skills through work that makes cross-curricular links with other subjects.

See the Introduction.

4.3c Playing with language

The curriculum should provide opportunities for students to play with language and explore different ways of discovering and shaping their own meanings.

1.1c	Demonstrating a secure understanding of the conventions of written language, including grammar, spelling and punctuation.
1.2c	Using imagination to convey themes, ideas and arguments, solve problems, and create settings, moods and characters.
1.2d	Using creative approaches to answering questions, solving problems and developing ideas.
1.4c	Exploring others’ ideas and developing their own.
2.1e	Listen and respond constructively to others, taking different views into account and modifying their own views in the light of what others say.
2.1g	Make different kinds of relevant contributions in groups, responding appropriately to others, proposing ideas and asking questions.
2.2a	Extract and interpret information, events, main points and ideas from texts.
2.2j	How texts are crafted to shape meaning and produce particular effects.
3.1b	Informal group or pair discussions.