CURRICULUM ON A PAGE YEAR 8: TERM 1
CONTENTS PAGE Welcome Message How to use this booklet Contact Details Heads of Department Division A Subjects: English Curriculum French Curriculum Korean Language Curriculum Korean History Curriculum Korean Second Language Curriculum Latin Curriculum Mandarin Curriculum Mandarin Foreign Curriculum Spanish Curriculum History Curriculum
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Division B Subjects: Art Curriculum Dance Curriculum Drama Curriculum Music Curriculum Physical Education Curriculum
16 17 18 19 20
Division C Subjects: Computer Science Curriculum Mathematics Curriculum Science Curriculum Geography Curriculum
21 22 23 24
Personal Social Development Curriculum
25
WELCOME FROM THE VICE PRINCIPAL Welcome to the start of the 2026-27 academic year. As you will see throughout this document, Year 8 students will enjoy a broad and challenging curriculum throughout Term 1, with a strong focus on building upon the foundations of Year 7. This is an exciting time for Year 8 as they continue their Key Stage 3 journey, as new passions and interests continue be discovered, or existing ones consolidated even further. Our Year 8 curriculum is rich in its development of the knowledge and skills that students will require in an ever-evolving world, and is delivered through the expertise of our world-leading teachers. Here's to a great year ahead!
Mr. Carl Lewis clewis@nlcsjeju.kr
MESSAGE FROM THE ASSISTANT VICE PRINCIPAL As our Year 8 students begin the 2026–27 academic year, they continue their Senior School journey with increased confidence, maturity, and purpose. Building on the strong foundations of Year 7, they are offered greater opportunities to deepen knowledge, strengthen independence, and extend their thinking through a broad and holistic academic curriculum. With expert specialist teaching, rich co-curricular opportunities, and a focus on personal growth, students are encouraged to challenge themselves and take ownership of their learning. Weʼre proud of their progress so far and look forward to another exciting year of growth, both in and beyond the classroom. Looking forward to a fantastic 2026–27
Mr Shilen Tanna stanna@nlcsjeju.kr
HOW TO USE THIS BOOKLET An overview of the
Some examples have
lesson content for
been provided for how
the term is provided
your child might extend their learning
Your child will learn
and engage with
lots of new
scholarship
vocabulary and
associated with the
concepts each term.
subject. This includes
This list contains
further reading and
subject specific
activities they might
vocabulary, integral
enjoy
to the unit of study The formative assessments your If you have any questions regarding
Throughout lessons
child will take this
your childʼs programme of study,
students will be
term to support their
please contact the Head of
developing these
progress
Department
transferable skills
Academic Leadership Team Contact Information ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Carl Lewis - Vice Principal (Academic) - clewis@nlcsjeju.kr Daniel Jewitt - Assistant Vice Principal (Division A) - djewitt@nlcsjeju.kr Shilen Tanna - Assistant Vice Principal (Division B) - stanna@nlcsjeju.kr Joshua Waterman-Wiggins - Assistant Vice Principal (Division C) jwaterman-wiggins@nlcsjeju.kr Laetitia Choi - Assistant Vice Principal (Division D) - lchoi@nlcsjeju.kr Jodie Ramskill-Torrance - Assistant Vice Principal (Head of Houses/PSD) jtorrance@nlcsjeju.kr Victoria Doamekpor - Director of Digital Innovation and Learning vdoamekpor@nlcsjeju.kr
HEADS OF DEPARTMENT Please use the directory below to contact the relevant Head of Department for any questions you may have about the curriculum. For questions about your childʼs progress, please contact their subject teacher in the first instance:
Division A Key Stage 3 Subjects: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Mr Adam Lim- Head of English - alim@nlcsjeju.kr Ms Susan Gleeson - Head of AED - sgleeson@nlcsjeju.kr Mr Fabián Herrera - Head of European Languages & Korean Second Languagefherrera@nlcsjeju.kr Ms Hwayoung Choi - Head of Korean Language & History - hchoi@nlcsjeju.kr Ms Margaret Baird - Head of Latin - mbaird@nlcsjeju.kr Ms Jenny Liu - Head of Mandarin - jliu@nlcsjeju.kr Mr William Mason - Head of History & Global Politics - wmason@nlcsjeju.kr
Division B Key Stage 3 Subjects: ● ● ● ● ●
Ms Sharon Kennington - Head of Art & Design - skennington@nlcsjeju.kr Ms Vanessa Pereira - Head of Dance - vpereira@nlcsjeju.kr Mr Ian Peirson - Head of Drama - ipeirson@nlcsjeju.kr Mr Harry Thorrington - Head of Music - hthorrington@nlcsjeju.kr Ms Alisa Wynne - Head of Physical Education - awynne@nlcsjeju.kr
Division C Key Stage 3 Subjects: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Mr Niall Scarlett - Head of Computer Science - nscarlett@nlcsjeju.kr Ms Kurtis Beer - Head of Mathematics - kbeer@nlcsjeju.kr Mr Mark Kim - Head of Key Stage 3 Science - markkim@nlcsjeju.kr Mr Hugh Kim - Head of Biology - hkim@nlcsjeju.kr Mr Derek Patenaude - Head of Chemistry - dpatenaude@nlcsjeju.kr Mr Michael Jacoby - Head of Physics - mjacoby@nlcsjeju.kr Mr Steven Knight - Head of Geography - sknight@nlcsjeju.kr
Personal Social Development: ●
Mr Thomas Carter-Stead - Head of Personal Social Development & Philosophy tstead@nlcsjeju.kr
ENGLISH CURRICULUM This term: Gothic Literature and Nature Poetry Students will read a range of extracts from classic and modern Gothic texts to develop their understanding of genre writing and the conventions of the Gothic. They will explore the effect of deliberate authorial choices and use their learning to create their own genre writing, focusing on creating a specific tone and effect for their readers. Students will develop their ability to read and respond to unseen poetry with a focus on nature and the world around us, through their analytical skills.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ● ●
Relevant TBD Writing Competition Membership in the English Society; Dead Poets Society; or Debate Society; submissions to The Pier Literary Magazine; Joining the Language Ambassadors; Reading CCAs; Commonlit Online resources: Read Theory (online reading and comprehension practice); Vocabulary.com
● Genre writing ● Language for deliberate effect ● Deliberate structural choices
● Reading for meaning ● Identifying authorial choices and their effect ● Understanding genre conventions ● Exploring structure and its impact on meaning ● Writing in a genre
● Identifying conventions of Gothic literature ● Creating the opening to a Gothic story ● Analytical paragraphs in response to unseen poetry
FRENCH CURRICULUM This term: Jʼadore les fêtes Students will study the topics of festivals and celebrations, how to buy food in a market and order drinks in a café by continuing to practise the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). New grammatical content will include the present tense of regular -RE and -IR verbs, the partitive article, quantities and the immediate future tense. In addition, they will consolidate material that they have learnt previously (regular -ER verbs and opinions).
Scholarship Opportunities ● ●
●
Education Perfect is a learning website which offers a range of different revision and recap activities and games ActiveLearn provides a range of online support materials, homework tasks which help students to target areas for development Blooket is an effective online learning review game which allows regular and quick recap to consolidate learning
● Festivals ● Celebrations ● Market food ● Drinks ● Transactional language linked to these topics
● Speaking: Answer questions on these topics, from memory or by using their books. ● Writing: Write a short paragraph or sentences. ● Listening/reading: understand details about the topics.
● Written task: to write a total of 80-100 words on the topics covered.
KOREAN LANGUAGE This term: Perspectives in Literary Works & Presentation Students will focus on the perspectives of the viewer or speaker in literary works to fully appreciate and understand them. They will recognize the value and importance of reading and develop a habit of incorporating reading into their daily lives. They will be able to organize content to highlight key information and present it effectively.
Scholarship Opportunities ●
●
Literary Work Reconstruction: ○ National Library of Korea - An extensive electronic Library with a large range of books and journals ○ National Institute of Korean Language - Korean Literature Dictionary including word of the day Critical Listening and Reading Media: ○ TED Talks (teachers will make relevant suggestions)
● Appreciation ● Emotion ● Narrator ● Point of View ● Essay ● Key Information ● Structure ● Presentation
● Cultural Enjoyment ● Critical and Creative Thinking ● Information and Communication Skills ● Self-reflection and Development
● Writing and analysing poems from different perspectives. ● Engaging in activities based on books read ● Rewriting stories with different narrators
KOREAN HISTORY This term: Unified Silla and Balhae, The Founding of the Later Three Kingdoms, The Establishment of Goryeo Explore the efforts of Silla kings to strengthen royal authority before and after unification. Investigate the founding and development of Balhae. Examine the emergence of the Later Three Kingdoms from the chaos at the end of Silla. Analyze Goryeo's unification of the Later Three Kingdoms and its historical significance. Highlight the achievements of Taejo Wang Geon.
Scholarship Opportunities ●
● ●
Our History Net is a place where various historical materials operated by the National Institute of Korean History are available for students to access Naver Online Article related to how King Gongmin implemented reforms to rebuild Goryeo Youtube video on the History of King Gongmin
● Unification ● Kim Chun-chu ● Founding ● Haedongseongguk ● Gyeon Hwon and Gung Ye ● Later Baekje ● Later Goguryeo ● Taejo Wang Geon ● Ten Injunctions
● Summarising key ideas ● Examining multiple perspectives ● Reconstructing and comprehending events ● Engaging critically with peer presentations
● Creating videos introducing major events and figures ● Writing an essay on the historical significance of Balhae ● Creating a poster about Taejo Wang Geon
KOREAN 2ND LANGUAGE This term: Personalised provision In our Korean Second Language classes, each student receives tailored teaching materials suited to their unique level. The teacher offers personalised termly overviews, highlighting the specific topics to be covered. Students engage with a diverse range of learning resources, including 'Korean for Overseas Koreans', fostering comprehensive language learning.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ● ● ● ●
KSL Trip Culture study in class according to the key dates in Korea Education Perfect Writing competition Internal speaking competition TOPIK test for suitable students
Topic specific according to the studentʼs level and content
● Speaking ● Reading ● Listening ● Writing
● Grammar exercises ● Vocabulary tests ● Conversation tasks
LATIN CURRICULUM This term: The city of Rome and the Subura This course is based on Suburani Book 1, Chapters 1-5 Students will consolidate work covered in Year 7, particularly noun and verb endings. They will continue to develop vocabulary, translate Latin stories to learn about Rome in AD 64 and chariot racing. Through translations they will be introduced to neuter nouns, present infinitive and possum, volō, and nōlō.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ● ● ●
Read History books about the Ancient Greeks and Romans Read or watch documentaries about Roman Britain or any other topic of interest about the Greeks and Romans Read Latin stories aloud, paying attention to intonation Attend the Latin Society to share interests with peers Participation in an Education Perfect competition
● Irregular verbs ● Principal parts ● Present tense ● Derivatives ● Prepositions ● Infinitives ● Declensions ● Neuter Nouns ● Nominative ● Accusative
● Translation from Latin to English ● Vocabulary ● Reading aloud for comprehension ● Recognising the Latin roots of English words ● Exploring the impact of the Roman world
● Mainly through informal assessment in lessons ● Assessed homework tasks ● Vocabulary, grammar and translation tests
MANDARIN CURRICULUM This term: Personal Essays and Sketches in Chinese Literature This term, students explore personal essays and character sketches through works like Zhu Ziqing's 《背影》 and Long Yingtai's 《目送》. They learn how character descriptions convey themes and emotions, gaining insight into relationships. By analyzing these texts, students appreciate storytelling details and craft their own essays using these techniques to create meaningful, personal narratives.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ●
Character Sketch Workshops Essay Analysis Discussions Personal Reflection Projects
● 人物描写 Character Sketch ● 个人散文 Personal Essay ● 叙述技巧 Narrative Technique ● 主题 - Theme ● 意象 - Imagery ● 情感 - Emotion
● Analyze classic essays Create original personal essays ● Engage in group discussions to share insights ● Develop a multimedia presentation
● Reading Comprehension ● Character Analysis ● Personal Essay
MANDARIN Foreign Language This term: Daily Activities and Hobbies This unit explores vocabulary and expressions related to daily activities and hobbies. Students will learn to describe their daily routines, talk about hobbies, and express their preferences and frequency of activities. The focus is on expanding vocabulary related to everyday life and developing conversational skills for discussing personal interests. The course integrates practical communication skills, thematic vocabulary, and cultural understanding.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ● ●
Role-Playing: Simulate conversations about the topic Preference Survey: Conduct a survey on classmates' hobbies and present the results. Routine Presentation: Oral presentation about their daily activities and hobbies. Hobby Essay: Write an essay describing their hobbies and how often they engage in them.
● 爱好 Hobby ● 看书 Reading ● 听音乐 Listening to music ● 运动 Sports ● 做作业 Doing homework ● 看电视 Watching TV ● 玩游戏 Playing games
● Listening ● Speaking ● Reading ● Writing
● Oral presentation tasks. ● End of term exams in listening, reading, and writing.
SPANISH CURRICULUM This term: Mis vacaciones / Todo sobre mi vida Students study two units this term. In Mis vacaciones they learn to talk about a past holiday — where they went, who with, how they travelled and what they did — using the preterite (past) tense. In Todo sobre mi vida they describe their daily life: use of their mobile, music they listen to, and TV programmes they watch, opinions and comparisons. Students practise the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing). New grammar includes regular preterite tense and key irregulars, while consolidating the present tense, opinions and connectives learnt previously.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ●
Education Perfect is a learning website which offers a range of different revision and recap activities and games Active Learn is an online reading platform that also includes thousands of differentiated activities Knowing landmarks and main attractions in different Spanish speaking countries
● Holidays: destinations, transport, who you went with ● Past holiday activities ● Mobile phones and technology ● Music, TV and types of programme ● Giving opinions and justifications
● Listening: extracting specific details Speaking: answering questions and expressing/justifying opinions ● Reading: understanding texts ● Writing: short and longer paragraphs using two tenses
● Vocabulary exercises and grammar tasks ● Individual poster describing a past holiday in detail ● Speaking exam ● End-of-module test ( listening, reading, writing)
HISTORY CURRICULUM This Term: Enlightenment and Revolution Beginning in the 17th century, some Europeans started to reject the social, political and cultural customs that had dominated Europe from more than 500 years. This term will see students investigate the causes behind and effects of the European Enlightenment, with particular focus in its manifestations in France during the bloody French Revolution and Britain during the Industrial Revolution. During this unit students will be asked to critically analyse historical sources and use their understanding of the time period to create written arguments and verbal debates on the subject.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ●
Extension reading - ʻThe Three Musketeersʼ by Alexander Dumas Watching the movie - ʻMarie Antoinetteʼ (2006 film) Playing the computer game - ʻAssassin's Creed Unityʼ
● Enlightenment ● Philosopher ● Liberty ● Revolution ● Democracy ● Bourgeoisie ● Treason ● Constitution ● Guillotine ● Fraternity
● Oracy ● PEEL/PEECAL paragraph writing ● Empathy ● Source Comparison ● Source Evaluation
● Enlightenment Infographic Exploration Journal ● Comic Strip French Revolution ● Source Task French Revolution
ART CURRICULUM This Term: Architecture This term students will develop and explore Architectural design process through studying architects Frank Gehry and Tadao Ando. They will begin by creating a paper model inspired by Gehry's style followed by investigative large scale charcoal drawings. Students will be introduced to two point perspective and designing for a 3D outcome. The unit will conclude with a written reflection and digital sketchbook submission.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ● ● ●
Developing visual literacy. Opportunities for developing metacognition. Develop critical thinking skills through the analysis of media and process. Students have the opportunity to participate in a number of Art Co-Curricular Activities and Bryants. The Art Story Website is an excellent resource which provides information related to artists and artistic movements.
● Architecture ● Design process ● Space ● Colour ● Line ● Shape form ● Texture ● Balance ● Proportion ● Repetition
● Research skills ● Photography ● Rendering ● Observational ● 3D Making and Design ● Design and Layout
● Formative in-class observations ● Summative submission via students Digital Sketchbook ● Production of a 3D outcome.
DANCE CURRICULUM This Term: Merce Cunning Exploring the work and choreographic style of Merce Cunningham, students investigate his innovative approach to contemporary dance, including the use of chance procedures. By examining Cunningham's artistic influences and impact on modern dance, students gain an understanding of how he challenged traditional conventions of choreography and performance. This process develops their choreographic and performance skills, and their appreciation of contemporary dance as an evolving art form.
Scholarship Opportunities ●
● ● ●
Participation in Dance extracurricular opportunities such as Contemporary Technique, the Boys Dance Company and the Hip Hop activity Involvement in the Senior School Musical and associated CCA Engagement with Dance Society Participation in the Term 3 Arts Festival events and activities
● Intention ● Posture ● Chance ● Contraction ● Extension
● Graceful Movement ● Precision ● Posture and Alignment ● Collaboration ● Performance Presence
● Research task ● Teaching peers task ● Completion of the self reflection journal ● Performance assessment
DRAMA CURRICULUM This Term: Commedia dell'arte Students are introduced to the world of improvisation through the Italian theatre tradition of commedia dell'arte as well as acknowledging the impact that it has had on other forms of theatre. As part of this unit, students will develop their improvisation skills and explore ways to engage an audience. With extensive research and practical exploration, students apply their knowledge and understanding to a group performance with clear intentions and outcomes.
Scholarship Opportunities ●
●
Participation through a range of extra curricular activities such as the Senior School Musical, Senior Drama Production, Theatre Tech group and LAMDA examinations Joining the Drama Society, "Unmasked", which meets weekly and works to a performance during the Enrichment Week.
● Improvisation
● Status ● Levels ● Stock characters ● Relationships ● Lazzi ● Canovacci ● Physicality ● Grammelot
● Physical and vocal awareness ● Actor/audience interaction ● Importance of status in character relationships ● Develop a moment of comedy
● Ongoing in class formative assessment ● Formal performance summative assessment ● Research tasks ● Self-reflection assessment
MUSIC CURRICULUM This Term: Music and Mayhem Year 8 Music dives into "Music and Mayhem," exploring chaotic, experimental, and impactful musical concepts. We begin with Improvisation & Ostinati, fostering spontaneous creation and repetitive patterns with performance-based skills focused on expressive delivery. Found Sound challenges students to create music from everyday objects. A Composition Project applies these skills. Music and Film examines how sound enhances cinematic chaos, culminating in a Personal Project for individual exploration. Students will develop their creative, performing, and analytical musicianship.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ●
Sonitas Presentation of compositions Exploration of other cultures
● Improvisation ● Rhythm ● Tempo ● Meter ● Culture ● Perception ● Composition
● Physical and rhythmic awareness ● Ensemble skills ● Composition skills
● One performance and at least one composition
P.E. CURRICULUM This Term: Interpersonal Skills and Skill Execution Students begin Year 8 Physical Education with a unit focused on interpersonal skills, teamwork, and effective team roles. Through a range of collaborative activities, students develop communication, leadership, and decision-making skills, culminating in a class mini-tournament. Following this, students undertake a unit focused on skill execution under pressure within an invasion game, applying technical skills and tactical decision-making in dynamic game situations.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ● ● ●
Sport and Active CCAʼs Sport and Active Bryant's Representation of NLCS in sporting fixtures against other schools (KISAC) Participation in the PE Society
● Interpersonal ● Sportsmanship ● Strategy ● Communication ● Collaboration ● Problem solving ● Decision making ● Active listening ● Technique
● Developing an awareness of and the ability to implement interpersonal skills ● Perform a range of technical skills within various sporting activities
● Weekly teacher observation in lessons ● Completion of Team Builders task book ● Sport specific performance tests
COMPUTER SCIENCE This Term: Python Programming — Lists, Functions Building on the programming foundations established in Year 7 with Small Basic, this unit moves students into Python. After a short bridging phase to translate familiar ideas (variables, conditions, loops) into Python syntax, students will move on to two powerful new concepts: lists, which allow programs to store and manage collections of information, and functions, which allow students to organise their code into reusable, well-structured blocks.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ●
Learn how to read from and write to a text file in Python, and use this to save and load data in one of your programs. Investigate a Python library beyond the standard ones taught in class (such as tkinter, or pygame) and create a small program that demonstrates what it can do.
● List ● Index ● Function ● Parameter ● Return value ● Loop ● Condition ● Pseudocode
● Develop the ability to design, write, and debug Python programs that combine multiple concepts, moving to more structured and reusable code.
● Summative / Formative Assessment: ● Homework and class work will be assessed.
MATHS CURRICULUM This Term: Index laws, etc. During the first term of KS3 Mathematics Year 8 students will build on their Year 7 foundations in all four of the major disciplines in mathematics. They will look at solving simultaneous equations and the index laws in algebra; developing their understanding of percentage change in number; build on their understanding of averages and extend it to grouped continuous data in statistics; and introduce formal geometric proof through congruence, similarity and Pythagoras' Theorem in geometry.
Scholarship Opportunities Throughout KS3 students will be developing their reasoning, contextual understanding and problem solving skills, cornerstones of becoming successful mathematics scholars. To facilitate this there will be numerous mathematical competitions organised through UKMT and FOBISIA enhancing pupils' problem solving skills; mathematical balloon debates will also provide great opportunities for developing research and contextualising skills; and journaling opportunities through extra curricular sessions will provide a basis to develop reasoning and mathematical communication skills.
● Index Laws ● Simultaneous Equations ● Percentage Change ● Decimal Multiplier ● Mean, Median, Mode ● Grouped Data ● Congruence ● Similarity ● Pythagoras' Theorem ● Geometric Proof
● Numeric/Algebraic/ Geometric/Statistic al Reasoning ● Problem Solving ● Generalising and Synthesising ● Communication of Mathematics Knowledge
● Check Ups for each unit ● Summative Assessment during the term related to all content covered
SCIENCE CURRICULUM This Term: Laboratory Skills, Photosynthesis and Respiration, the Periodic Table and Chemical Reactions In the first term, Year 8 students study four key topics. They begin with Lab Safety and Equipment, learning safe practices and how to use common apparatus. Photosynthesis and Respiration covers how plants make glucose and how organisms release energy. The term ends with the Periodic Table, introducing atomic structure and how the periodic table reflects chemical patterns, and the key Chemical Reactions.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ●
CREST Award STEM Olympiad
● Photosynthesis ● Respiration ● Atom ● Element ● Periodic Table ● Group ● Period ● Chemical reactions
● Planning and conducting laboratory work ● Comparing chemical reactions ● Using patterns in the periodic table to predict properties
● Photosynthesis Lab Report ● End-of-Topic Check-Up ● End-of-Topic Chemistry Test
GEOGRAPHY CURRICULUM This Term: Weather & Climate & The Climate Crisis Students begin the year examining weather and climate, learning the differences between the two and how to use meteorological instruments. This unit culminates in a practical, hands-on session where students investigate microclimates across the school campus. The second unit sees Year 8 dive into the Climate Crisis by researching the underlying causes of climate change. Students will then assess its global impacts and evaluate the pros and cons of various management strategies used to mitigate the crisis.
Scholarship Opportunities ● ●
●
Research and analyze the unique adaptations of how life survives in the world's most extreme climate zones. Synthesize findings from the campus microclimate investigation into a formal research paper for publication in this yearʼs Geography Journal. Actively participate in the Beyond COP21 Symposium, evaluating climate mitigation strategies and collaborating with peers on real-world solutions to the climate crisis.
● Atmosphere ● Meteorology ● Microclimates ● Precipitation ● Greenhouse effect ● Carbon footprint ● Mitigation ● Urban heat island ● Fossil fuels ● Renewable energy
● Mapping and geospatial skills ● Interpretation of climate data ● Analysing graphed trends ● Analysing and interpreting spatial trends
● Written Microclimates report based on school campus variables. ● Formal skills & concept based test.
P.S.D CURRICULUM This Term: Relationships Students will learn how to develop effective teamwork skills, conflict resolution strategies, and how to communicate their feelings and emotions appropriately.
● Teamwork ● Communication ● Emotion
● Development of character strengths: ○ Social Intelligence ○ Honesty ○ Teamwork
● There are no assessments for PSD ● Lessons will include a range of activities to support student discussion and exploration