English / Literacy

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society.  A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them.  Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually.  Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development.  reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know.  All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils, therefore, who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.

School Curriculum for English

Our teaching of English and the expectations we have of children are underpinned by the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for English. 

In each year group, children will be taught:

  • Spoken Language
  • Reading : Word Reading (keywords, phonics, blending sounds to read unfamiliar words)
  • Reading : Comprehension – understanding what has been read and the meaning of a text
  • Writing : Transcription – spelling and writing dictated passages
  • Writing : Spelling
  • Writing : Composition
  • Writing : Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation

The above are taught via

  • individual reading with an adult (supported by our reading schemes)
  • guided reading (either whole class or small groups)
  • quality shared texts (whole class sharing a quality story or other text as a stimulus for reading and writing)
  • spelling (weekly spelling lists and tests)
  • discrete taught lessons for aspects of grammar and punctuation
  • opportunities to develop piece of short and long writing

In each year group, children will be taught:

  • to read easily, fluently and with good understanding
  • to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
  • to acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of the conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
  • to appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
  • to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
  • to be competent in the arts of speaking and listening, and to use discussion in order to learn, and to make formal presentations to others

Year 3 – English

Year 3 introduces pupils to the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum for English.  Pupils will build on the reading and phonics skills gained in Year 2 to read more complex and a wider range of texts, including to support that study of other national curriculum subjects.  Pupils will write with greater fluency and coherence for different purposes, including consistent use of punctuation and tenses.  They will begin to follow the school’s Key Stage 2 Scheme of Work for Spelling, including the Year 3-4 spelling lists.

Reading

Pupils in Year 3 build on their reading and phonics skills gained in Key Stage 1 and begin to read a wider range of longer and more complex texts. There is less focus on guided reading in Year 3 and more focus on whole-class and small-group comprehension work to develop a range of reading skills, including inference.

Shared Texts 

  • Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
  • Escape from Pompeii (linked to Geography – Volcanoes)
  • Snow Dragon
  • Theseus and the Minotaur
  • Stone Age Boy
  • The Tunnel

Writing

In Year 3, we expect pupils to create pieces of writing which are more complex and longer than those written in Year 2.  For example, we would expect Year 3 pupils to be able to:

  • use capital letters and full stops accurately
  • begin to use paragraphs to separate ideas in a narrative or explanation text
  • use a wider range of vocabulary, including verbs, adjectives, adverbs and nouns

Spelling

Year 4 – English

Reading

Pupils in Year 4 build on their reading and phonics skills gained in Year 3 and begin to read a wider range of longer and more complex texts.  They develop a wider range of reading skills across a broad range of texts and learn to write with greater coherence

Shared Texts 

  • Tuesday
  • The Giant that Stirred
  • The Iron Man
  • Poetry
  • Into the Forest
  • There’s a Pharaoh in the Bathroom
  • Belonging
  • Gorilla
  • The Day I swapped my Dad for 2 Goldfish
  • Until I met Dudley

Writing

In Year 3, we expect pupils to create pieces of writing which are more complex and longer than those written in Year 3.  For example, we would expect Year 4 pupils to be able to:

  • begin to commas to separate key clauses in a sentence
  • use paragraphs with more confidence
  • use a wider range of specific and vocabulary for effect

Spelling

 

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Translate ยป