‘The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.’ Dr Seuss
In English pupils will have the opportunity to:
- Develop their skills as a writer through transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing)
- Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
Pupils will be able to develop their skills as a writer by:
- Writing for a range of contexts including different purposes and audiences
- Practising writing throughout the school day and across all subjects
- Develop their understanding of different types of punctuation and the impact it has on the reader
- Expressing their own unique ideas through the texts they write
- Choosing the words they write carefully for effect
- Carefully organising their writing
- Learning how to spell key words correctly in their writing
- Practising their handwriting making sure that it is correctly formed to make sure others can read it
Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling
GPS should be taught at the start of most English lessons as an interactive and repetitive way of developing their skills. The skills being taught link to the genre of writing the children are focusing on at the time. The children will apply their knowledge of basic rules to a variety of question types and the repetition over the writing period should help their working memory improve; therefore, having a positive impact on the grammatical quality of each child’s writing.
Spelling Shed
From Years three to six the Spelling Shed scheme is used to teach spelling across Key Stage 2. They focus on etymology, morphology and phonology; activities relate to syllable counts, the segmentation of words, definitions, addition of prefixes and suffixes, and closely relate to how phonics has been taught in Key Stage One. Children also have the opportunity to practise each week and this is encouraged at home. 10 spellings will be sent home weekly for children to learn for homework. A research-based approach to testing will support the scheme where the children complete a pre-test on a Monday and a post-test on a Friday.
Blackbelt Reader
At All Saints, we have joined with the team at Sparx to become a ‘Partner School’. Black Belt Reader is used to support independent reading in Key Stage 2. It makes independent reading visible: it gives children a clear journey to follow and shows teachers who is reading, who is understanding and who needs a nudge. This means reading happens regularly and successfully enough to build stronger vocabulary, wider background knowledge and better comprehension. Children read physical books, then spend a minute or two on a device to record what they’ve read and answer a few short questions on that section of the book. Most of the time is spent reading rather than on a screen. As children read regularly and successfully, they progress through belts – White, Yellow, Orange and onwards – in the same way a martial artist earns each belt through showing up and practising, not natural talent. The aim is to build strong, healthy reading habits, so that every child reads regularly, understands what they read, and builds enough confidence, stamina and experience that reading is never a barrier for them in life – instead, it helps them overcome life’s barriers.
To find out more, please visit: https://blackbeltreader.com/
