English: Key Stages 1 and 2 The verarching aim fr English in the Natinal Curriculum is t prmte high standards f literacy by equipping pupils with a strng cmmand f the written and spken wrd, and t develp their lve f literature thrugh widespread reading fr enjyment. It invlves the develpment f a child s speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. It is a very imprtant area as it is s inter-related with all the ther areas f the curriculum. The Natinal Curriculum fr English aims t ensure that all pupils: read easily, fluently and with gd understanding develp the habit f reading widely and ften, fr bth pleasure and infrmatin acquire a wide vcabulary, an understanding f grammar and knwledge f linguistic cnventins fr reading, writing and spken language appreciate ur rich and varied literary heritage write clearly, accurately and cherently, adapting their language and style in and fr a range f cntexts, purpses and audiences use discussin in rder t learn; they shuld be able t elabrate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas are cmpetent in the arts f speaking and listening, making frmal presentatins, demnstrating t thers and participating in debate The prgrammes f study are set ut year-by-year fr Key Stage 1 and tw-yearly fr Key Stage 2. They are divided int the fllwing cre areas: Spken language Pupils shuld be taught t develp their cmpetence in spken language and listening t enhance the effectiveness with which they are able t cmmunicate acrss a range f cntexts and t a range f audiences. The New Curriculum fr English has the fllwing statutry requirements fr all year grups. Drama has als been intrduced as a statutry requirement within spken language: Pupils shuld be taught t: listen and respnd apprpriately t adults and their peers ask relevant questins t extend their understanding and knwledge use relevant strategies t build their vcabulary articulate and justify answers, arguments and pinins give well-structured descriptins, explanatins and narratives fr different purpses, including fr expressing feelings maintain attentin and participate actively in cllabrative cnversatins, staying n tpic and initiating and respnding t cmments use spken language t develp understanding thrugh speculating, hypthesising, imagining and explring ideas speak audibly and fluently with an increasing cmmand f Standard English participate in discussins, presentatins, perfrmances, rle play, imprvisatins and debates gain, maintain and mnitr the interest f the listener(s)
cnsider and evaluate different viewpints, attending t and building n the cntributins f thers select and use apprpriate registers fr effective cmmunicatin thrugh drama, adpt, create and sustain a range f rles, respnding apprpriately t thers in rle imprvise, devise and script drama fr ne anther and a range f audiences, as well as t rehearse, refine, share and respnd thughtfully t drama and theatre perfrmances The New Natinal Curriculum reflects the imprtance f spken language in pupils develpment acrss the whle curriculum. Spken language underpins the develpment f reading and writing. Talking is a majr means f cmmunicatin fr bth children and adults. The children are encuraged t express themselves and their ideas in speech, and we prvide them with the pprtunities t d s. A child s spken language frms the basis fr their early reading and writing develpment. It is as imprtant fr a child t be able t listen, as it is t be able t talk. We try t set an example, by listening t the children, and encuraging them t listen t thers. Apart frm listening t cnversatin, children listen t rhymes, petry, stries and music. They are given lts f pprtunities t speak in frnt f different audiences and drama is used very successfully t build cnfidence, expressin and intnatin. Yu can help at hme by: Lking, listening t and respnding apprpriately t yur child Asking relevant questins t expand their vcabulary As much as pssible, encurage yur child t use the crrect Standard English (eg. because nt cz) Encurage discussins t share pinins and appreciate ther viewpints abut tpical issues Reading The prgrammes f study fr reading at Key Stages 1 and 2 cnsist f tw dimensins: wrd reading and cmprehensin (bth listening and reading). Children learn t becme enthusiastic and critical readers f stries, petry and drama as well as nn-fictin and media texts. A range f reading bks and schemes are used in schl s as t ensure a brad reading experience fr all children. Hwever, Oxfrd Reading Tree, Prject X and Rigby Star are widely used. Bth fictin and nn-fictin texts are encuraged. The emphasis n systematic synthetic phnics is still very much present. In Key Stage 1, an appendix utlines revisin frm Receptin and a fcus n knwing all f the 40+ phnemes. Hwever, fr children wh are still struggling t decde wrds in ther year grups, they shuld have a rigrus systematic phnics prgramme that fllws the year grup prgrammes f study in terms f listening t bks, learning new vcabulary and spelling new wrds. It is essential that, by the end f their primary educatin, all pupils are able t read fluently, and with cnfidence, in any subject in their frthcming secndary educatin.
We teach phnics frm Receptin and it remains a strng fcus during KS1. It cntinues in mre advanced frms in KS2 als. We use Jlly Phnics and Letters and Sunds t develp skills and the children s phnic develpment is tested at the end f Year 1 using the gvernment s statutry test. Results are reprted t parents and submitted t the lcal authrity. Reading fr pleasure is emphasised thrughut the Key Stages. Children are required t recite petry by heart in Year 1 and thrugh the Key Stages. This increases t retelling stries in Year 2, perfrming play scripts in Year 3 and 4 and preparing plays and reading a range f bks in Year 5 and 6. Teachers are free t supprt their children with retelling stries in all year grups but explicit reference is made t this in particular year grups. All pupils must be encuraged t read widely acrss bth fictin and nn-fictin t develp their knwledge f themselves and the wrld in which they live, t establish an appreciatin and lve f reading, and t gain knwledge acrss the curriculum. Yu can help yur child at hme by: Reading fictin and nn-fictin Reading t yur child as well as listening t yur child read t yu Discussing with yur child what they have read Writing The prgrammes f study fr writing at Key Stages 1 and 2 are cnstructed similarly t thse fr reading, cmprising f: transcriptin (spelling and handwriting) and cmpsitin (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing). It is essential that teaching develps pupils cmpetence in these tw dimensins. In additin, pupils shuld be taught hw t plan, revise and evaluate their writing. These aspects f writing have been incrprated int the prgrammes f study fr cmpsitin. Children shuld be taught t write dwn their ideas fluently, spelling quickly and accurately and using effective cmpsitin. This requires clarity, awareness f the audience, purpse and cntext, and an increasingly wide knwledge f vcabulary and grammar. Handwriting shuld be fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy. In rder t spell quickly and accurately, children learn the relatinship between sunds and letters (phnics) and understanding the mrphlgy (wrd structure) and rthgraphy (spelling structure) f wrds. Cmpsitin invlves frming, articulating and cmmunicating ideas, and then rganising them cherently in writing. Pupils are taught hw t plan, revise and evaluate their writing. Children rehearse and imprve their writing thrugh speaking and listening activities. They are taught t structure and imprve the impact and clarity f their writing. Teachers als use the Rs Wilsn VCOP teaching methd t imprve the quality f sentences thrugh the use f high quality
Vcabulary, Cnnectives and cnjunctins, sentence Openers and Punctuatin. High quality writing als depends n fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting. At ur schl, we use the Penpals handwriting scheme in all classes. The skills f writing are taught thrugh a wide range f activities and all genres cvered. Handwriting, grammar and spelling are all given equal imprtance. The study f English helps children understand hw language wrks by lking at its patterns, structures and rigins. Using this knwledge, children can chse and adapt what they say and write in different situatins. Yu can help at hme by: Encuraging yur child t talk in clear sentences abut everyday experiences and events Talking t yur child and prviding them with a gd rle mdel f spken language Explring bks and talking abut the wrds and their meanings Spelling, Vcabulary, Grammar and Punctuatin Pupils shuld be taught t cntrl their speaking and writing cnsciusly and t use Standard English. They shuld be taught t use the elements f spelling, grammar, punctuatin and language abut language listed. The new Natinal Curriculum has a large emphasis n using the crrect grammar in spken and written sentences. Vcabulary is an additinal fcus t spelling, grammar and punctuatin and a statutry wrd list is prvided, cntaining a mixture f wrds that pupils spell frequently and wrds that they ften misspell. Specific statutry requirements include: In Year 1, children are expected t learn suffixes and prefixes Subrdinating and c-rdinating cnjunctins are intrduced in Year 2 In Year 4, children are intrduced t frnted adverbials (e.g. Later that day, I heard the bad news) In Year 6, the use f the subjunctive and explicit teaching f the semi-cln and cln are cre knwledge fr all pupils Thrughut the prgrammes f study, teachers shuld teach pupils the vcabulary they need t discuss their reading, writing and spken language. It is imprtant that pupils learn the crrect grammatical terms in English and that these terms are integrated within teaching. Yu can help at hme by: Encuraging yur child t talk in cmplete and grammatically crrect sentences Encuraging yur child t talk and write using the crrect tense Becming familiar with the different wrd classes (eg, nuns, verb, adjectives) and hw these can be used effectively when speaking and writing When reading with yur child, encurage discussin abut the use f particular wrds and why they were chsen by the authr
Highlighting and questining the different use f punctuatin fund in bks and in their wn writing Having fun with wrds and play wrd games KSM September 2014