RECEPTION: “Read, Write, Inc. Phonics, Reading and writing” is taught in a systematic way each day in Reception. By the end of Reception, we expect that the majority of the children are secure in set 1 and moving into set 2. The focus moves on to reading and spelling a wide range of CVC words using all letters and less frequent consonant diagraphs and some long vowel phonemes. Children are encouraged to begin the writing process straight away; using and applying the sounds that they have learnt. Once they have learnt their CVC words using a wider range of letters, short vowels and double letters, their writing moves on to write stories, recounts, instructions, reports, rhymes and poetry. If appropriate your child will complete a piece of extended writing every two weeks. This writing is levelled by the teacher, the ages and stages and Early Learning Goals. As a school we follow the Read, Write, Inc. Phonics programme which builds in reading and writing daily, allowing children to apply the phonics knowledge that they have been learning that day. This takes place daily for a total of 1 hour, there is an additional hour of literacy each day, and this focuses on handwriting, grammar and writing based around the theme.

English Curriculum

WRITING

Key Stage 1 Read, Write, Inc. Phonics continues to be taught systematically in Year 1 and Year 2. Children develop their skills of segmenting and blending working through set 3.At the end of Year 1 children are assessed on whether or not they are working at the expected level in phonics; through the Phonic Screening Test, this is usually in June. Any child who did not achieve the expected level in the Year 1 phonic screening test, will be supported through a phonic intervention programme and be reassessed at the end of Year 2. Children who complete the Read, Write, Inc. Phonics programme move on to Year 2 Read, Write, Inc. Spelling. Read, Write Inc. 1:1 tuition is an intervention for children in Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 who may require extra support with their reading and writing. These interventions will be discussed with if they are required. Big books and core texts are used to enrich the daily literacy lessons. During Year 1 and Year 2, pupils are introduced to a range of genre; including, instructions, narrative, explanation, recounts, persuasion, non-chronological reports, discussions and poetry. Teachers model how to set out writing and scaffold children’s learning with pictures and photographs, word banks, letter lines and the use of dictionaries. From October half-term, children in Year 1 complete a piece of extended writing every two weeks. This writing is moderated by the phase leader every month and actions for the teacher to address in order to ensure each child achieves their potential and is on track achieve the national expectations at the end of year 2. SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) is now a more prominent part of the curriculum in keystage 1 and 2. Children are expected to know, understand and use a range of grammatical vocabulary. At Teagues Bridge, we support children to do this by:

Teaching grammar in context so that children have opportunities to use and apply the new terminology

Using Rainbow Writing which introduces grammar stages, and uses a colour coded approach which supports children with visual learning styles. Rainbow writing wall are used in every classroom

Beginning to use the correct grammatical words in reception so that children are familiar with these right from the beginning of their journey through school

Writing continues to be an important part of our school curriculum. At Teagues Bridge we understand the value of providing children with meaningful writing opportunities. Teachers plan engaging activities that immerse pupils in a topic or text. Children are given opportunities to write for real audiences. Classes work collaboratively to create books, perform to each other and peer assess writing. Writing skills are taught in literacy lessons. Teachers use other subjects as an opportunity to develop and apply these skills. In lessons teachers use a range of modelled, shared and guided writing in order to demonstrate and involve pupils in quality writing. At the beginning of a literacy unit, teachers immerse children in the genre through ‘Talk for writing’. This is a chance for children to see quality writing models and to learn the features of the text type. Children can then apply these features to their own writing. At the planning phase, children orally rehearse their writing so that they become fluent in the vocabulary and style of the text before they write.

Talk for writing in action!

At the end of a unit of work, children take part in an independent writing session called, The Big Write. Children have the opportunity to apply sentence and word-level skills that they have been learning to produce an extended piece of writing. Teachers ensure that the writing opportunities meet a range of genres and are linked to our whole school theme. Classrooms are made to feel different during these writing sessions, with music playing and different lighting. Every child uses their own special pen or pencil during the Big Write. All children are given individual targets for writing. These are informed by teacher assessment and marking and pupil-teacher conversations. The targets are child-friendly and personalised so that children can achieve and move onto a new target at their own pace.

Key Stage 2 In Key stage 2 “Freshstart” is used as an intervention for children who require the extra support. This is usually the children who have not achieved the Phonic Screening Test or it is felt that they require a little extra support. At key Stage 2 the expectations in writing are raised and pupils study a wide range of genre; including, instructions, narrative, explanation, recounts, persuasion, non-chronological reports, discussions, myths and legends, fables, autobiography and biography, diary, newspapers and poetry. Teachers model how to set out writing and scaffold children’s as appropriate.

Spelling From the beginning of January 2016, Key Stage 2 have adopted a new approach to spelling. Read Write Inc.

Spelling is now fully embedded across Key Stage 2.

Overview

Read Write Inc. Spelling is a robust, fast paced, systematic spelling programme for children in Years 2-6. It is

very popular in schools nationwide because of its success in supporting children to become better at

spelling. The programme supports the National Curriculum to ensure that children:

Spell new words correctly and have plenty of practice in spelling them

Spell words as accurately as possible using their phonic knowledge and other knowledge of spelling,

such as morphology (the study of the form of words) and etymology (the study of the origins and

development of words)

are supported in understanding and applying the concepts of word structure

spell words that they have not yet been taught by using what they have learnt about how spelling

works in English.

Resources

The Read Write Inc. Spelling resources are structured to reflect the requirements of the National

Curriculum. Children have a Practice Book which contains partner, group and independent activities to

consolidate understanding and to practise and monitor their spelling.

In addition they also have a Spelling Log Book which enables the children to record their own words to revise

and give the opportunity for on-going self-assessment. The Spelling Log Books also contain a glossary of key

spelling terms and a chart of Red and Orange words (common exception words from the National

Curriculum lists)

Online resources which include Spelling Zone videos, rapid recaps and interactive word activities also help to

make the programme interesting and engaging for all learners.

Delivery

In Key stage 2, children in Years 5 & 6 have been grouped together according to their spelling needs. Years 3

& 4 have also done the same so that each child is working on the spelling programme appropriate for their

needs.

Typically there will be 4 or 5 groups for each pair of classes led by teachers and TA’s delivering the spelling

programme each day for a 20-25 minute session.

Sessions are timetabled to take place daily at given times to ensure a daily routine and systematic approach

for the children.

Structure

Session Activities

1

Speed Spell Spelling Zone Video

Dots and Dashes

2 Rapid Recap

Word Changers

3 Words to Log and Learn

Dictation

4 Four-in-a-Row

Choose the Right Word

5 Team Teach

Jumping Red/Orange Words

Session 1

Children start by practising 6 challenging words from the previous unit. They then watch the Spelling Zone

video which introduces the rule for that week. Following that the children complete the Spelling Zone

activities using the words or rules from the video. Finally the children complete Dots and Dashes where they

identify the graphemes in some of the unit words.

Session 2

The session begins with a rapid recap of the rule for the week followed by the Word Changers activity which

focuses on root words and the addition of prefixes and suffixes. There may also be a dictionary or thesaurus

challenge which links to this activity.

Session 3

The children choose their own words from Dots and Dashes or word Changers to log and learn. They circle

the tricky bits and work with a partner on strategies for learning the words. The children also dictate two

sentences to each other which they mark and any errors are corrected and the word misspelt is added to

the Log Book.

Session 4

The children test each other on their spellings playing the Four-in-a-Row game.

Session 5

The children work in teams of 4 or 6 to organise ten words from the week into ranking of difficulty. They

then elect a leader who stacks the words with the easiest on top and calls out the words for the others to

spell. After the word has been spelled the team leader turns the card round for the children to check and

correct their spelling.

During this session children are also challenged to spell some of the Jumping Red/Orange words which have

been collected over previous units. These are words which are frequently misspelt or belong to the common

exception words for Years 3&4 and Years 5&6.

Besides the weekly unit foci, there are also Special Focus sessions which can be used to look at particular

topics or spellings that sometimes cause confusion e.g. homophones, silent letters, apostrophes,

contractions.

Feedback So Far

Having been using the programme for 8 weeks now, feedback from staff and children is very positive. Staff

have shared good practice at staff meetings and within Key Stages.

Children are achieving a higher success rate in weekly spelling tests.

Children and staff are now familiar with the routine and how the programme works.

Children are applying the spelling to their writing

Children are beginning to make connections between RWI Spelling and their writing when

encountering words with similar patterns or rules.

The spelling programme is beginning to impact upon reading as children develop a greater knowledge

of graphemes and phonics

Staff are also using spelling starters as part of their Literacy lessons which link in with the rules and

patterns being taught in the current unit of RWI Spelling. This is helping the children apply their

learning in spelling to their writing.

Recent comments from some of the children regarding Read Write Inc. Spelling include:

“I think it is really good, it helps me to learn my spellings. Before, I would just write them out but now I have

time to practise them in different ways.” Anna

“It is good and the words are challenging. My spelling is better and I am more confident.” Grace

“It helps me to learn the spellings. I really like four in a row and now I find spelling easier.” Owen

I think it is cool because we teach each other and have time to discuss tricky ones.” Lewis

“It is good fun. It helps me and I like doing the special focuses.” Mackenzie

Handwriting and presentation All children are taught the correct formation of letters, using the Nelson handwriting scheme. Handwriting is essential for a child’s writing to become fluent, legible and speedy when they are writing. This scheme is progressive so that children develop their gross and fine motor skills before practising their handwriting on paper. Handwriting occurs daily for approximately 10 minutes. At Key Stage2, once a child’s handwriting is at the required standard they will receive a pen license and are then encouraged write in fountain pen. They will have a certificate to take home and their name will be displayed in the hall. Purpose of study 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

Aims The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils: • read easily, fluently and with good understanding

• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information

• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage

• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences

• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas

• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

Transcription

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Pupils should be taught to: spell: • words containing each of the 40+ phonemes already taught • common exception words • the days of the week name the letters of the alphabet: • naming the letters of the alphabet in order • using letter names to distinguish between alternative spellings of the

Pupils should be taught to: spell by: • segmenting spoken words into phonemes and representing these by graphemes, spelling many correctly • learning new ways of spelling phonemes for which one or more spellings are already known, and learn some words with each spelling, including a few common homophones • learning to spell common

Pupils should be taught to: • use further prefixes and suffixes and understand how to add them (English Appendix 1) • spell further homophones • spell words that are often misspelt (English Appendix 1) • place the possessive apostrophe accurately in words with regular plurals [for example, girls’, boys’] and in words with

Pupils should be taught to: • use further prefixes and suffixes and understand how to add them (English Appendix 1) • spell further homophones • spell words that are often misspelt (English Appendix 1) • place the possessive apostrophe accurately in words with regular plurals [for example, girls’, boys’] and in words with

Pupils should be taught to: • use further prefixes and suffixes and understand the guidance for adding them • spell some words with ‘silent’ letters [for example, knight, psalm, solemn] • continue to distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused • use knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling and

Pupils should be taught to: • use further prefixes and suffixes and understand the guidance for adding them • spell some words with ‘silent’ letters [for example, knight, psalm, solemn] • continue to distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused • use knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling and

same sound add prefixes and suffixes: • using the spelling rule for adding –s or –es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs • using the prefix un– • using –ing, –ed, –er and –est where no change is needed in the spelling of root words [for example, helping, helped, helper, eating, quicker, quickest] • apply simple spelling rules and

exception words • learning to spell more words with contracted forms • learning the possessive apostrophe (singular) [for example, the girl’s book] • distinguishing between homophones and near-homophones add suffixes to spell longer words, including –ment, –ness, –ful, –less, –ly • apply spelling rules and guidance, as listed in English Appendix 1

irregular plurals [for example, children’s] • use the first two or three letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary • write from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far.

irregular plurals [for example, children’s] • use the first two or three letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary • write from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far.

understand that the spelling of some words needs to be learnt specifically, as listed in English Appendix 1 • use dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words • use the first three or four letters of a word to check spelling, meaning or both of these in a dictionary use a thesaurus.

understand that the spelling of some words needs to be learnt specifically, as listed in English Appendix 1 • use dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words • use the first three or four letters of a word to check spelling, meaning or both of these in a dictionary use a thesaurus.

guidance, as listed in English Appendix 1 write from memory simple sentences dictated by the teacher that include words using the GPCs and common exception words.

write from memory simple sentences dictated by the teacher that include words using the GPCs, common exception words and punctuation taught so far.