CURRICULUM
Speaking and listening
Being an intrinsic part of language development, children are taught and encouraged to speak purposefully. As part of this process, children need to learn to listen actively. These skills are developed through drama, debate, poetry recitals and other speaking and listening activities across the whole curriculum.
Writing
Statement of intent:
At Beeches Junior School, we intend to create confident writers who develop stamina for writing throughout school. We aim for all of our children to be independent writers, building on a range of skills as they work through each journey of writing and for them to be able to write for a range of purposes and audiences. Throughout this journey, we ensure the children of Beeches Junior are immersed in a range of genres and have a clear understanding of purpose. Our learners will have a secure understanding of the purpose of a text type, the intended impact of writing skills/tools and the ability to carefully select vocabulary with careful attention to the desired effect on the readers’ thoughts and feelings. Our learners are challenged and encouraged to take risks and view mistakes as part of the learning process. Our learners should always set high expectations for themselves where they take pride in all aspects of learning and in everything they produce.
Beeches Junior School:
- Recognises the effect that a confident, fluent and coherent understanding of English will have on a pupil’s progress, both inside and outside of the school environment.
- Understands how a strong grounding in English will impact the future learning and development of a pupil in all aspects of their life
- Provides a balanced and broad curriculum, which encompasses writing practice, including handwriting, spelling, widening vocabulary, and writing for different styles, purposes, and audiences, as well as focussing on spoken English, reading, grammar and pronunciation.
- Ensures that all staff members are aware of planning, assessment, teaching and learning requirements for the English curriculum.
- Ensures that all pupils know how to plan, practise, evaluate their work as well as carry out an effective edit and improve process.
- Ensures that all pupils understand all elements of English, as per the national curriculum.
Spelling, punctuation and grammar
Statement of intent and aims:
When teaching children to spell, we acknowledge that there is a distinction between phonics understanding and the ability to sight recognise words. Our approach to spelling is designed so children are able identify the focus sound within a word as well as breaking down words using sound (synthetic phonics). In addition to this, children will learn through sight by having repeated exposure to the sound and words everyday across a week. To help sounds to embed in long-term memory, a revisitation week has be timetabled in every three weeks.
The structure of our approach remains the same every week where we learn different phonemes that may are represented by a variety of phonemes. In one week, we may be learning the ‘or’ sound but look at the variety of ways the ‘or’ sound can be made such as au/ough/or/ore. The words that children are exposed to during any week will include curriculum specific objectives such as prefixes and suffixes, curriculum words for each key stage and homophones.
Regularly, words from the key stage spelling word lists will be revisited as part of a different phoneme. For example, ‘therefore’ could be visited in weeks that teach the phonemes, ‘or’, ‘air’ and ‘f’. Curriculum words will be the focus for each week’s spellings that are applicable to the sound.
As continuous provision, all year groups will post spellings onto Class Dojo so words can be practised at home ready for testing on Friday.
Planning
Year groups will cover a different phoneme each week that are outlined in a long-term plan compiled by the English leader. Words that are covered will be provided for teachers that satisfy the curriculum objective needs and well as the need to revisit and revise previous words learnt. Consolidation weeks will consist of short, fun but purposeful activities to revisit the taught phonemes and spelling words. This can be word searches, whiteboard spelling tests, crosswords etc.
Handwriting
We follow the ISHA ( Improvement in School Handwriting) scheme. Teaching handwriting effectively impacts the wider curriculum and the development of the whole child.
Each letter falls into a 'family' and those groups of letters are taught at a similar time to ensure consistency and flow. Our books have lines which are designed to support the stability and presentation of each child's work.
RESOURCES
SPELLING
Please click these links to find the words that your child should learn.
Y3/4: Y3/4 Spelling List
Y5/6: Y 5/6 Spelling List