English
It is with great determination that we strive to engender a lifelong love of reading and language through the immersion of stories and texts that interest, inspire and excite our children. We strive for children to read a variety of genres and use these as models for their own writing. The staff at St Thomas’ are committed to providing a reading culture and supporting children in developing good reading habits that will support them throughout their education, in their personal life and beyond. It is our vision that these exciting materials and opportunities will inspire our children to write.
Reading for pleasure is at the heart of all that we do and we have pupils that have developed the habit and passion for reading regularly and widely. The vast array of opportunities supports the children in becoming skilled in reading, but most importantly our children love nothing more than getting lost in the pages of a book. Early reading is high on our agenda and we recognise that the early years of a child’s life are crucial. The experiences that we offer the children in the EYFS and year 1 are fundamental in laying the foundations for future reading success. Reading interest is sparked in our children from day one and children have picture books to read initially, leading to phonic based books and on to more complex novels as they reach KS2. Class libraries, daily reading, initiatives to encourage regular reading and celebrations of authors are just some of the many experiences we provide for our children.
Alongside Reading, we strive to enable children to write effectively, for a variety of audiences, and in a range of styles. We aim to demonstrate purpose and show children the enjoyment that writing can provide. We always encourage children’s early experiments and independent attempts at communicating through writing. As children reach more advanced stages in their writing development, we introduce them to a wider range of genres. We know that Reading and Writing are closely linked and we draw upon knowledge gained through Reading, to aid progress towards more sophisticated use of vocabulary and writer's style. Writing is cross-curricular; the children write for a range of purposes linked to their learning in a variety of subjects.
Reading
Reception
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
In Phonics/Reading we will begin the Read Write Inc phonics scheme. The children will learn:
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In Phonics/Reading we will be learning:
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Year 1
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Year 2
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Discussing story structure, settings and themes. |
Explaining and discussing their understanding of books, poems and other material. |
Year 3
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
This part of the curriculum is broken down into ‘word reading’ and ‘comprehension’. At this stage, word reading skills (including phonics) will continue to be taught, but the main focus will be helping children to understand what they are reading (comprehension). In comprehension children will be taught key skills to enable them to read and develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding what they have read. We will, for example:
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In Year 3, word reading skills (including phonics) will continue to be taught, but the main focus will be helping children to understand what they are reading (comprehension). In comprehension children will be taught key skills to enable them to read and develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding what they have read. We will, for example:
Discuss words and phrases that might capture their interest and imagination. |
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Year 4
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
We will be looking at a variety of books and myths to help us explore our topic of ‘The UK’. We encourage a love of reading, both at home and at school and enjoy listening to stories and poems. We will continue on from the previous year to embed the following skills in our reading and comprehension lessons:
The stories, myths and poems that we are reading will be used to create pieces of writing from a variety of genres. We will be looking at persuasive writing, narrative, diary entries and newspaper reports during the Autumn Term.
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We will be looking at a variety of books to help us explore our topic of ‘France’. We encourage a love of reading, both at home and at school and enjoy listening to stories and poems. We will continue on from the previous term to embed the following skills in our reading and comprehension lessons:
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Year 5
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
Work out the meaning of words from the context. |
Identify, describe and compare writers’ themes across a range of texts. |
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Year 6
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
Writing:
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Explaining our understanding of the text by making references to what the writer has written. |
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Writing
Reception
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
We will begin the Read Write Inc phonics scheme. The children will learn:
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Year 1
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
Using a question mark at the end of a sentence |
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Spelling compound words |
Year 2
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Understanding and using contractions: can’t, didn’t, hasn’t, couldn’t, it’s, I’ll. |
Year 3
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
Write for a range of purposes and genres.
In Grammar lessons we will work on:
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Write for a range of purposes and genres.
In Grammar lessons we will work on:
Use ‘a’ or ‘an’ correctly most of the time. |
Writing for a range of purposes:
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Year 4
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
We will begin to learn the following skills:
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we will be looking at persuasive writing, non-chronological reports, narrative, poetry and diary entries using the following skills:
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Year 5
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
Punctuating speech. |
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Year 6
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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