English
“A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person.
And a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints….” Pope Benedict XVI, 2010
At Holy Family, English is at the core of all our other subjects. We wish to develop in our children a love of language both written and spoken that will go with them into adulthood. We believe a high standard of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills will place our children at an advantage in their wider curriculum studies.
To achieve our aims, we endeavour to:
- Create a safe caring environment in which all children feel encouraged to speak and listen as appropriate.
- Give children access to a wide variety of stimulating literary texts.
- Hear children read on a regular basis and send reading books home with a reading record for dialogue between school and home.
- Provide children with the opportunity to produce a range of written work developing skills across a variety of genre, e.g. – narrative, information and poetry.
- Provide children with a structured programme of phonics, based on the guidelines of Little Wandle to develop their knowledge of phonics for reading and spelling.
- Encourage accurate spelling and correct grammar.
- Encourage children to develop a clear and legible handwriting style.
- Maintain records of pupil achievement to assess their progress and build upon success.
100 Best Books for ages 0-5
100 Best Books for ages 6-8
100 Best Books for ages 9-11
Writing: Transcription and Composition
Our children need to develop a passion and skill for writing in which they feel comfortable experimenting with different styles and formats. From the Foundation Stage, all children’s attempts at writing, including emergent writing, are valued and built upon, so that children appreciate the importance of their writing in conveying meaning to the reader. During Key Stage 2 pupils learn to write more independently and alter the way they write to suit different situations, purposes and audiences.
Writing is embedded across our creative curriculum. Our Core Texts and memorable experiences drive our learning in English and relate to the Topic being studied. We select Core Texts which engage our children, enhance our foundation subjects and expose our children to rich language and form. The planned reading curriculum is supported by access to, and carefully designed exposure to, high quality literature (core texts) these books have been chosen to reflect a rich array of cultures, backgrounds and experiences. Exposure to quality texts and enriching experiences enable children to discover a real sense of purpose for writing and enables children to write in a range of genre for a specific audience.
Spelling Punctuation and Grammar
There is a strong focus on vocabulary development, grammar, punctuation and spelling. SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) is taught both discretely and as an embedded part of English lessons. This focus helps prepare children for end of key stage assessments and to ultimately develop greater fluency in writing.
National Curriculum English - Spelling
Handwriting
We are very proud of our pupil’s handwriting and take particular care in our cursive / joined up handwriting style. At the end of Key Stage 2 all pupils should have the ability to produce fluent, legible and joined handwriting.
Spoken Language
Oral language has a key role in classroom teaching and learning. Discussion and interaction can engage children’s imagination and foster creativity.
In our school the key areas are:
- Speaking: being able to speak clearly and to develop and sustain ideas in talk.
- Listening: developing active listening strategies and critical skills of analysis.
- Group discussion and interaction: taking different roles in groups, making a range of contributions and working collaboratively.
- Drama: improvising and working in role, scripting and performing, and responding to performances.
Talk is an underlying factor in the development of literacy, with children engaging by responding to text and explaining their choices and rehearsing their ideas in advance of writing. In maths, answers can be discussed, data interpreted and relevant language can be developed. However, all areas of the curriculum offer opportunities in this area and therefore it is necessary to teach Spoken Language explicitly across the curriculum.
To develop their Spoken Language, speaking and listening skills are developed across the curriculum as well as specifically in activities such as listening games, show and tell sessions, role play and drama, class discussions and debating. Children will be expected to listen to others and respond with sensitivity and respect to the talk of others. The children will have opportunities to speak in front of an audience, using language and techniques appropriate to the task.
Useful Literacy Websites
https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/libraries/children/5-to-12-year-olds
Literacy Glossary for Parents (including Grammar)
http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/index.htm this is great for phonics games and recognition of letter sounds and high frequency words. –suitable for children in reception to year 2
http://readingeggs.co.uk/ online reading games and activities for children from 3 to 13
www.booktrust.org.uk games, activities and book ideas for children of all ages
http://www.magickeys.com/books/index.html#books free on line books! For all ages
http://www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk/school-life/fun-and-games not just literacy! But great for educational games .
http://www.shakespeareandmore.com Shakespeare
http://www.worldbookday.com not just for world book day! Lots of lovely ideas and resources linked to different books.
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/reading-owl/library-page online e-books