English
Key Learning- English lesson
The delivery of our English lesson is planned and delivered using the Lancashire Planning Document for English and children are exposed to a wide range of genres throughout their school journey (see appendix 1). Lessons are planned and delivered so children develop a love for books, write for a range of purposes and audiences and are inspired to become the writers of the future. Children will explore a variety of text types as they progress through school, developing and applying skills they learn.
The Lancashire Planning Documents ensure the coverage of the National Curriculum specific to each year group and skills are taught in a progressive sequence. Teachers use LAPS to ensure the planning and delivery of these skills is suitably sequential.
The Teaching Sequence
Our agreed teaching sequence for the English units are;
Phase 1: Creating Interest and shared outcome
Phase 1: Reading: responding and analysing
Phase 2: Gathering content
Phase 3: Writing
Phase 3/4: Presentation
The amount of time spent in any one phase needs is tailored to each unit and each cohort’s needs.
Reading
We want our children to develop a love for reading and in order to do this, we provide as many opportunities for them to read in different lessons, about different interests and in different environments. We believe that as a school we should;
encourage a love of reading by making it a successful and enjoyable experience;
produce effective readers;
provide a wide and stimulating variety of texts;
build up a sound base of reading strategies using phonic awareness;
develop initial and advanced reading skills;
provide a word rich environment starting in EYFS
prioritise reading as a focus for learning
To help develop this passion for reading, we provide;
Phonics
Phonics is taught daily to all children in EYFS (Reception) and Key Stage One. We follow Read Write Inc programme to teach phonics. The children receive daily RWI lessons, lasting an hour.
What is Phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write. It helps children hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another in the English language.
Written language can be compared to a code, so knowing the sounds of individual letters and how those letters sound when they are combined helps children decode words as they read.
Understanding phonics also helps children to know which letters to use when they are writing words.
Phonics involves matching the sounds of spoken English with individual letters or groups of letters.
It is a statutory requirement that schools must complete a Phonics Screening check with all Year 1 children. Children who do not reach the required standard will then repeat this process in Year 2. The Phonic Assessment is based on real and nonsense words in order to assess their ability to read and blend the given sounds.
Why do we teach Phonics?
Research shows that when phonics s taught in a structured way-starting with the easiest sounds and progressing to the most complex-it is the most effective way of teaching young children to read. It is particularly helpful for children aged 5 to 7 years old. Almost all children who receive good teaching of phonics will learn the skills that they need to tackle new words. Children can go on to read any kind of text fluently and confidently, and read for enjoyment. (Department for Education)
Support at home
Please take a moment to read our phonics handbook that is attached. The handbook talks you through the different stages that children go through to become confident and fluent readers.
We have also attached a link to some websites that you may find useful to support your child in their early reading and writing skills. If you have any questions then please speak to your child’s class teacher.
https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
If you want to see an example of a past Year 1 Phonics Screening papers follow the link below;