English
Reading
Phonics opens up the potential of reading and so much other learning across the curriculum. Children are at an advantage if they are taught phonics efficiently and as early as possible in their learning journey.
At NMPA, children are taught using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised 2021 programme.
The programme provides a full progression through all commonly occurring GPCs, working from simple to more complex, and taking into account the frequency of their occurrence in the most commonly encountered words.
Please follow the link to see the programme progression for Reception and Year 1: https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Programme-Overview_Reception-and-Year-1.pdf
It is essential for children still learning to decode to practise and apply their phonic skills without the distraction of words they have not yet learned to decode. Therefore, we have purchased a fully decodable books scheme by Harper Collins Big Cat who have devised a fully decodable book scheme matched to our programme progression.
Follow the link to see the decodable books available in our scheme: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s4gbqceehbg2dor/Phoneme%20Progression%20Chart.pdf?dl=0
We ensure that all of the children in our school have a strong phonetic understanding. We do not aim to just pass the phonics screening test but to achieve competence in all sounds in all year groups so that our children are able to become fluent readers. Once a child grasps phonics, they then develop their fluency through strategies based on Rasinski and guided reading linked to the Little Wandle phonics scheme.
As children become more confident readers, we teach comprehension through the RVI strategy, based on Doug Lemov’s Reading Reconsidered work. This strategy ensures the children understand who and what a passage is referring to (R – retrieval), the key vocabulary in it (V – vocabulary), which then enables them to make inferences about it (I – inference). Without the knowledge of ‘R’ and ‘V’, a child cannot accurate infer, so we aim to broaden the knowledge children have of different text types and vocabulary.
How to support your child with reading at home
- Early Reading (Reception to Year 2): Early Reading link
- Supporting with Reading (Year 3 to Year 6): Supporting with Reading link
When reading with your child, ask questions to check understanding and discuss the story. Too many questions will spoil the flow – for younger children, one every few sentences can be appropriate; for older children, one every page or so.
The framework we recommend is based on the research of the Education Endowment Foundation and is designed to promote discussion.
It uses PEER to help remember – prompt, evaluate, expand, repeat.
The following can support with the first prompt (The P in PEER) question
Writing
A range of genres are taught throughout the year and aim to cover all four purposes: entertain, inform, persuade, discuss by the end of year six. The following design will allow for progression across the school, building upon learned skills year-on-year. Please see below the given text types that taught in each year group.
Handwriting – Penpals
The ability to write fluently and legibly gives pupils a means to communicate their thoughts and ideas efficiently. Handwriting is a skill which must be learnt in order to provide a style which becomes simple to produce and easy to read.
Penpals for Handwriting is a complete handwriting scheme for 3-11 year olds and is fully inline with the national curriculum. The practice books and supporting videos/animation provide specific handwriting focused practice – either introducing or practising letters, joins or key concepts such as size and proportion. They are designed to support independent practice in the classroom, following a whole-class teaching session.
Punctuation and Grammar
What is SPAG?
SPAG is an abbreviation for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Why is Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar so important?
Punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence greatly.
We need to use Standard English to communicate effectively. Using incorrect punctuation, grammar and spelling can change the meaning of sentences whether spoken or written.
Children need to use accurate SPAG to progress in life and build careers.
At NMPA, it is our aim to teach accurate grammar and punctuation in context through authentic, inspiring writing opportunities across the curriculum. Click here to view Grammar Progression from Year 1 to Year 6.
Rising Stars Spelling
Rising Stars Spelling is a teaching sequence that closely follows the national curriculum 2014. It provides practical and exciting ways to teach spelling within the classroom. Click here to see the overview.
Rising Stars Spelling
Rising Stars Spelling is a teaching sequence that closely follows the national curriculum 2014. It provides practical and exciting ways to teach spelling within the classroom. Click here to see the overview.