How we develop our children to become readers and writers.
National requirements for reading in KS1
Being a reader in Year 1 (in Key stage 1 we use the Oxford Reading Tree book scheme and Letters and Sounds to learn our phonics)
Word reading
•apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words
•respond speedily with the correct sound to graphemes (letters or groups of letters) for all 40+ phonemes, including, where applicable, alternative sounds for graphemes
•read accurately by blending sounds in unfamiliar words containing GPCs that have been taught
•read common exception words, noting unusual correspondences between spelling and sound and where these occur in the word
•read words containing taught GPCs and –s, –es, –ing, –ed, –erand –estendings
•read other words of more than one syllable that contain taught GPCs
•read words with contractions [for example, I’m, I’ll, we’ll], and understand that the apostrophe represents the omitted letter(s)
•read aloud accurately books that are consistent with their developing phonic knowledge and that do not require them to use other strategies to work out words
•re-read these books to build up their fluency and confidence in word reading.
Comprehension
•develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by:
listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently
being encouraged to link what they read or hear read to their own experiences
becoming very familiar with key stories, fairy stories and traditional tales, retelling them and considering their particular characteristics
recognising and joining in with predictable phrases
learning to appreciate rhymes and poems, and to recite some by heart
discussing word meanings, linking new meanings to those already known
•understand both the books they can already read accurately and fluently and those they listen to by:
drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher
ochecking that the text makes sense to them as they read and correcting inaccurate reading
discussing the significance of the title and events
making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done
predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far
•participate in discussion about what is read to them, taking turns and listening to what others say
•explain clearly their understanding of what is read to them
Being a reader in year 2
Word reading
•continue to apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words until automatic decoding has become embedded and reading is fluent
•read accurately by blending the sounds in words that contain the graphemes taught so far, especially recognising alternative sounds for graphemes
•read accurately words of two or more syllables that contain the same graphemes as above
•read words containing common suffixes
•read further common exception words, noting unusual correspondences between spelling and sound and where these occur in the word
•read most words quickly and accurately, without overt sounding and blending, when they have been frequently encountered
•read aloud books closely matched to their improving phonic knowledge, sounding out unfamiliar words accurately, automatically and without undue hesitation
•re-read these books to build up their fluency and confidence in word reading.
Comprehension
•develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by:
olistening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently
odiscussing the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related
obecoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional tales
obeing introduced to non-fiction books that are structured in different ways
orecognising simple recurring literary language in stories and poetry
odiscussing and clarifying the meanings of words, linking new meanings to known vocabulary
discussing their favourite words and phrases
continuing to build up a repertoire of poems learnt by heart, appreciating these and reciting some, with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear
•understand both the books that they can already read accurately and fluently and those that they listen to by:
drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher
checking that the text makes sense to them as they read and correcting inaccurate reading
making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done
answering and asking questions
predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far
•participate in discussion about books, poems and other works that are read to them and those that they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say
•explain and discuss their understanding of books, poems and other material, both those that they listen to and those
Being a reader in Year 3 and 4 (In KS2 we use the Oxford Reading Tree book scheme)
•apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (etymology and morphology) as listed in Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum, both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words they meet
•read further exception words, noting the unusual correspondences between spelling and sound, and where these occur in the word.
Comprehension
•develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:
olistening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
oreading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
ousing dictionaries to check the meaning of words that they have read
oincreasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including fairy stories, myths and legends, and retelling some of these orally
oidentifying themes and conventions in a wide range of books
opreparing poems and play scripts to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action
odiscussing words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination
orecognising some different forms of poetry [for example, free verse, narrative poetry]
•understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by:
ochecking that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and explaining the meaning of words in context
oasking questions to improve their understanding of a text
odrawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
opredicting what might happen from details stated and implied
oidentifying main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarising these
oidentifying how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning
•retrieve and record information from non-fiction
•participate in discussion about both books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say.
Being a reader in year 5 and 6
•apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (morphology and etymology), as listed in Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum, both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words that they meet.
Comprehension
•maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:
ocontinuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
oreading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
oincreasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions
orecommending books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices
oidentifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
omaking comparisons within and across books
olearning a wider range of poetry by heart
opreparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience
•understand what they read by:
ochecking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
oasking questions to improve their understanding
odrawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
opredicting what might happen from details stated and implied
osummarising the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas
oidentifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
•discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader
•distinguish between statements of fact and opinion
•retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction
•participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously
•explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary
•provide reasoned justifications for their views.
National requirements for writing in:-
In all key stages:-
Year 1
spell:
words containing each of the 40+ phonemes already taught
common exception words
othe days of the week
•name the letters of the alphabet:
naming the letters of the alphabet in order
using letter names to distinguish between alternative spellings of the same sound
•add prefixes and suffixes:
using the spelling rule for adding –s or –esas the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs
using the prefix un–
using –ing,–ed,–erand –estwhere no change is needed in the spelling of root words [for example, helping, helped, helper, quicker, quickest]
•apply simple spelling rules and guidance, as listed in Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum
•write from memory simple sentences dictated by the teacher that include words using the GPCs and common exception words taught so far.
Handwriting
•sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly
•begin to form lower-case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place
•form capital letters
•form digits 0-9
•understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ (i.e. letters that are formed in similar ways) and to practise these.
Spelling
Handwriting
Writing -composition
•write sentences by:
saying out loud what they are going to write about
composing a sentence orally before writing it
sequencing sentences to form short narratives
re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense
•discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils
•read aloud their writing clearly enough to be heard by their peers and the teacher.
•develop their understanding of the concepts set out in Appendix 2 of the National Curriculum by:
leaving spaces between words
joining words and joining clauses using and
beginning to punctuate sentences using a capital letter and a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark
using a capital letter for names of people, places, the days of the week, and the personal pronoun ‘I’
learning the grammar for year 1 in English Appendix 2
•use the grammatical terminology in English Appendix 2 in discussing their writing.
Composition
Vocabulary, grammar & punctuation
Year 2
spell by:segmenting spoken words into phonemes and representing these by graphemes, spelling many correctly learning new ways of spelling phonemes for which one or more spellings are already known, and learn some words with each spelling, including a few common homophones
learning to spell common exception words
learning to spell more words with contracted forms
learning the possessive apostrophe (singular) [for example, the girl’s book]
distinguishing between homophones and near-homophones
•add suffixes to spell longer words, including –ment,–ness,–ful, –less, –ly
•apply spelling rules and guidance, as listed in Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum
•write from memory simple sentences dictated by the teacher that include words using the GPCs, common exception words and punctuation taught so far.
Handwriting
•form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another
•start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined
•write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower case letters
•use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters.
Spelling
Handwriting
Writing -composition
•develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by:
writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional)
writing about real events
writing poetry
writing for different purposes
•consider what they are going to write before beginning by:
planning or saying out loud what they are going to write about
writing down ideas and/or key words, including new vocabulary
encapsulating what they want to say, sentence by sentence
•make simple additions, revisions and corrections to their own writing by:
evaluating their writing with the teacher and other pupils
re-reading to check that their writing makes sense and that verbs to indicate time are used correctly and consistently, including verbs in the continuous form
oproof-reading to check for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation [for example, ends of sentences punctuated correctly]
•read aloud what they have written with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear.
•develop their understanding of the concepts set out in Appendix 2 of the National Curriculum by:
olearning how to use both familiar and new punctuation correctly (see English Appendix 2), including full stops, capital letters, exclamation marks, question marks, commas for lists and apostrophes for contracted forms and the possessive (singular)
•learn how to use:
sentences with different forms: statement, question, exclamation, command
expanded noun phrases to describe and specify [for example, the blue butterfly]
the present and past tenses correctly and consistently including the progressive form
subordination (using when, if, that, or because) and co-ordination (using or, and, or but)
the grammar for year 2 in English Appendix 2
some features of written Standard English
•use and understand the grammatical terminology in English Appendix 2 in discussing their writing.
Year 3 and 4
Writing -transcription
•use further prefixes and suffixes and understand how to add them (English Appendix1)
•spell further homophones
•spell words that are often misspelt (English Appendix 1)
•place the possessive apostrophe accurately in words with regular plurals [for example, girls’, boys’] and in words with irregular plurals [for example, children’s]
•use the first two or three letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary
•write from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far.
Handwriting
•use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined
•increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting [for example, by ensuring that the downstrokesof letters are parallel and equidistant; that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descendersof letters do not touch].
Spelling
Handwriting
Writing -composition
•plan their writing by:
discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar
discussing and recording ideas
•draft and write by:
composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures –see Appendix 2 of the National Curriculum
organising paragraphs around a theme
in narratives, creating settings, characters and plot
in non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices [for example, headings and sub-headings]
•evaluate and edit by:
assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements
proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences
•proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors
•read aloud their own writing, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controlling the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear.
•develop their understanding of the concepts set out in Appendix 2 of the National Curriculum by:
oextending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, including when, if, because, although
using the present perfect form of verbs in contrast to the past tense
choosing nouns or pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion and to avoid repetition
using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause
using fronted adverbials
learning the grammar for years 3 and 4 in English Appendix 2
•indicate grammatical and other features by:
using commas after fronted adverbials
indicating possession by using the possessive apostrophe with plural nouns
using and punctuating direct speech
•use and understand the grammatical terminology in English Appendix 2 accurately and appropriately when discussing their writing and reading.
Composition
Vocabulary, grammar & punctuation
Year 5 and 6
Writing -transcription
•use further prefixes and suffixes and understand the guidance for adding them
•spell some words with ‘silent’ letters [for example, knight, psalm, solemn]
•continue to distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused
•use knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling and understand that the spelling of some words needs to be learnt specifically, as listed in English Appendix 1
•use dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words
•use the first three or four letters of a word to check spelling, meaning or both of these in a dictionary
•use a thesaurus
Handwriting
•write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by:
choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices and deciding whether or not to join specific letters
choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task.
Spelling
Handwriting
Writing -composition
•plan their writing by:
identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own
noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary
in writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings in what pupils have read, listened to or seen performed
•draft and write by:
selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning
in narratives, describing settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action
précising longer passages
using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs
using further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader [for example, headings, bullet points, underlining]
•evaluate and edit by:
assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing
proposing changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning
ensuring the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing
ensuring correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural, distinguishing between the language of speech and writing and choosing the appropriate register
•proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors
•perform their own compositions, using appropriate intonation, volume, and movement so that meaning is clear.
•develop their understanding of the concepts set out in Appendix 2 of the National Curriculum by:
recognising vocabulary and structures that are appropriate for formal speech and writing, including subjunctive forms
using passive verbs to affect the presentation of information in a sentence
using the perfect form of verbs to mark relationships of time and cause
using expanded noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely
using modal verbs or adverbs to indicate degrees of possibility
using relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, thator with an implied (i.e. omitted) relative pronoun
learning the grammar for years 5 and 6 in English Appendix 2
•indicate grammatical and other features by:
using commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity in writing
using hyphens to avoid ambiguity
using brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis
ousing semi-colons, colons or dashes to mark boundaries between independent clauses
using a colon to introduce a list
punctuating bullet points consistently
•use and understand the grammatical terminology in English Appendix 2 accurately and appropriately in discussing their writing and reading.
Composition
Vocabulary, grammar & punctuation
KS1 Grammar, punctuation & spelling 2016:
The expected standard
Use some variety of sentence types as is appropriate to the given task, e.g. commands to instruct the reader; statements to give information.
•Able to introduce additional detail in their writing through the use of, for example, adjectives (including comparatives), adverbs, or simple expanded noun phrases (e.g. the small cottage / the small cottage with the red door).
•Clauses are mostly joined with co-ordinating conjunctions (and, but, or), with some use of subordination (e.g. to indicate cause or time).
•Tense is appropriate and mostly consistent in simple and progressive past and present forms.
•Sentences are usually demarcated with capital letters and full stops, or with appropriate use of question and exclamation marks.
•Capital letters are used to mark some proper nouns and always for the personal pronoun ‘I’. There is some use of internal sentence punctuation, including commas to separate items in a list and apostrophes to mark contracted forms.
•Handwriting is legible. Capital and lower-case letters are accurately and consistently formed with appropriate spacing and consistent size.
Grammar and vocabulary
•Demonstrate familiarity with some word classes and their use, including nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs
•Apply this terminology to identify familiar words within each word class when presented in a context
•Recognise different types of sentences, including statements, questions, commands and exclamations
•Write different types of sentences including statements, questions, commands and exclamations when prompted
•Understand that the coordinating conjunctions and, or, but link words and clauses and use them to construct and extend sentences
•Add a subordinate clause to a main clause using a simple subordinating conjunction (e.g. when, if, because, that) when prompted
•Combine or expand given words to make noun phrases, clauses or sentences
•Identify the present or past tense forms of familiar, regular verbs and some high-frequency irregular verbs (e.g. has / had)
•Apply correct endings to regular verb forms to indicate present and past tense, including the progressive form to mark actions in progress (e.g. the lion is running / Ellie was shouting)
•Demonstrate Standard English subject-verb agreement (e.g. we were as opposed to we was)
•Identify and select some appropriate language for the context such as formal, informal or Standard English as appropriate
•Understand that the prefix un-can change the meaning of some words
•Use some straightforward suffixes to form nouns and adjectives, including the suffixes –erand –estto form comparative adjectives.
Punctuation
•Identify and use appropriate end punctuation for demarcating different sentence types (full stop, question mark and exclamation mark)
•Identify and use a capital letter to start a sentence, for names and for the personal pronoun I
•Identify and insert commas in a list of single words
•Use apostrophes to construct simple contracted verb forms from given full forms, using correct spelling
•Identify the correct use of the apostrophe to denote singular possession and sometimes use the apostrophe correctly for this purpose.
Spelling
•Usually accurately spell simple monosyllabic and polysyllabic words, including high-frequency homophones and near-homophones in context
•Draw on their developing phonological, morphological and lexical awareness to apply the rules and patterns set out in the statutory Appendix 1 of the 2014 national curriculum
KS2 Grammar, punctuation & spelling 2016:
The expected standard
Grammar
•Demonstrate familiarity with a range of word classes and their use, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, conjunctions, pronouns, adverbs, prepositions and determiners;
•Apply this terminology to identify familiar words within each word class when presented in a context;
•Recognise and write different types of sentences, including statements, questions, commands and exclamations;
•Demonstrate familiarity with terms relating to a sentence, including subject and object;
•Distinguish between co-ordinating and subordinating conjunctions and use them to link clauses appropriately;
•Identify and use main clauses and subordinate clauses (including relative clauses) in a sentence and construct expanded noun phrases for description and concision;
•Identify and construct fronted adverbial phrases to denote time and place (e.g.: Later that day, I met Tina.);
•Select pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion (e.g. The children will be visiting the activity centre. They will try all the activities it has to offer.);
•Distinguish between formal and informal varieties of English (e.g. active / passive, subjunctive) and Standard and non-Standard varieties of English (e.g. use of I and me);
•Use Standard English and formal or informal structures when appropriate;
•Select and construct regular and irregular verb forms that express present and past time, including the progressive and perfect forms (e.g. We are hoping to win. I had swum across the lake.);
•Choose tenses accurately and mostly consistently;
•Ensure that subject and verb agree when using singular and plural nouns in a sentence;
•Identify the active and passive voice in terms of sentence structure; identify modal verbs to express future time and possibility (e.g. I might go to the park. They should be home soon.);
•Identify, form and expand contractions accurately;
•Select appropriate synonyms and antonyms for a wide range of words;
•Use prefixes and suffixes to change the meaning of words, for example, to change words into different word classes;
•Recognise and use words from the same word families.
© Focus Education UK Ltd. 2014
KS2 Grammar, punctuation & spelling 2016:
The expected standard
2016
Punctuation
•Demarcate sentences accurately, using capital letters and full stops, question marks or exclamation marks as appropriate;
•Use commas to mark clauses or phrases, including fronted adverbials, (eg: The cottage, which had a blue door, looked warm and cosy. Despite these facts, people choose to eat unhealthy food.) but they may not be able to use them consistently;
•Use inverted commas to denote speech and place these correctly in relation to internal punctuation;
•Use apostrophes correctly for omission and singular possession, and mostly accurately for plural possession;
•Identify where punctuation is used to indicate parenthesis;
•Identify colons, semi-colons, single dashes and hyphens but may not be able to use them consistently.
Spelling
•Spell accurately in general, including polysyllabic words that conform to regular patterns and some common exceptions to these, and less common prefixes and suffixes, for example ir-, il-, -cian, -ous;
•Spell or select the correct forms of common homophones; and
•Draw on their phonological, morphological and lexical awareness to apply the common rules and patterns and spell correctly a wide range of words, including those set out in statutory Appendix 1 of the 2014 national curriculum