Sellindge
Primary School
Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day
English
English Curriculum at Sellindge Primary School
What are the areas of English?
Our Intentions for the English Curriculum
English lessons provide the solid foundation for learning in all areas of the broader curriculum, and being able to read and write is an invaluable life skill. The importance of this is evident as English is a main priority of the learning curriculum at Sellindge Primary School.
Our intent for pupils in the Early Year Foundation Stages (EYFS) is to provide the children with the opportunities needed to develop their early reading and writing skills in a wide variety of ways. This will then give them the solid foundational skills of reading and writing, which will then feed into all National Curriculum subjects as they transition into Key Stage 1.
In Years 1 to 6, pupils at Sellindge Primary School will be taught the National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study.
Our intent is that by the end of Key Stage 1, all pupils will have a good knowledge of phonics and can apply these skills when reading and spelling independently.
They will develop their comprehension of texts and will be able to begin using skills to gain further knowledge and understanding from what they have read.
By the end of Key Stage 2 the children will have the skills and resilience to competently write in a range of genres; use a variety of punctuation and grammar accurately; produce handwriting which is joined and legible; and be competent spellers.
When reading they will be able to independently read a variety of texts fluently with a good level of understanding of what they have read, as well as develop a love of reading and appreciate its importance.
A good vocabulary will have been developed by the pupils as well as an increased command of standard English, both verbally and written. They will have the resilience to confidently transfer these skills across the curriculum.
Accelerated Reader
Accelerated Reader is a reading programme which is proven to motivate pupils to want to read and to encourage children in developing a lifelong love of reading.
The children are able to earn points and certificates by reading then completing a quiz online about the book they have just read. This can include both physical or digital versions of books and there are over 200,000 book quizzes to choose from! We award certificates for the amount of words they read as individuals across the whole of their time at primary school, and celebrate our readers of the week in assembly. To pass a quiz and earn the points, pupils need to get a set amount of answers correct. The children can complete as many quizzes they like, as often as they like, but it is recommended that they take the quiz for their book within 24 hours of completing it. This helps with their recall of the story and reinforces their comprehension of the text. Please note - the pupils must also complete the quizzes independently, without any help, in order to give a true reflection of their reading abilities.
The children will also complete six STAR assessments each academic year. This enables us to measure the progress they are making and offer support where needed. The first assessment is taken in school at the very beginning of the school year to determine which level of books (their ZPD) they should be reading. Most future assessments are then completed at the beginning of each school term to ensure the children are reading at the correct level. The final assessment is conducted in school at the very end of the academic year.
If you have any questions regarding Accelerated Reader, please see your child's class teacher in the first instance, who will be happy to help.
|
Choosing suitable reading books to use with Accelerated Reader
The children will be given a range of books to choose from, which they will then complete the quiz for. This is called their ZPD (Zone Of Proximal Development) and could look like 3.8—4.3.
When your children are given their ZPD level by the class teacher, you will be able to help them choose their books, which can be both physical copies or digital books. You can find out if a book has a quiz available on AR by using this link. https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/default.aspx
The children have FREE access to MyOn https://www.myon.co.uk/ which is an online library of books with AR quizzes.
They can read physical copies of books either from our school library, your local Kent library https://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/libraries or your own book collection at home. Kent libraries also offer online reading books, which you can borrow and return, just as you would a physical copy. There are thousands of books to choose from. When you sign up for a library card, you are given online access for free and this is for adults to use, as well as the children. You can use the link above to apply for your FREE library card for everyone in the family.
|
Parent's AR Information
The Department for Education - National Curriculum in England,
English programmes of study September 2014
Purpose of study
English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.
Aims
The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:
- read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
- write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
- use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
- are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate
For the full detailed Programme of Study for English follow this link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmes-of-study