English
At Chipping Warden Primary Academy, English is an important part of our curriculum which develops the skills of oracy, reading and writing. Children are gaining the skills to read and write, but just as important, they are taught the skills of speaking and listening, including responding to others.
Oracy
Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. In school, oracy is a vital tool for learning; by teaching pupils to become more effective speakers and listeners we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.
At Chipping Warden Primary Academy, we believe spoken language to be essential in the development and achievement of our children across the curriculum right from the Early Years Foundation Stage. We strive to develop spoken language skills through the taught curriculum, the hidden curriculum, playtimes and lunchtimes, extra-curricular activities and the whole ethos of the school. Children are taught how to be effective communicators through skills such as storytelling, debating and presenting.
Respectful relationships between all who form part of the school community are to our ethos. We place a high priority on supporting the development of good speaking and listening skills amongst our pupils. Correct spoken language and development of vocabulary is fundamental to learning. Speaking and listening play a large part in a child’s progress in all curriculum areas and teachers plan to develop these skills in a wide variety of ways. We aim to develop and encourage fluent speakers, with rich vocabulary, who are confident to operate in a wide range of situations.
Reading
At Chipping Warden, Children will become ambitious, aware, adept readers by:
Accessing high quality, stimulating, diverse core texts which contain thought provoking themes and promote cultural capital (range/content)
Being able to fluently read and understand the texts they read. (Comprehension)
Being able to confidently articulate their thoughts and ideas about a text (expression)
Selecting and recording effective vocabulary, features and techniques drawn from their reading. To inform and deepen the quality of their own writing. (synthesising)
The children at Chipping Warden will become ambitious, aware, adept readers by being taught specific knowledge and skills within the following areas:
Word Reading
Print knowledge: Understanding the forms and functions of print: for example, knowing that words consist of letters, that some words in print look longer because they have more letters, and that there are spaces between words. Print knowledge also includes understanding how print is organised, for example, the fact that (in English) we read from left to right and top to bottom.
Phonological awareness: The ability to reflect upon and consciously manipulate the sound structures of language at each level — word, syllable, and phoneme.
Decoding: Knowledge of letter-sound relationships and knowledge of letter patterns, to identify the correct pronunciation of written words.
Full word recognition: The ability to apply and identify the correct pronunciation of written words immediately and without conscious effort.
Fluency: The ability to apply and identify the correct pronunciation of written words immediately and without conscious effort.
It involves smoothly and effortlessly decoding words while also comprehending and interpreting the text.
Fluent readers demonstrate automaticity in recognising words, allowing them to focus on comprehension and deeper understanding of the content.
Language comprehension
Grammar and syntax: Grammar is the set of rules a language follows to convey meaning. Syntax is the part of grammar that focusses on how words are combined to form phrases and clauses, and how those components are then arranged into coherent sentences.
Vocabulary: All the words in a language that are understood by a particular person. This can be an ‘active’ or expressive vocabulary: the words an individual understands and uses regularly in speech and writing; and ‘passive’ or receptive vocabulary: words an individual understands but does not typically use in everyday communication.
Inferencing: A reader’s ability to use information from a text and draw on their background knowledge to understand things that are implied rather than explicitly stated.
Comprehension monitoring: The process in which readers determine whether they understand and can articulate what they are reading.
Text structure including fiction, non-fiction, performance and poetry: The way in which authors organise information in a text. For example, this might include different formats such as: compare and contrast, chronological sequencing, or narrative structures.
Oracy: The ability to express yourself fluently and communicate effectively with other people.
Adapted from EEF Reading House/Guidance reports
In order for our children to successfully develop into ambitious, aware, adept readers, the knowledge and skills required for each year group are sequenced across the year and will be introduced at specific points.
Writing
At Chipping Warden, Children will become ambitious, aware, adept writers by being able to:
Produce and share writing which is planned, coherent, structured and appropriate to its purpose.
Select and record ideas which incorporate effective and appropriate vocabulary, features and techniques taught and drawn on both experiences and their reading.
The children at Chipping Warden will become ambitious, aware, adept writers by being taught specific knowledge and skills within the following areas:
Phonics and Spelling: Spell and transcribe words accurately.
Handwriting: Write clearly and legibly.
Context: Write for a range of purposes drawn from texts they have read.
Planning for writing: Planning and sequencing ideas before writing.
Composition: Drafting writing, using the correct features and language for the purpose.
Editing: Edit and improve their writing by checking for additions, revisions and corrections in grammar and spelling.
Vocabulary: Select increasingly more sophisticated and ambitious language which enhances the writing they produce.
Grammar: Produce grammatically correct writing for its purpose.
Technical vocabulary: Understand specific grammatical language.
Punctuation: Use a range of punctuation correctly in their writing.
Performing: Use their voices to perform their writing effectively.
In order for our children to successfully develop into ambitious, aware, adept writers, the knowledge and skills required for each year group are sequenced across the year and introduced at specific points.
The sequenced knowledge and skills for each year group and class are detailed and mapped out in the English Long Term Planning documents