English
At Driffield CE Infant School we believe that all children have the the right to a high quality education in English, where they can learn the skills which will enable them to speak, read and write fluently. Through the development of their skills in speaking, reading and writing we aim for all of the children to be able to communicate their ideas and emotions effectively. Find out more about our English Curriculum by clicking on the link below.
English Long Term Plan 2023-24
Our Knowledge Maps (below) give an overview of the key knowledge and vocabulary to be taught in each unit.
We offer a safe and stimulating environment, where children encounter challenging and creative learning experiences in the English Curriculum and through the topics they study. The topics studied in each year group are matched to the interests of the children and provide appropriate opportunities for the children to develop their literacy skills in a relevant and meaningful context,
Speaking and Listening
All of our children are taught skills which enable them to listen carefully and to ask and answer questions, to participate in small group and class discussions, to recite stories and rhymes, to take on different roles and voices through role play and drama and to discuss ideas and thoughts with a talking partner. We believe that good speaking and listening and communication skills are paramount and we invest a lot of time in supporting children in these skills from the outset.
Reading and Phonics
At Driffield CE Infant School we use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised scheme, supplemented by other reading books as appropriate to teach the children to read. Children read every day in guided reading groups. As children are ready we introduce comprehension tasks, initially orally and then written ones. The children have a large selection of books from which they can choose home readers, these are changed weekly. All children have a reading diary which they keep in their book bag,
Each class has a book area which is visually stimulating and contains a selection of high quality books which encourage children to read for pleasure. We also have a well stocked and organised school library with a range high of high quality books. We endeavour to promote a love of reading amongst our pupils. We help them to develop the fluency that they need to access a range of children's literature and the understanding that they need to discuss the texts that they read.
Handwriting
The children are taught how to form letters correctly from the outset in a style that can later be joined. When children are ready they are taught cursive writing.
Writing
We provide opportunities for writing through our rich and stimulating curriculum. The writing in each year group covers a range of genres and is linked to our themes and topics. Children are taught spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPAG) from Y1. We expect our children to become adept at proof-reading and editing their written work, especially in Year Two. In order to be able to do this, they need to be able to understand the elements that make a successful piece of writing.
Look at the table below to see how we expect writing to progress from a child working in Foundation Stage through to Year Two.
| Foundation Stage |
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Foundation Stage practise segmenting and blending simple consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) three letter words. |
Foundation Stage begin to use their knowledge of letter sounds to create their own (emergent) writing. 'Look at a cow' |
Foundation Stage begin to write simple sentences accurately. |
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| Year One |
Year One begin to write in different styles for different reasons. They can create letters.
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They can create recounts. they develop secure knowledge of full-stops and capital letters and start to add in adjectives. They are beginning to spell common exception words correctly. They start to use past and present tense correctly. | |
| Year Two |  |
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| Year Two children are expected to start using joined handwriting. They add in adjectives and adverbs. |
They evidence using a range of punctuation.
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