WRITING
Writing
At Tiger, we implement The Power of Reading created by CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education). The Power of Reading enables all the teaching and learning, in English, to be centred around one core text either per half term. This allows the children to enjoy reading and be fully immersed into a high-quality and purposeful text. This enables the children to have a deeper understanding of the variety of texts, author’s language, the impact of illustrations and opens the discussion of life experiences.
The Power of Reading at Tiger allows us to emphasise the importance of books and literature in enabling children to become confident, happy and enthusiastic readers and writers, with all the benefits this brings. Within the classroom literacy environment, pupils learn the importance of reading aloud, booktalk, role play and drama, readers theatre and story-telling.
The main focus for the direct teaching of English is the Literacy Hour during which the skills of spelling, reading, letter formation, text type, format, grammar and punctuation are taught at the appropriate level of development.
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.
Our Approach to Spelling
EYFS and KS1 follow the Read, Write, Inc phonics scheme.
EYFS and KS1 follow the Read, Write, Inc phonics scheme.
KS2 children follow the Read, Write, Inc spelling scheme
Direct teaching underpins the programme. Spelling is taught cumulatively and systematically, with deliberate, focused practice. Constant revision and practice are key to children’s success.
Children learn the routines and behaviours for each activity, and practise these until they use them automatically.
This allows them to focus on what matters most – learning to spell.
The spelling programme:
- makes sense of the most complex alphabetic code in the world- 150 spellings of 44 speech sounds.
- builds upon teaching strategies and spelling activities from Read Write Inc. Phonics
- is organised in daily, 15-minute well-paced lessons
- provides plenty of writing practice, with a clear record of children’s progress.
The programme’s core activities teach:
- alternative spellings of vowels
- alternative spellings of consonants
- homophones
- the impact of adding prefixes and suffixes to root words
- spelling plural nouns
- ‘silent’ letters
- unusual letter strings
- word families.
It includes all the spelling requirements of the English National Curriculum Years 2 to 6, and revises spelling taught in Year 1.
