Summer 1 English:

Before the SATS

In the first half of this term we will be consolidating our learning of GaPS by teaching short revision sessions and completing short quizzes in preparation for the SATs. Our focus will be those areas identified form the last set of tests, including: correct use of tenses, formal and informal language and sentence punctuation.

We will be practising our reading skills by completing daily 10-minute reading tests.  These will allow pupils to practise a range of skills but with a specific focus on Point, Explanation, Evidence and time management.

We will complete reading our focus text from last term ‘Wonder by RJ Palacio’.

After the SATS

In preparation for our teacher-assessment of writing levels, we will use our class reader as a focus for our paired and independent writing. We will look at how the author conveys mood and emotion through the text to write a recount from the perspective of one of the main characters.

Our focus text for the summer term is ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ by Michael Morpurgo.

Spring 2 English:

Our reading focus this term is Multiple Choice – selecting the correct response from a range of options. We will recap these skills and use them in larger texts to gain a deeper understanding of the text and answer questions using evidence gathered. We will continue practising Point, Explanation, Evidence questions in our reading comprehension sessions and do timed short reading activities in preparation for our SATs.

We will cover a range of GaPS activities (Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling) this term, with a focus on spelling patterns, verb tenses, direct and indirect speech and word class. 

Our focus text this term is ‘Wonder by RJ Palacio’. We will develop writing techniques using Rainbow Grammar to write a diary entry in the style of the main character. This text will give us many opportunities to explore empathy and mood through written techniques.

Spring 1 English:

Our reading focus this term is True or False questions – deciding whether a statement is true or false by finding evidence in the text or using inference to support answers.

The first week back we are having a “GaPs Workshop” where we will be practising a range of grammar and punctuation skills, including active and passive tenses and colons and semi-colons.

For our first genre of the term we will be researching Crime and Punishment in Viking times and creating an information text. We will then be writing a “Monster” story using the Jason Wade story recipes. We will identify the key components to story writing and focus on character, setting and plot to write our own Viking myth.

We will continue to use our Rainbow Grammar lessons to improve our writing skills, grammar and sentence structure.

We will be reading ‘The Nowhere Emporium” by Ross Mackenzie as our class reader this term.

Autumn 2 English:

Our reading focus this term is matching and linking information together. This will include using inference (reading between the lines) rather than retrieving information from the text. We will be making fine distinctions between pieces of information to be linked and drawing information from the whole text.

To begin our English topics this term we will focus on Nelson Mandela’s “A Long walk to Freedom” as part of Black History Month. We will be using our matching and inference skills to empathise with the character of Nelson Mandela as we learn about his life and achievements.

We will then be writing a “Journey” story using the Jason Wade story recipes. We will identify the key components to story writing and focus on character, setting and plot to write our own version of Aaron Becker’s “The Journey”.

Finally, our focus will be on poetry. We’ll start by looking at the key features of performance poetry before moving onto comparing poems with a theme. Our final project will be writing our own poetry on the theme of “Refugees”.

We will continue to use our Rainbow Grammar lessons to improve our writing skills, grammar and sentence structure.

We will continue to read ‘The Extraordinary colours of Auden Dare’ as our class reader this term.

Autumn 1 English: 

Our reading focus this term is skimming and scanning. We will recap these skills and use them in larger texts to gain a deeper understanding of the text and answer questions using evidence gathered. 

To begin our English topics this term we will look at non-chronological reports. We will explore the genre identifying the key features and using them to write our own non-chronological report on our class animal.  We will then analyse the features of a letter and recreate our own persuasive letters on an environmental theme using a range of language features. We will use our Rainbow Grammar lessons to improve our writing skills and sentence structure. 

Our class reader is ‘The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare’. We will use this text to develop our skimming and scanning skills.