Word Reading

Reading Comprehension

• Apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (etymology and morphology), as listed in English Appendix 1, both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words that they meet.
• Read further exception words, noting the unusual correspondences between spelling and sound, and where these occur in the word

Develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding what they read by:

• Listen to and discuss a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
• Read books that are structured in different ways and read for a range of purposes
• Use dictionaries to check the meaning of words that they have read
• Increase their familiarity with a wide range of books, including fairy stories, myths and legends, and retell some of these orally identifying the significant points and events
• Identify and discuss themes and conventions in a wide range of books
• Prepare poems and play scripts to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action
• Discuss words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination
• Recognise some different forms of poetry (e.g. free verse, narrative poetry)

Understand what they read, in books they can read independently:

• Check that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
• Draw inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
• Predict what might happen from details stated and implied
• Identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarising these
• Identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
• Ask questions to improve their understanding of a text

Retrieve and record information from non-fiction

Participate in discussion about both books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say

Stage 4

Spelling

Place the possessive apostrophe accurately in words with regular plurals and in words with irregular plurals

Write from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far.

Use Standard English forms for verb inflections instead of local spoken forms.

Handwriting and Presentation

Increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting

Composition

Plan their writing by:

1. discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar
2. discussing and recording ideas clearly

Draft and write by:

1. composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures (See English Appendix 2)
2. organising paragraphs around a theme
3. in narratives, creating a developed setting, characters and plot
4. in non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices with effect including bullet points.

Evaluate and edit by:

1. assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements
2. proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences

Proofread for spelling and punctuation errors

Read their own writing aloud, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controlling the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear.

Vocabulary, grammar & punctuation

Develop their understanding of the concepts set out in Appendix 2 by:

1. extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, including when, if, because, although
2. using the present perfect form of verbs in contrast to the past tense
3. choosing nouns or pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion and to avoid repetition
4. using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause
5. using fronted adverbials
6. learning the grammar for years 3 and 4 in Appendix 2

Indicate grammatical and other features by:

1. using commas after fronted adverbials
2. indicating possession by using the possessive apostrophe with singular and plural nouns
3. using full punctuation for direct speech

Use and understand the grammatical terminolo