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, with growing confidence

Maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:

• continue to read and discuss an increasingly 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
• increase their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions
• recommend books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices
• identify and discuss themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
• make comparisons within and across books
• learn a wider range of poetry by heart
• prepare poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience

Understand what they have read:

• check that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
• ask questions to improve their understanding
• draw inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justify inferences with evidence
• predict what might happen from details stated and implied
• summarise the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas
• identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning

Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader

Distinguish between statements of fact and opinion

Retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction

Participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously

Explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary.

Provide reasoned justifications for their views

Stage 6

Spelling

Use further prefixes and suffixes and understand the guidance for adding them

Spell some words with ‘silent’ letters

Continue to distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused

Use knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling and understand that the spelling of some words needs to be learnt specifically, as listed in Appendix 1

Use the first 3 or 4 letters of a word to check spelling, meaning or both of these in a dictionary

Use a thesaurus

Handwriting and Presentation

Pupils should be taught to write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by:

• Choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices and deciding whether or not to join specific letters
• Choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task

Composition

Plan their writing by:

1. identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using similar writing as models for their own
2. noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary
3. in writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings effectively

Draft and write by:

1. selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning
2. in narratives, describing settings, characters and atmosphere
3. integrating dialogue to convey character and advance action
4. précising longer passages
5. using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs including repetition, synonyms and conjunctions
6. using further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader
7. use rhetorical questions to draw the reader in.

Evaluate and edit by:

1. assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing
2. proposing changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning
3. ensuring the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing
4. ensuring correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural
5. distinguishing between the language of speech and writing and choose the appropriate register
6. choosing a publishing format to enhance the text type and engage the reader

Proofread for spelling and punctuation errors

Perform their own compositions, using appropriate intonation, volume, and movement so that meaning is clear.

Vocabulary, grammar & punctuation

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

1. recognising vocabulary and structures that are appropriate for formal speech and writing, including subjunctive forms
2. using passive verbs to affect the presentation of information in a sentence
3. using the perfect form of verbs to mark relationships of time and cause
4. using expanded noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely
5. using modal verbs or adverbs to indicate degrees of possibility
6. using relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that or with an implied (ie omitted) relative pronoun
7. learning the grammar for years 5 and 6 in Appendix 2

indicate grammatical and other features by:

• using commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity in writing
• using hyphens to avoid ambiguity
• using brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis
• using semicolons, colons or dashes to mark boundaries between independent clauses
• using a colon to introduce a list
• punctuating bullet points consistently

Use and understand the grammatical terminology in Appendix 2