English
Subject Charters
Our English curriculum is built around the subject charters below.
Reading
At Bewick Bridge, we believe that learning to read is a crucial life skill that all children should acquire. The early skills of reading are taught through our phonics programme - Read, Write Inc.
We develop children's interest and pleasure in reading by reading to them daily, providing regular opportunities to discuss favourite authors, having inviting class reading corners and developing our library.
Reading at Home
Parents/carers are encouraged to read with their children daily. We provide lists of recommended books for each year group, to add to the variety of quality texts children will encounter in their lessons.
What books does a child at Bewick Bridge have in their bag from school ?
After Read Write Inc, every child will have one book which is appropriate for their reading level; this will have a bookmark inside so parents/guardians are aware of what book children can read to them. There will be a second book which might not match the child's reading level but was picked by the child for pleasure. You might need to support the child with this book.
Teaching of Reading at Bewick Bridge
In class, we teach reading using a combination of whole class and group work. This is where small sections of texts are explored, debated and questioned in detail. We pose questions that encourage children to both infer and to ponder a theme within the text.
Where children are assessed as being below their expected stage in development with reading, we provide additional interventions to accelerate their progress.
Writing
Our writing curriculum is designed to develop pupils’ skills in composing texts (articulating ideas in speech and writing) for a variety of purposes and audiences. Pupils are taught to plan, revise, evaluate and improve their writing through their choice of vocabulary, grammatical structures, punctuation and overall text cohesion and composition, depending on the effect they want to have on their reader.
During the year, pupils will be exposed to reading and writing texts for a variety of purposes, presented in a variety of formats.
Over the course of the year, each year group will cover instructional writing, narrative writing, writing to persuade, letter writing, recounts, non chronological reports, newspaper reports, a book study, poetry and an individual type of writing not covered in previous year groups.
We use the 'Talk for Writing' strategies developed by Pie Corbett, which mirrors the way children learn.
Talk for writing allows children to internalise text language and structure before they begin the process of writing themselves.
Talk for Writing is built on a three part structure:
1) Imitation
2) Innovation
3) Independent application
Spelling & Grammar
In all English units, the teaching of punctuation and grammar, and the application of taught spelling skills and strategies, is explicit and embedded.
We follow the No Nonsense Spelling programme from Year 2 to Year 6. Read, Write Inc will support children's spelling development in Reception and Year 1.
https://www.theschoolrun.com/primary-literacy-glossary-for-parents
https://www.theschoolrun.com/primary-grammar-glossary-for-parents
Speaking & Listening
Being able to speak clearly, with confidence and understand spoken language is a vital part of early education.
Even as very young babies, children are learning all about language. Doing things like nursery rhymes, songs and having long conversations with your child will help to develop those skills that will be needed later in reading and writing. Through this, children will soon develop a vocabulary consisting of of tens of thousands of words.
We provide lots of opportunities within lessons for children to develop their speaking and listening skills eg: using Talk Partners. We also use Circle Time, drama and debate to focus on particular skills.
