SPaG in KS2 Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

This evening, we will cover: What is SPaG? Why? SPaG expectations from year 3 – 6 Example questions for you to try How we teach SPaG at St. Martin’s What you can do to help your child at home

What is SPAG and why is it important ? SPAG = Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar It is now tested at KS1 and KS2 in written tests. It also forms a key element in the levelling of writing. Why was it introduced? Statistics for writing in 2012 showed that: almost 100,000 7-year-olds were below the expected level (17%) about 125, year-olds were below the expected level (23%) In the CBI’s 2011 skills survey, more than 40% of employers said they were not satisfied with the basic literacy of school and college leavers. According to the government ‘This new test will mean that children are again taught the skills they need to understand our language, and to use it properly, creatively and effectively.’ For Primary Schools the decision was to place: - a particular focus on spelling. For instance, there will be a list of words that all children should be able to spell by the end of primary school. There is currently no such list in the national curriculum - a focus on grammar and punctuation. Children will be expected to understand how to use the subjunctive, and how to use the apostrophe correctly – for example, not using an apostrophe to indicate plurals such as “I went to buy some apple’s” nor using “it’s” as a possessive

Tests in Y2 and 6 The SPAG test includes questions that assess the following elements of the English curriculum: Sentence grammar through both identifying and writing sentences that are grammatically correct Punctuation through identifying and writing sentences that are correctly punctuated Vocabulary through identifying and writing sentences in which a word is used correctly Spelling (Lists for Year 1&2, Year 3&4 and Year 5&6

KS1 SPAG Test This test is made of two parts: 1)A test on grammar and punctuation consisting of 18 questions which lasts around 20 minutes (but is not timed) 2)A spelling test of 20 spellings (usually lasts around minutes) Questions include writing short responses, ticking correct answers, circling answers or adding in missing punctuation to a sentence.

Have a go! KS1 … Children are expected to be able to spell words such as: Gnaw Merriment National plainness

SPaG in Year 3

SPaG in Year 4

Determiners The determiners are highlighted in red and nouns in green. Can you work out the function? Where are they positioned? That dog ate those sandwiches. I like this dog better than that one.

Determiner or Pronoun Depends on their function in the sentence. Put that box over there. Put that over there. That box is his box. Pronouns take the place of a noun/noun phrase. Determiners define nouns and are always in front of them

Example questions Y3 and Y4 example questions Underline the determiners in this sentence. I saw his dog eat six sandwiches. Underline the main clause in the sentence below. When the weather is fine, I enjoy gardening. Rewrite the sentence below, fronting the adverbial phrase. The young girl leaped to her feet, all of a sudden.

SPaG in Years 5

SPaG in Years 6

KS2 SPAG Test This test is made of two parts: 1)45 minute test with 50 questions based on Punctuation and Grammar 2)A spelling test of 20 spellings (usually lasts around minutes) Questions include writing short responses, ticking correct answers, circling answers or adding in missing punctuation to a sentence.

Example questions Y5 and Y6 example questions Underline the noun phrases in the sentence below. Grandma baked delicious cakes. Put commas into the sentence below, to show where extra information has been inserted. The girl who was new to the school quickly made lots of friends

How we teach SPaG at St. Martin’s Children across KS2 receive three 30 minute SPaG lessons every week. These are linked to their current English work to help them practice new skills. Children are taught through cold tasks (assessment) discussion, games, demonstration and their own application in their writing.

Grammar and Spelling Bug Use of in school The diagnostic check PDFs for each spelling unit.- prior knowledge check The Spelling teaching guidance The video for each spelling unit The game sequence for each spelling unit. The assessment PDF for each spelling unit. Following the Pattern – learning rules and conventions Spelling Exceptions - context Learning from Their Mistakes!

Statutory Spellings for Yrs 3 and 4

Statutory Spellings for Yrs 5 and 6

How you can help your child at home? By understanding it yourself (glossaries for KS1 and KS2 are available on the website) Get them to discuss their work with you and explain their choices Have a poster on the wall where they do their home learning Try to make it into a game

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons. "Why?" asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. "Well, I'm a panda," he says. "Look it up." The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."