English: The New Curriculum & Bug Club Wednesday 13 th May 2015

Aims Address the major changes that have taken place with the introduction of the new curriculum – Writing, SPaG, Reading Discuss the implication of these changes for your child Introduce the new online guided reading scheme - Bug Club

The New Primary National Curriculum was introduced in September Years 1,3,4 and 5 have been following the new Primary National Curriculum for all subjects this academic year. Children in Y2 and Y6 will follow the new primary national curriculum for all subjects, with the exception of Maths and English, this is because the SATs they sit in May/June 2015 will be based on the old curriculum.

Aims of the New Curriculum “The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.”

Main Changes The new programme of study for English is knowledge-based; this means it’s focus is on knowing facts rather than developing skills and understanding Speaking and listening is now referred to as ‘Spoken Language’ Drama is a statutory requirement in the Spoken Language curriculum Increased emphasis on the technical aspect of language and grammar Expectations for each year group have changed significantly Shift in expectations!

Assessment  Year six children sit a Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar test paper, in addition to Reading and Writing assessments.  From 2015/16, Year 2 children will also be required to sit a Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar test paper.

Assessments Key Stage 1

Assessments Key Stage 2

Changes to Writing Writing in the 2014 National Curriculum is not principally driven by children learning to write different text types. Instead there is a focus on children learning to tailor their writing for audience and purpose, and there is the well-documented emphasis on children using grammar and punctuation accurately in their writing. Writing is presented into two sections: transcription and composition. For transcription, the expectations for grammar, punctuation and grammar are presented by year group

Changes to Writing Perhaps the most significant change, however, is the approach to writing composition outlined in the new curriculum. The writing process breaks down into a number of steps: – Planning – Drafting and Writing – Evaluating and Editing – Proof-Reading – Reading Aloud and Sharing By teaching children to do all of these things rather than simply ‘doing some writing’, we are teaching children to be craftsmen, shaping their words to match their intended purpose and audience.

Changes to Grammar Specific SPaG – grammar and spelling schemes of work (including grammar terminology and statutory word lists) New emphasis on developing a wide vocabulary Some phonics extended into Year 3 and beyond Some grammar & spelling expectations changed

Grammar Expectations for Each Year Group

Reception All the letters of the alphabet and their sounds Phonics (letter groups and their sounds) ‘High Frequency Words’ (i.e. the most commonly used) – first 50

Grammar Expectations for Each Year Group Year 1 Revision of Reception work Continuing Phonics ‘High Frequency Words’ – first 100 Phonics Screening Test

Grammar Expectations for Each Year Group Year 2 Revision of Year 1 work Continuation of Phonics ‘High Frequency Words’ – first 300 Suffixes (word endings) e.g. –ness, -ful, - less, -ly Spelling patterns and rules SPAG SATS in May 2016

Grammar Expectations for Each Year Group Year 3 Revision of Year 2 work Revision of Key Stage 1 work: (Phonics & ‘High Frequency Words’) Suffixes and prefixes e.g. un-, dis-, mis-, in-, re-, inter- ; -sion, -ous Other spelling patterns and rules Year 3&4 100 word list (at least 50)

Grammar Expectations for Each Year Group Year 4 Revision of Year 3 work Revision of Key Stage 1 & Year 3 work: (Phonics & ‘High Frequency Words’) More suffixes and prefixes Further spelling patterns and rules Common homophones e.g. meat/meet Year 3&4 100 word list (all 100)

Grammar Expectations for Each Year Group Year 5 Revision of Year 4 work Revision of work in previous years More suffixes and prefixes e.g. -cial, - ency, -ation, -ible, Tricky spelling patterns and rules Homophones Year 5&6 100 word list (at least 50)

Grammar Expectations for Each Year Group Year 6 Revision of Year 5 work Revision of work in all previous years More suffixes and prefixes Trickier spelling patterns and rules Homophones Year 5&6 100 word list (all 100)

Changes to Reading The reading element of the new curriculum is based on the Simple View of Reading, where reading is treated as two interlinked elements – word reading and comprehension. The word-reading element of the curriculum is based on synthetic phonics. Progression in comprehension in the new National Curriculum is provided primarily through the increasing challenge of the texts children read. The level of challenge comes from the complexity of the questions a teacher asks or the tasks set, and the quality of the answers they’re willing to accept.

Reading for Pleasure ‘Pupils should be taught to read fluently, understand extended prose, both fiction and non-fiction, and be encouraged to read for pleasure. Schools should do everything to promote wider reading… [Pupils] should be reading widely and frequently, outside as well as in school, for pleasure and information.’ 2014 National Curriculum Anything schools can do to help children to become life-long readers is time and effort well spent. As Mark Twain said, ‘The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read’.

What is Bug Club? Bug Club is a finely-levelled reading scheme, which ensures that all children can read books at exactly the right level for them. We allocate books to your child according to their reading levels. Throughout the book there are questions for your child to complete which coincide with the National Curriculum assessment focuses. The answers to the quiz questions will be sent back to our teacher site so that we can see how your child is progressing.

Bug Club Each child has a personal user name and password and once a week children are able to access Bug Club during Guided Reading. Children are also able to access Bug Club at home using the same login details and from September 2015 homework will sometimes be set through Bug Club.

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Reporting

Thoughts on Bug Club so far... I really like it! It’s great to be able to read whilst being on the computer and the questions are really challenging. Lily, Year 5 It is really good! You get to a read a variety of texts and there is a real fun element too! I want to keep using it. Kobi, Year 4 Its really good because you can read lots of different books and it checks you are reading properly. Iolo, Year 1 I love Bug Club days! Once you’ve read a section you have opportunities to answer questions to check you understand. Amara, Year 5

Questions