Reading
Our Approach to Reading
Reading is at the heart of the Franklin curriculum. It is a priority from the earliest years starting with the development of phonemic awareness in the nursery and the explicit teaching of the 44 phonemes of the English language throughout reception and beyond via our rigorous, sequential Read Write Inc phonics programme, enabling all to decode words confidently, the first step to becoming lifelong readers (and writers). Once children have mastered phonics in KS1, we have developed a whole class approach to reading to ensure that children become incisive readers who develop a lifelong love of reading. This approach places class texts at its core and ensures that children grapple with new vocabulary, read aloud for and with their classmates and learn comprehension techniques to enable each of them to understand the deeper meanings of that which they read. At the end of each week children answer a ‘Big Question’ about the text study that week.
“Reading is much more than the decoding of black marks upon a page; it is a quest for meaning and one which requires the reader to be an active participant.”
Brian Cox – 1991
Our well-resourced libraries and prioritisation of class books further supports children to learn to read at Franklin. We have taken care to choose books a range of diverse texts for children to experience at Franklin which will open new worlds to them and support each of them to see themselves in a book.
Reading Intent
Pupils are expertly taught to ensure that all, regardless of background, know more, remember more and can do more within the reading domain. Children are empowered with the skills and knowledge needed to access and master the subject in the world beyond Franklin This intent is rooted in Ark Franklin’s values, mission and approach to teaching and learning.
The Reading Progression at Franklin
Through the foundation years of their reading journey, children will gain the fundamental skills that are needed to read. These skills include segmenting, blending and reading comprehension. With repetition of these skills daily, the focus of reading shifts from reading for accuracy to reading for fluency and children will learn to use expression whilst reading. The use of effective stories time from Reception through to Year 2 will enhance children’s love for reading as well as an in-depth understanding of reading comprehension. By the time children are leave KS1 children will have the confidence to read age related stories and texts independently with fluency and expression. Word recognition will become more automatic with practice and language comprehension moves towards becoming strategic overtime, with emphasis shifting from learning to read to reading to learn.
Writing
Our Approach to Writing
Our writing curriculum is diverse, reflecting the demographic of our school community. At Ark Franklin Primary Academy, we believe that a stimulating and creative English curriculum will give our children the best opportunity to become confident, literate, and successful members of society. Through quality-first teaching, children will learn to write independently for a range of purposes and audiences with opportunities to develop and consolidate taught English skills.
We recognise the importance of fostering a culture where pupils take pride in their writing; write clearly and accurately; and modify their structure and language choices to suit a variety of audiences, purposes, and contexts. Children are taught the four main types of writing across KS1 and KS2: Writing to entertain; to inform; to persuade; and to discuss. Throughout the school, there is a developmental approach to progression of these text types, as well as writing skills, as laid out through the various strands in the statutory framework for EYFS and The National Curriculum.
Our writing model is built upon three main principles: text immersion, text innovation and independent application. Children are empowered to internalise the language and structural features of the text type. In reception and KS1, children imitate the key language they need for a particular topic orally through the use story maps to help them rehearse the pattern of the language needed for a particular style of writing. In KS2 children are provided with multiple examples of texts within a genre enabling them to become critical thinkers and writers.
Shared writing provides opportunities to develop the craft of writing through co-construction of a model in which teachers support them to think, compose, explain, and work as writers within the genre. Children also receive daily whole class feedback in which common threads of error and opportunities for growth are exemplified.
Through independent application, children apply what they have learned throughout the unit in an independent piece. A strong culture of error permeates throughout classrooms, ensuring children approach the editing process with rigour, seeing it as an opportunity to learn from their mistakes as they revise and adapt their work for the reader.
High-quality CPD is rooted in our mission to empower and equip teachers with the learning experiences to provide success for all, enabling our Writing Curriculum to be equitable, inclusive and responsive in turn providing Franklin’s pupils with the opportunity to pursue a career of their choice.
Writing Intent
Pupils are expertly taught, regardless of background, to know more, remember more and to be able to do more within the English domain. Children are empowered with the literary skills and knowledge needed to access and master the subject in the world beyond Franklin This intent is rooted in Ark Franklin’s values, mission and approach to teaching and learning.
Year 1
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Handa's Surprise" "The Enormous Turnip" Key objectives Simple sentences Punctuation Lower-case letters |
Core texts "The Papaya That Spoke" "Monkey See Monkey Do" Key objectives ereading work and sense-checking Joining words and clauses Upper-case letters and ascenders |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "The Disgusting Sandwich" "The Little Red Hen" Key objectives Adjectives Conjunctions 'Bossy' verbs |
Core texts "Jack and the Beanstalk" School trip Key objectives Adverbs Proper nouns Exploring and Understanding the language of a fairy-tale |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Beegu" "Look Up" Key objectives Convey emotions using adjectives Setting a scene Using 'because' to explain |
Core texts "The Day the Crayons Quit" "Where The Wild Things Are" Key objectives Using sentence starters Writing in the first person |
Year 2
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Dougal's Deep-Sea Diary" "How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth" Key objectives Expanded noun phrases Commas and lists Present and past tense Subordination Possessive apostrophes |
Core texts "The Tunnel" School trip Key objectives Use adverbs and suffixes (-ly) Questions, commands and statements Adverbs of time |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Cinderella" "Wild" Key objectives Identify the language and features of a fairy-tale Progressive tense forms Expanded noun phrases to describe and specify Question marks and exclamations Continuous present tense |
Core texts Mythical Animals "The Gruffalo" Key objectives Third person present tens Subject-verb agreement Adverbs at the start of sentences They're, there and their Varying sentence openers to build suspense Showing character's emotions and dramatic connectives. |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Dear Greenpeace" Key objectives Identifying the features and format of a letter Writing about real events Writing in the present tense |
Core texts "The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon" "Milo Imagines The World" Key objectives Strengthening key writing skills: capital letters, adjectives, commas, tenses, subordination |
Year 3
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark" Explaining how an object works Conjunctions and compound sentences Headings and subheadings Paragraphs Imperative verbs Causal conjunctions |
"Granny Ting Ting" Writing a pizza recipe Varying sentence length Using apostrophes for contractions Describing settings and developing characterisation Informal tone
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| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
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Core texts "George's Marvellous Medicine" "The Clock Tower" - The Literacy Shed Key objectives Rhetorical questions Fronted adverbials Using and punctuating direct speech Organising paragraphs around a theme Describing setting |
Irish legends Key objectives Geography field trip Using inverted commas, using speech to move action forwards Use powerful words Selecting prepositions for effect
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| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts The Three Little Pigs" "The Twits" Key objectives Language features of a traditional tale Subject-verb agreement Using repetition for effect Develop character, setting and plot Use and punctuate dialogue in a playscript |
Core texts The Lion, the Witch and the Wardobe" "The Lighthouse Keeper" - The Literacy Shed Key objectives Using -ed endings Selecting vocabulary Building tension |
Year 4
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "The Teacher Pleaser" "Varjak Paw" Using persuasive language Using commas after fronted adverbials Co-ordinating conjunctions Integrating dialogue Using short sentences and powerful verbs for effect |
Core texts "The Demon Headmaster" Author letter - Gillian Cross Using prepositions of time Writing in the present perfect tense Using emotive language |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts How animals become extinct" "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" Key objectives Choosing nouns and pronouns for clarity and cohesion Using topic sentences Using text-specific language Maintaining formal tone Syllabic Poetry Haikus Tankas |
Core texts Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" "Coming to England" Key objectives Developing atmosphere through setting and characters Using the present perfect tense Identifying the features of an informal letter Multi-clause sentences Managing shifts in tense |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Shrek" Key objectives Non-chronological reporting Ordering information in order of importance Subtitles to orientate the reader Exploring the language features of a traditional tale
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Core texts Greek myth "Soar" - The Literacy Shed Key objectives Identifying the features of a myth Writing in the irst person Describing a setting using the senses Understanding narrative arcs Developing characters through the STEAL approach |
Year 5
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts Alex Rider: Stormbreaker" Villainous fictional characters Using a range of cohesive devices Relative clauses Brackets and parentheses Using commas to clarify meaning |
Positive and negative hotel reviews "Journey to Jo'Burg" Making recommendations to the reader through modal verbs / conditional tense Use of first person to express personal opinions Integrating dialogue to convey character |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Floodland" Letter of advice Using the past perfect tense Showing, not telling Maintaining 1st person Using the senses to communicate atmosphere Using a range of justification techniques Syllabic poetry Rengas Cinquains
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Core texts "Beowulf" "The Breadwinner" Varying dialogue Using the STEAL approach Choosing vocabulary to describe authentic settings Maintaining cohesion Passive verbs Presentational devices Exercising control over formality |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Holes" "Ruin-Wes Ball" - The Literacy Shed Key objectives Using commas and dashes as parentheses Organisation devices Humour and sarcasm Drawing on influences Figurative language
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Core texts "Milo Imagines The World" "Wing" - The Literacy Shed Key objectives Using conjunctions to build arguments Using conjunctions to present an opposing view Generalisers Cohesive devices Immersing the reader into settings and atmosphere Internal monologue |
Year 6
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Street Child" "Inventors" - The Literacy Shed Sentence structure Drawing on inspiration as models for own writing (e.g. Victorian language) Creating real and authentic historical settings Managing shifts in formality Relative clauses Semi-colons |
Core texts Kick" Debate on banning devices Direct address Portraying character Idioms and interjection Using language to show awareness of the reader Using hyphens to clarify ambiguity |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Francis" - The Literacy Shed Key objectives Advertising Deliberate repetition Using ellipsis, repetition and mystery to create atmosphere Showcasing chronology Limericks |
Core texts "High Rise Mystery" "Alma" - The Literacy Shed Key objectives Agentless passive verbs Using the 5 Ws Integrating technical and formal language Using empty words Building suspense Varying sentence structure Varying dialogue |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
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Core texts "Pandora" - The Literacy Shed "The Day The Crayons Quit" Key objectives Layering information within paragraphs Controlling grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure |
Core texts Titanium" - The Literacy Shed "Can You See Me?" Key objectives Langston Hughes Selecting appropriate forms Using effective verbs and adjectives to describe settings Using dialogue to convey character Using appropriate register |