English
Intent
At Talavera, we believe that reading and writing lies at the heart of all great learning. We believe that every child has the right to leave Junior school with a good acquisition of the English language, having developed the key skills of reading and writing needed to function in the wider world.
Through a use of varied and rich texts, we have designed an innovative curriculum that aims to develop a passion for reading and stimulating opportunities for writing. Throughout their time at Talavera, children will be introduced to a range of authors, forms, styles and text types, in order to broaden their skills and ignite their interests within the world of English. By linking our texts to our topic-based curriculum, we also intend to develop the children’s awareness of how English is interlinked with the wider curriculum.
Our reading and writing curriculum is thoroughly planned and consistently monitored and adapted to ensure that children are provided with the best opportunities to develop the following key skills:
Reading
- read with fluency, expression and intonation
- comprehend what they have read and analyse the choices made by the author
- make comparisons between texts and authors through the analysis of themes and conventions
Writing
- write for real or creative purposes and audiences
- develop their own creative style and express their imaginative thoughts
- develop cohesion and accuracy within their writing through their awareness of the craft of the English language
- re-read and make improvements to their work by viewing writing as a drafting and re-crafting process
- improve their motor skills to be able to write with increasing legibility and fluency
Overall, we hope that we open the children’s minds to inquiry and imagination so that they not only learn the skills needed to be competent in English but apply them in their own way to be creative and expressive individuals.
Library
At Talavera, we believe reading is essential for all future learning. The library is the cornerstone of the reading provision in school providing inspiration, excitement and a lifelong love of reading. It is a relaxing and easily accessible area for all children to browse, discover and share new authors and books regardless of their reading ability. We encourage children to become independent users of the library and apply their skills to Aldershot library so that when the children move to secondary education they are independent learners. We aim to provide as wide a reading experience as possible making the library a ‘mirror’ to reflect every child’s experiences and a ‘window’ to enable them to explore other worlds both real and imaginary.
Please see the links below for our medium term planning:
English Medium term plans:
Year 3 English Medium Term Plan
Year 4 English Medium Term Plan
Year 5 English Medium Term Plan
Year 6 English Medium Term Plan
SPELLING MEDIUM TERM PLANS:
Year 3 Spelling Medium Term Plan
Year 4 Spelling Medium Term Plan
Year 5 Spelling Medium Term Plan
Year 6 Spelling Medium Term Plan
Phonics Catch-Up
Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised is a complete systematic synthetic phonics programme (SSP) developed for schools by schools. Based on the original Letters and Sounds, Little Wandle also draws on the latest research into how children learn best; how to ensure learning stays in children’s long term memory and how best to enable children to apply their learning to become highly competent readers. Within Talavera Junior School, we teach discrete phonics through our reading intervention group. Children revise phonemes and graphemes from Phase 2- Phase 5 phonics, develop their understanding of challenging vocabulary and refine their skills of comprehension to ensure they understand the content of what they are reading.
Please see our Early Reading Policy below which outlines our school's principles and beliefs.