English
Through English we interweave our school drivers in as many ways as possible. For example:
Communicators
Children will explore English in all its forms. Firslty, how it is used to communicate feelings and important messages. They will be able to relay meaning, information and perform throughout the year and they will be able to critically and reflectively respond to the genre that is being studied. Children will have the opportunity to work collaboratively and participate in opportunities to reflect on talk and explore real and imagined situations through role play, hot-seating, drama and discussions. We foster in pupils the confidence, desire and ability to express their views and opinions both orally and in writing.
Explorers
Children will explore a diverse range of texts that allows them to have access to genres they may not come across in every-day life. They will explore a range of experiences, giving the children the opportunity to acquire confidence and positive attitudes towards English. We provide children with opportunities to explore a love of books and high-quality literature that will not only support their learning across the curriculum, but also extend beyond the classroom environment and enrich their lives.
Reading
We explicitly teach reading skills throughout the school that continually develop children’s understanding and enjoyment of texts. We encourage children to read good quality texts, which allows children to learn new vocabulary relating to all areas of the curriculum. They learn words from a range of good quality texts, learn the meaning and context of new vocabulary and implement these within their writing.
Believers
All children will have the opportunity to develop their own ideas and opinions about their work and those of others. All children have the opportunity to develop their own beliefs based on a collection of knowledge and a diverse collection of high-quality texts. We will develop their ability to reason, think logically and use a range of sources to create informed pieces of work. All children have the opportunity to question, reflect and develop their own creative and aesthetic skills.
Through these drivers, and the delivery of the English curriculum, we want our children to have a love of English and be able to discuss English in all its forms. Our approach to teaching of English is multi-faceted; incorporating speaking & listening, drama, real contexts and good quality literature. Most importantly, we want to create fluent readers and writers with all the skills and knowledge they need to be confidently literate in life. We want all children to leave Christ Church with a life-long reading habit and a love of books because we believe this has a significant impact on the quality of their writing. We teach the editorial skills needed for this (spelling, grammar and handwriting) within real contexts, wherever possible, so children see their relevance. Teachers plan creative and relevant links to their class topics as a vehicle for writing.
Reading
Within school, 'Reading' is one of our main drivers.
In each classroom we have a book corner. Here, children are able to choose a 'love for reading' book to read either in school or at home. Time will be available for children to enjoy their books in the corner too.
Reading is part of our daily routine. Children are taught through shared, guided or whole-class sessions using structured, guided texts and stories. In Key Stage 1, children are taught in daily Phonics lessons as well as Guided Reading groups - with Year 2 accessing Shared Reading as the year progresses to allow for transition into Year 3. In Key Stage 2, Shared Reading allows all children to access the same text in a shared, guided session. Click Phonics to find out more.
As much as possible, children will also be heard reading on a 1:1 basis. This may be by their Class Teacher, a Teaching Assistant or one of our volunteer readers.
Children will have a Reading Record Book. Adults reading in school will fill in the record when they have read with your child. If you read at home with your child, please complete this record too.
Children should be reading at least five times a week at home - 'Strive for Five'.
The website Love Reading 4 Kids is fantastic if you are looking to find some new books.
Don’t forget our local Ellesmere Port Library.
Other websites to try:
Oxford Owls – lots of free e-books and activities
Roy the Zebra – reading games to help with comprehension (KS1)
BBC Bitesize – reading activities for comprehension (KS2)
Writing, Spelling and Grammar
At Christ Church, we strive to create an environment that will promote both reading and writing and allow children to explore and discover a language-rich environment.
Teachers carefully plan writing linked to topics, themes or writing genres, ensuring that there is a purposeful outcome to each piece of writing. In order to ensure that all pupils learn to be confident writers, we encourage children to write creatively whilst teaching key writing skills explicitly and systematically. Writing takes place within English lessons and in other lessons linked to the wider curriculum. Extended writing is encouraged and developed. Within our English Curriculum, we plan for children to write different genres as well as developing a rich vocabulary. We want all children to be able to communicate effectively through different styles of writing and develop in their progression of grammatical knowledge.
Spellings are explicitly taught through 'Pathways to Spell' from Year 2 - Year 6. In EYFS and Year 1, spellings are taught through the children's daily Phonics lessons.
Websites to support spelling:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/english/spelling_grammar/