Think like a ...Writer

(Behave like a Reader)

Think like a Reader

(Behave like a writer)

As a Reader and Writer...we BELIEVE that...

... the teaching of English at Eskdale delivers a high quality English curriculum that gives children the best possible opportunities to become confident, literate, successful members of society with a deep love and understanding of the English language and literature. The teaching of Literacy skills at Eskdale is rooted in all five of our core values and we believe is central to improving a child's life chances and therefore should lay the foundations for English teaching beyond key stage two.

As a Reader and Writer ...we STRIVE to...

*communicating clearly, learning through discussion, elaborating on, and explaining their understanding and ideas.

*being competent speakers and listeners, able to formally present their knowledge, demonstrate their understanding and debate key issues, showing an increasing awareness that speaking and listening are the building blocks to successful writing.

*developing a firm phonic knowledge to decode unfamiliar words (segment and blend) with automaticity, providing a firm foundation for increasing accuracy, fluency, reading speed and stamina.

*reading rich, varied and diverse texts using appropriate expression, intonation and understanding (considering audience and purpose), nurturing a life-long love and real appreciation for the wealth of literature on offer, past and present.

*reading widely and often, both fiction and non-fiction for enjoyment and deepening understanding, able to apply English skills and knowledge throughout all areas of our curriculum.

*writing competently and cohesively, in and for, a range of genres, contexts, purposes and audiences, adapting their style and use of language appropriately.

*using their increasing knowledge of punctuation, grammar and spelling rules (SPAG) alongside a deepening understanding of phonics and an expanding, rich and ambitious vocabulary to develop the skills of reading, writing and spoken language.

Pupils receive a daily diet of high quality reading teaching where connections with other areas of the curriculum are explicit, supplemented by regular opportunities to engage in shared reading experiences, including Book Talk, to promote the joy of reading. Clear structure and principles ensures teaching is progressive, challenging, diverse and engaging so that pupils can be exposed to experiences beyond their field of reference.

The Reading and Writing Journey at Eskdale begins with immersion in high quality, ambitious texts that model and exemplify conventions and grammatical structures. Such texts (including heritage texts), are deliberately chosen to enable the explicit teaching of reading and comprehension skills and provide opportunities to analyse and respond to what is read. Modelled, guided and shared writing tasks follow, (in addition to SPAG and vocabulary activities, taught both discretely and within context), culminating in an independent writing task at the end of the cycle, where pupils are able to re-read, edit and celebrate their written work. The cycle also builds in the opportunity for pupils to reflect on their learning by using tailored success criteria and check lists to support the articulation of where learners are in their learning journey and where they next need to travel.

As a Reader and Writer...we ACHIEVE by...

... both learning more and remembering more, our method of teaching (pedagogy) incorporates meta-cognitive strategies to enable all pupils to retain the learning of both skills and knowledge. This is typically applied by:

• Activating prior knowledge
• Small steps teaching delivery
• Independent practice
• Feedback