English

How we teach English at Sylvester

At Sylvester, English is taught as a subject in its own right, but it is also used as a medium to teach all other curriculum subjects. As a result, children receive five daily English lessons each week (based largely upon texts provided by The Literacy Tree) as well as three short Reading lessons each week (based largely upon texts provided by Literacy Leaves), but children also gain regular opportunities in the other core and foundation subjects to practise, revise and further develop their reading, speaking, listening and writing skills.       

Real books, complete novels, short stories and class readers are central to all teaching at Sylvester. Whenever possible, English teaching is linked to real books or class readers and the children also have many opportunities to listen to and respond to books, short stories and poetry outside the regular English lessons. Teachers are encouraged to read regularly to the children for enjoyment and have a set list of stories to read each year.

Weekly English Lessons

Each year group receive five dedicated English lessons each week. These lessons are based largely upon the texts provided by The Literacy Tree however we also use other selected texts which best supplement the English curriculum. Each English unit offers the child the opportunity to read a complete book or novel (fiction, non-fiction and poetry). Each unit follows the reading to writing planning model and incorporates a selection of the following: shared reading, guided reading, SPAG, speaking and listening, shared writing, guided writing, independent writing, editing and redrafting.

Reading Lessons

Every week each class receives three dedicated short Reading lessons. These lessons are based largely upon the texts and resources provided by Literacy Leaves however we also use other selected texts throughout the year. For Reading lessons, each child has their own copy of the book which is being studied and each unit again offers the child the opportunity to read a complete book or novel (fiction, non-fiction and poetry). Reading lessons can take the form of guided reading in small groups or whole class reading lessons. The focus for each Reading lesson will include one of the following: reading for pleasure, vocabulary enrichment, inference, deduction, retrieval, summarising or prediction. 

English Overview

KS1

KS2

English Policy 2019