Reading and Literacy Curriculum Overview

Yr Group	Autumn 1	Autumn 2	Spring 1	Spring 2	Summer 1	Summer 2
Year 3-4 A	T: Light and Dark Genre focus: - Narrative - Story retells - Balanced argument ‘We should only be able to use candles from 9pm’. GPS: Ready to Write (noun phrases, sentence type, commas, apostrophes tense) & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, The Dark, Dark Night by M. Christina Butler. Lights by Monica Hughes. Firefly and Stonybrook Farm by Wendy Pleffer, The Tunnel by Anthony Brown.	T: Colour Collectors Genre focus: - Persuasive letter - Narrative GPS: determiners and conjunctions & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: The Day the Crayons Quit by Oliver Jeffers, Book of Colours by Oliver Jeffers, The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas, Mixed: A Colourful Story by Arree Chung.	T: Under the Canopy Genre focus: - Non-chronological report (based on either an animal, plant or jungle). -Jungle poem. GPS: adverbs and prepositions & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae, The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl, The Explorer by Katherine Rundell. PD: Zoolab (Exotic Creatures)	T: Treasure Island Genre focus: -Persuasive advert (for an imaginary island). - Instructional text on how to find buried treasure. - Recount of a trip on a boat or trip to the Mary Rose. GPS: speech and tenses & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo, Island by Mark Janssen, Stella and the Seagull by Georgina Stevens, Dear Earth by Isabel Otter, Grandad’s Island by Benji Davies, Island Born by Junot Diaz, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. PD: Mary Rose Museum : SeaCity Museum - Titanic Story	T: Work like an Egyptian Genre focus: Instructions (for mummification) and newspaper report of finding Ancient Egyptian relics. GPS: nouns and paragraphs & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Cinderella of the Nile by Beverley Naidoo, Tutankhamun’s Tomb by Sue Reid, The Ancient Egypt Sleepover by Stephen Davies, Temple Cat by Andrew Clements, Who was King Tut by Roberta Edwards?	T: Crash landing! Genre focus: - Diary entry as an alien crash landing on earth. - Explanation text about lifeform discovery. GPS: word families and prefixes & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Things That Crash, Things That Fly by Scott Gould, Meanwhile Back On Earth by Oliver Jeffers, We’re Going to Find the Monster by Malorie Blackman, Beegu by Alexis Deacon. PD: Visit to Stonehenge - Opportunity to local history study.
Year 3-4 B	T: Travel and Transport Genre focus: - Explanation text about innovation in transport. -Balanced argument about the new, controversial Elizabeth line. GPS: Ready to Write (determiners, clauses, expanding sentences, speech, tense, and paragraphs) & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key Texts: Naughty Bus, The Hundred Decker Bus, Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, The Lost Property Office, Astro Girl	T: Who Wants To Be A Gladiator? Genre focus: -Diary entry day in the life of a gladiator - narrative.   GPS: Paragraphing and consolidation & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key Texts: Escape from Pompeii, The Thieves of Ostia, Avoid Being A Roman Soldier, What the Romans Did For Us  PD: Portchester Castle - Roman Fort	T: Let's Go Wild! Genre focus: - Factual tour of the Savannah - narrative a journey through the wilderness.   GPS: Pronouns and fronted adverbials & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns.   Key texts: My Side of the Mountain, The Wilderness War, River Boy, King of the Cloud Forests  PD: Marwell Zoo Visit	T: Ground-breaking Greeks Genre focus: - Diary entry from Alexander the Great - Newspaper report about the Greeks. GPS: Apostrophes and speech & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns.   Key texts: Who Let the Gods Out? Beasts of Olympus: Beast Keeper, Greek Gods and Heroes, Mission to Marathon	T: Come Dine With Me Genre focus: - Persuasive letter inviting diners to visit the new Light Years School restaurant. -Instructions for a recipe (child led) - Food poetry.   GPS: Standard English & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns.   Key texts: Faruq and the Wiri Wiri, Rigatoni the Pasta Cat, Monster Doughnuts, Chocolate Cake, Why Do We Eat?	T: Water Worlds Genre focus: - Information text about the journey taken by a river. - Non-chronological report about a trip to a river. - Poem about the journey of water. GPS: Paragraphing and consolidation & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns.  Key texts: Song of the Dolphin Boy, River Boy, A River, The Secret of Black Rock, Once Upon A Raindrop.
Year 5-6 A	T: Space Race Genre focus: - Persuasive letter to NASA to send children at Light Years to space. - A recount of a tip to the space museum. GPS: Ready to Write (pronouns, determiners, plural and possessive, speech, noun phrases and adverbials) & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Counting on Katherine, Hidden Figures, Cosmic, The Jamie Drake Equation, The Kid Who Came from Space PD: Winchester Science Museum (Space Exhibition)	T: Righteous Royalty (Queen Elizabeth) Genre focus: - Biography of Queen Elizabeth II. - Narrative. GPS: Relative clauses, modal verbs and adverbs & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Billie Templar’s War, The Queen, The Barefoot Book of Princesses, Cruel Kings and Mean Queens.	T: Our Extreme World Genre focus: - Speech - why do we need to save the planet? - Extreme weather poetry. GPS: Parenthesis and expanded noun phrases & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Running Wild, The Street Beneath My Feet, Flood, Escape from Pompeii, The Pebble in My Pocket	T: Chocolate Genre focus: - Balanced argument ‘Have we have learned from the Mayans? Why do we need to remember them? - Mayan rhyming poetry. - Write instructions of how to create a brand-new chocolate bar. GPS: Tenses & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: The Chocolate Tree, Rain Player, Harley James & The Mystery of the Mayan Kings,	T: Terrific Toys Genre focus: -Non-chronological report. -Explanation text. GPS: Commas and cohesion & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Toys in Space, Traction Man, Street Child, Twelve Minutes to Midnight, Another Twist in the Tale.	T: Wonder Genre focus: - Diary of a explorer. - Newspaper report- a new island has been discovered. GPS: Cohesion, prefixes, and suffixes & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: The 13-storey tree house. Armstrong, The Wild Robot, Leonora Bolt, The Adventure Club, Arthur, and the Golden Rope.
Year 5-6 B	T: Take Flight! Genre focus: - Narrative, an international journey - recount of an aviation event GPS: Punctuation, hyphens & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Great Adventures, Amelia Earhart, Taking Flight PD: National Science Museum (History of Flight)	T: Conflict, Healing and Hope Genre focus: - Persuasive letter for why women deserve the right to vote. - Diary entry from a soldiers - Soldier poetry GPS: Punctuation, active and passive, formal and informal & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: A Question of Courage, The Making of Mollie, Things A Bright Girl Can Do, Girls For the Vote, Make More Noise PD: Careers Week (March) Inspirational Women	T: Dear Greenpeace Genre focus: - Speech - Non-chronological report of a zoo experience GPS: Synonyms and antonyms, word classes, subjunctive form & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Here We Are, Dear Greenpeace, Tidy, A River, The Tin Forest, Mother Earth is Weeping, The Last Bear PD: Marwell Zoo Visit	T: Survival Mode Genre focus: - Speech about the dangers of deep in the woodland - Narrative of travelling across the desert GPS: Punctuation, hyphens & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: How to Survive Anywhere, Bear Grylls Survival Skills, Survivors, Where the World Ends.	T: Volatile Vikings Genre focus: Newspaper report ‘The Volatile Vikings’ and narrative of a Viking voyage, GPS: Noun phrases and suffixes & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Viking Boy, Riddle of Runes, There’s a Viking in My Bed, She Wolf PD: Butser Ancient Historical Site	T: Influence Genre focus: - Balance argument on the benefits of social media and the internet - Transitional poetry - Recount of time at Light Years GPS: Consolidation & Spelling Shed for spelling patterns. Key texts: Find Your Happy, My Heart is a Poem, An Emotional Menagerie, Being Me, Storm in a Jar, When I See Red.

Literacy Curriculum Rationale:
All teachers are teachers of literacy. Language is the prime medium through which Pupils learn and express themselves across the curriculum, and therefore all staff have a role in supporting the development of effective literacy. As such, Light Years School is committed to developing literacy skills in all of our Pupils, in the belief that it will support their learning and raise standards across the curriculum. How well pupils speak, listen, read and write has a
major influence on how well they do at school and in their futures.

‘Reading is fundamental to education. Proficiency in reading, writing and spoken language is vital for pupils’ success’ – The reading framework July 2023

Light Years School believes that pupils should:

• Be able to speak with confidence and clarity.
• Have a suitable technical vocabulary with which they can articulate their response.
• Have an interest in books and read for enjoyment.
• Have an interest in words, their meanings and so develop a growing vocabulary in spoken and written forms.
• Read and write with confidence, fluency and understanding.
• Be able to write in a variety of styles and forms appropriate to the purpose and audience.

We want to ensure that every pupil at Light Years School is able to read fluently and has the
ability to understand text, decode and extend their knowledge by being exposed to different
reading materials.

The Literacy policy is designed to be inclusive and consider pupils’ needs as outlined in their EHCPs. Where possible a range of enrichment activities will run alongside lessons in order to enhance individuals’ interests, awareness and understanding of the wider world. These activities will be related to the texts and topics being studied at the time. They may include theatre trips, library trips, events related to fundraising and writing challenges.

Literacy Curriculum Intent:

Pupils will be able to:

• Write with confidence, fluency and understanding.
• Have fluent, accurate and legible handwriting.
• Develop ideas in order to produce extended writing.
• Use teacher feedback to improve their work.

Literacy Curriculum Implementation:

• Opportunities to develop fine motor skills and handwriting will form part of a pupil’s daily timetable.
• Writing is a fundamental aspect of the curriculum and is performed in the majority of lessons but opportunities to record in different ways will be provided for children with fine motor skill difficulties or identified dysgraphia.
• In all subjects, teachers consciously plan opportunities for writing within every scheme of learning. This is to ensure that pupils write regularly in lessons and have opportunities for functional writing; this prepares pupils for their next stage of education.
• Pupils will have access to laptops to support writing independently. This may become their normal way of working and be reflected within access arrangements.
• Key vocabulary will be identified in each lesson. Pupils will have opportunities to write, spell, speak and read key vocabulary and subject terminology.

Literacy Curriculum Impact:

• Pupils will make good progress from their starting point in relation to their starting points, following our aspirational, adapted curriculum.
• Students at Light Years will have the necessary skills to write with accuracy, creativity and purpose across a range of genres.
• We will see a significant increase in pupil’s confidence and enthusiasm for writing. Pupils will be motivated and engaged, actively participating in writing activities and taking ownership over their learning.
• Pupils will embrace challenges and view writing as an opportunity for self-expression.
• Light Years pupils will demonstrate their ability to transfer their writing skills to other subjects, effectively using writing as a tool for learning and communication across the curriculum.
• Pupils will recognise the real-life application of writing and understand its importance.
• A lifelong passion for writing will be developed and the impact of our outstanding writing provision is reflected in the love and enjoyment of writing shown by our pupils.

Speaking and Listening:

Speaking and listening Intent

Pupils will be able to:

• talk confidently and coherently in different situations and addressing differentaudiences.
• show confident use of standard English in formal situations.
• show an interest in words and their meanings.
• extend their vocabulary through reading a range of texts and through the use of thesauri to support their writing.

Implementation of Speaking and Listening

• Pupils will have the opportunity to take part in discussions, listening carefully, talking clearly and using appropriate and specialist vocabulary through a variety of subjects. Pupils will be provided with opportunities to take part in public speaking. For example, performing Christmas readings during the school’s festivities.
• Teachers and teaching assistants will role model Standard English to a high standard.
• Teachers will discuss key vocabulary with Pupils and clarify misconceptions about meaning and inference.
• Pupils will have experience of applying speaking and listening skills in a range of contexts in preparation for adulthood. For example, interaction and communicating with members of the public during work experience.

Impact of Speaking and Listening

• Through focus on vocabulary acquisition and language skills pupil’s demonstrate a rich and varied use of vocabulary, precision in word choice and are able to express their ideas with clarity. Coherence is evident.

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Literacy Policy