This programme of study is suitable for KS2 (7-11 year olds).
How our Writing For Pleasure approach fulfils the KS2 objectives of The National Curriculum
Year Three & Year Four
| Curriculum objective | How it is achieved |
| Pupils should be taught to plan their writing by discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar. | Teachers should ensure that any new Class Writing Project starts with a Writing Study week (also called a Genre Week). During this week, children should read and discuss a variety of mentor trade books and exemplar texts which match the kind of writing they are about to do. During these discussions, the class should produce a list of Product Goals (also called success criteria). These goals will reflect what the children think they need to do and include to write the best texts possible. This list of Product Goals should inform the future writing lessons the teacher plans to teach for the project. |
| Pupils should revise their writing by assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements. | Teachers should plan sessions where children are taught revision mini-lessons. Children are expected to use and apply a taught mini-lesson during writing time. Teachers should ensure that children always leave their right-hand page free as their Revision & Trying Things Out Page. During the revision stage of a Class Writing Project, teachers should turn the class’ Product Goals into a Revision Checklist. Children should be given a session(s) to ensure that their text has either included all the goals listed or else they have tried them out on their Revision & Trying Things Out Page. Finally, teachers will regularly suggest how children could try things out and make revisions to their writing through their daily Pupil-Conferencing. |
| Pupils should be taught to create settings, characters and plot in narratives. | We have a clear vision of progression for children’s narrative writing. This can be seen in our Writing Development Scales & Assessment Framework publication. Importantly, all our narrative Class Writing Projects come with a series of literary lessons which help children create settings, characters and plot in their narratives. These lessons should be used and applied (independently) by children during writing time. |
| Pupils develop their understanding of how to punctuate direct speech. | Teachers teach lessons about using and punctuating speech using our Functional Grammar Lessons publication. Children are expected to use and apply (independently) what they’ve just been taught during writing time. In addition, children are given multiple sessions to proof-read their manuscripts prior to final publication. This means children are given an explicit opportunity to ensure that any speech they’ve used is correctly punctuated prior to publication. |
| Pupils should be taught to read aloud their own writing, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controlling the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear. | Children should be given time every day for Class Sharing and Author’s Chair. This is an opportunity for them to share their compositions with their friends and the class. In addition, teachers should set up a routine for writing time which ensures children have time to write in silence and a time to review what they’ve been crafting with their peers. |
| Pupils should be taught to organise paragraphs around a theme and in non-narratives use simple organisational devices. | Our Big Book Of Mini-Lessons provides teachers with a whole host of planning strategies which suit a range of genres. In addition, all our non-fiction Class Writing Projects come with a Planning Grid which showcases the typical paragraph organisation of popular non-fiction genres. Again, our Big Book Of Mini-Lessons has a chapter devoted to Organisation & Structure mini-lessons. Finally, all our non-fiction Class Writing Projects come with a variety of lessons on the topic of organisational devices. Children are expected to use and apply any taught mini-lesson (independently) during that day’s writing time. |
| Pupils should learn how they can extend their range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions. Pupils should be taught to compose sentences orally, progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures. | Children are taught lessons from our Sentence-Level Instruction publication. Children are expected to use and apply what they’ve just been taught during writing time. |
| Pupils should develop their understanding of how to use nouns and pronouns for clarity, cohesion and to avoid repetition. | Multiple proof-reading sessions are planned for during Class Writing Projects. During these sessions, children systematically proof-read their books prior to publication using a process called CUPS. This includes sessions devoted to checking for capitalisation, use of vocabulary (including their noun/pronoun use), punctuation and spelling. |
| Pupils should develop their understanding of how to use fronted adverbials, conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause. Pupils develop their understanding of how to use commas after fronted adverbials. Pupils develop their understanding of how to use possessive apostrophes with plural nouns. | Teachers teach lessons using our Functional Grammar Lessons publication. Children are expected to use and apply (independently) what they’ve just been taught during writing time. |
| Pupils should be taught to edit their writing by making changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency. Pupils should be taught to proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors. | Multiple proof-reading sessions are planned for during Class Writing Projects. During these sessions, children systematically proof-read their books prior to publication using a process called CUPS. This includes sessions devoted to checking for capitalisation, use of vocabulary, punctuation and spelling. |
| Pupils should develop their understanding of how they can use the present perfect form of verbs in contrast to the past tense. | Teachers teach lessons using our Functional Grammar Lessons publication. Children are expected to use and apply (independently) what they’ve just been taught during writing time. |
| Pupils should be taught to use further prefixes and suffixes, use the first two or three letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary, spell further homophones, and spell words that are often misspelt. | Children are supplied with electronic spell checkers, common word dictionaries, and laptops/tablets with online dictionaries and./or speech recognition technology. In addition, common homophones are on display for children to use during daily writing time. |
| Pupils should be taught to use the strokes that are needed to join letters, understand which letters are best left unjoined, and increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting. | Teachers provide handwriting instruction in the context of publishing sessions. Children are expected to publish their class writing projects for audiences beyond teacher evaluation and in the process can focus on their handwriting during these publishing sessions. During these sessions, teachers will provide whole-class handwriting instruction, resources and verbal feedback and responsive individualised instruction through Pupil-Conferencing. |
Year Five & Year Six
| Curriculum objective | How it is achieved |
| Pupils should be taught to identify the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting an appropriate genre. | Teachers should ensure that any new Class Writing Project starts with a Writing Study week (also called a Genre Week). During this week, children should consider who the audience is going to be for their writing and who they are going to publish/perform to. This should be for a purpose beyond their teacher’s evaluation. To help, our Class Writing Projects come with a Publishing Menu which can help teachers and pupils decide who they should write for and why. In addition, Personal Writing Projects provide children with an opportunity to select, for themselves, a purpose, audience and genre for their own writing. During these discussions, the class should produce a list of Product Goals (also called success criteria). These goals will reflect what the children think they need to do and include to write the best texts possible. This list of Product Goals should inform the future writing lessons the teacher plans to teach for the project. |
| Pupils should be taught to use other similar writing as models for their own. | Teachers should ensure that any new Class Writing Project starts with a Writing Study week (also called a Genre Week). During this week, children should read and discuss a variety of mentor trade books and exemplar texts which match the kind of writing they are about to do. During these discussions, the class should produce a list of Product Goals (also called success criteria). These goals will reflect what the children think they need to do and include to write the best texts possible. This list of Product Goals should inform the future writing lessons the teacher plans to teach for the project. And during the revision stage of a class writing project, the teacher should turn these Product Goals into a Revision Checklist. Children should be given a session(s) to ensure that their text has either included all the goals listed or else they have tried them out on their Revision & Trying Things Out Page. |
| Pupils should be taught to consider how authors have developed characters and settings in what they have read, listened to or seen performed. | We have a clear vision of progression for children’s narrative writing. This can be seen in our Writing Development Scales & Assessment Framework publication. Importantly, all our narrative Class Writing Projects come with a series of literary lessons which help children create settings, characters and plot in their narratives. These lessons should be used and applied (independently) by children during writing time. |
| Pupils should draw on their reading and research where necessary. | In our narrative Class Writing Projects children are taught about the process of Intertextuality. This is when writers generate their own ideas in response to their reading. Our projects provide a number of strategies children can use and apply Intertextuality. These lessons should be used and applied (independently) by children during writing time. In addition, our Class Writing Projects come with a list of recommended trade mentor books and exemplar texts for children to draw inspiration from. Our non-fiction Class Writing Projects encourage children to draw on, use and cite what they’ve researched. |
| Pupils should revise their writing by assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing. | Teachers should plan sessions where children are taught revision mini-lessons. Children are expected to use and apply a taught mini-lesson during writing time. Teachers should ensure that children always leave their right-hand page free as their Revision & Trying Things Out Page. In addition, teachers should turn the Product Goals for a class writing project into a Revision Checklist for children to use. Children should ensure that their composition includes all the things on the checklist or else they have given it a try on their Revision & Trying Things Out Page. Finally, teachers will regularly suggest how children could try things out and make revisions to their writing through their daily Pupil-Conferencing. |
| Pupils should be taught to describe settings, characters and create atmosphere in their narratives. | We have a clear vision of progression for children’s narrative writing. This can be seen in our Writing Development Scales & Assessment Framework publication. Importantly, all our narrative Class Writing Projects come with a series of literary lessons which help children create settings, characters and atmosphere in their narratives. These lessons should be used and applied (independently) by children during writing time. |
| Pupils should integrate dialogue into their narratives to convey character and advance the action. | Teachers teach lessons about using and punctuating speech using our Functional Grammar Lessons and Big Book Of Mini-Lessons publications. Children are expected to use and apply (independently) what they’ve just been taught during writing time. |
| Pupils should be taught to select appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how suchchoices can change and enhance meaning. | Teachers teach lessons about grammar and word choice by using our Functional Grammar Lessons publication. Children are expected to use and apply (independently) what they’ve just been taught during writing time. In addition, children are encouraged to experiment with grammar and vocabulary by using their Revision & Trying Things Out Page and word choices strategies. |
| Pupils should be taught to perform their compositions using appropriate intonation, volume, and movement. | Children should be given time every day for Class Sharing and Author’s Chair. This is an opportunity for them to share their compositions with their friends and the class. In addition, teachers should set up a routine for writing time which ensures children have time to write in silence and a time to review what they’ve been crafting with their peers. |
| Pupils should be taught to use a wide range of organisational and presentational devices and build cohesion within and across paragraphs. | Our Big Book Of Mini-Lessons provides teachers with a whole host of planning strategies which are suited to a range of genres. In addition, all our non-fiction Class Writing Projects come with a Planning Grid which showcases the typical paragraph organisation of popular non-fiction genres. Again, our Big Book Of Mini-Lessons has a chapter devoted to Organisation & Structure mini-lessons. Finally, all our non-fiction Class Writing Projects come with a variety of lessons on the topic of organisational devices. Children are expected to use and apply any taught mini-lesson (independently) during that day’s writing time. |
| Pupils should be taught to revise their compositions when there is an opportunity to enhance its effect and clarify meaning. | Teachers should plan sessions where children are taught revision mini-lessons. Children are expected to use and apply a taught mini-lesson during writing time. Teachers should ensure that children always leave their right-hand page free as their Revision & Trying Things Out Page. In addition, teachers should turn the Product Goals for a Class Writing Project into a Revision Checklist for children to use. Children should ensure that their composition includes all the things on the checklist or else they have shown how they tried it out on their Revision & Trying Things Out Page. Finally, teachers will regularly suggest how children could try things out and make revisions to their writing through their daily Pupil-Conferencing. |
| Pupils should develop their understanding of formal writing and appropriate register by using certain vocabulary and structures. | Our Class Writing Projects ensure that children have to write for a variety of different people and for different reasons. This includes writing formally. For example, our Advocacy Journalism, Community Activism, Historical Account, Science Report, Discussion and Explanation projects all encourage children to write in a register in keeping with ‘formal writing’. |
| Pupils should develop their understanding of: the perfect form of verbs, passive voice, expanded noun phrases, modal verbs, subjunctive mood and relative clauses. | Teachers teach lessons about the passive voice, expanded noun phrases, modal verbs, subjunctive mood and relative clauses using our Functional Grammar Lessons publication. Children are expected to use and apply (independently) what they’ve just been taught during writing time. |
| Pupils should ensure consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing. | Multiple proof-reading sessions are planned for during Class Writing Projects. During these sessions, children systematically proof-read their books prior to publication using a process called CUPS. This includes sessions devoted to checking for capitalisation, use of vocabulary (including consistent use of tense), punctuation and spelling. |
| Pupils should be taught to proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors. Pupils should be taught to indicate grammatical and other features by using: commas to clarify meaning; hyphens to avoid ambiguity; brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis; semi-colons, colons or dashes to mark boundaries between independent clauses; a colon to introduce a list and punctuate bullet points consistently. | Multiple proof-reading sessions are planned for during Class Writing Projects. During these sessions, children systematically proof-read their books prior to publication using a process called CUPS. This includes sessions devoted to checking for capitalisation, use of vocabulary, punctuation and spelling. |
| Pupils should be taught to write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed. | Teachers provide handwriting instruction in the context of publishing sessions. Children are expected to publish their class writing projects for audiences beyond teacher evaluation and in the process can focus on their handwriting during these publishing sessions. During these publishing sessions, teachers will provide whole-class handwriting instruction, resources and verbal feedback and responsive individualised instruction through Pupil-Conferencing. |