Writing

At St Joseph’s we are proud to love, grow and learn together as part of God’s family. In English we believe that words and language are central to everything we do. The Bible says: ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.’ We believe that our creativity and thought depends on words and it is through our language that we can express our love for God, for his creation and for each other.

English contributes to our learning and being part of God’s family by:

• Giving pupils opportunities to hear and read stories and to reflect on their messages
• Encouraging creativity and enquiry
• Giving pupils opportunities to reason and to explore ideas about values and responsibility
• Teaching pupils to empathise with others and to respect their thoughts, feelings and opinions

We follow the English National Curriculum 2014 throughout Year 1 – Year 6, with EYFS following the Early Years Framework for Literacy. A range of resources are used by teachers to support teaching and learning.

Writing expectation videos:

Year 1: 

/i/video/Year_1_Writing_Expectations.mp4

Year 2:

//www.loom.com/embed/eb27d623d2f347c1baadacd114dfb310?sharedAppSource=personal_library

 Year 3:

/i/video/Year_3_Writing_Expectations.mp4

 Year 4: 

/i/video/Year_4_Writing_Expectations__1_.mp4

 Year 5: 

/i/video/Year_5_Writing_Expectations.mp4

 

Spelling:

Spellings are taught from Year 1-6.

• In Year 1, children focus on learning to spell key words. Year 1 Common Exception Words
• In Years 2-6, children are taught spellings linked to the National Curriculum requirements. The children are taught strategies, patterns and the skills to learn spellings. Year 2 Common Exception WordsYear 3 & 4 Common Exception WordsYear 5 & 6 Common Exception Words
• To support teachers, spelling lists are taken from The Literacy Shed which ensures clear progression throughout the school and correct coverage.

 We use 'Spelling Shed' as a resource for your child to practise their spellings. They can log in by clicking on the icon below using a username and password given to them by their teacher:

Handwriting:

• Handwriting is taught using the scheme Penpals for Handwriting. This is a complete handwriting scheme for 3–11 year olds that offers clear progression through five developmental stages: physical preparation for handwriting, securing correct letter formation, beginning to join along, securing the joins and practicing speed, fluency and developing a personal style. 

Here is some information for parents from the Penpals scheme:

handwriting penpals information for parents.pdf