English
Our Vision and Aims for English
English is a core subject of the curriculum, central to the wider curriculum and fundamental to every child’s learning both at school and in the world beyond. Children need to develop their use of language in order to learn and to play a full and active role as individuals in society. It is central as a medium of thought, learning and expression across the curriculum and also as a subject in its own right. The English curriculum promotes high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word and develops a love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.
The aims of English are:
To foster in children the confidence, desire and ability to express their views and opinions orally, speaking clearly and audibly in ways which take account of their listeners;
To enable children to adapt their speech to a wide range of circumstances and demands;
To provide children with a language-rich environment that promotes a culture of communication, reading and writing;
To develop in pupils a love of books along with a regular habit of reading;
To encourage pupils to value and use books as a basis for learning, pleasure, talk and play;
To encourage children to become enthusiastic and reflective readers through contact with challenging and lengthy texts;
To help children enjoy writing and recognise its value;
To enable children to write with accuracy and meaning in narrative and non-fiction through systematic teaching of spelling, handwriting, grammar and punctuation;
To increase the children’s ability to use planning, drafting and editing to improve their written communication.
Reading
At Olive Hill, we place reading at the centre of our curriculum. Topics are planned around key texts which inspire children’s learning across the curriculum.
Through reading, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Encouraging pupils to enjoy reading not only fosters positive reading attitudes and behaviour for life, but also has strong links to raising attainment and it is therefore a key part of the reading strategy at Olive Hill.
Writing
At Olive Hill, we encourage our young writers to develop positive attitudes towards writing in a range of forms and for a myriad of purposes which make literacy learning meaningful and valued. Writing outcomes at Olive Hill are most often inspired by quality texts, sometimes inspired by cross-curricular learning or based on rich media, such as video, plays or blogs.
We have chosen to theme all books studied in English lessons across Year groups 1-6 each half term to enable children to deepen their understanding of key literacy themes, build on previous knowledge and use language progressively.
The themes children will study are:
Autumn 1 - Displacement
Autumn 2 - Environment
Spring 1 - Adversity
Spring 2 - Imagination
Summer 1 - Relationships
Summer 2 - Change
Please see the books each year group will study under each term below.
Autumn 1 - Displacement
The theme of displacement aims to provide children with the opportunity to learn about the movement of people across the world, sometimes involuntarily, and the impact this can have.
Year 1 |
Beegu by Alexis Deacon Lost by Mariajo Illustrajo |
Year 2 |
Lubna & Pebble by Wendy Meddour Paddington by Michael Bond |
Year 3 |
The Invisible by Tom Percival Silence Seeker by Ben Morley |
Year 4 |
Saving the Butterfly by Helen Cooper The King of the Sky by Nicola Davies |
Year 5 |
The Day War Came by Nicola Davies Wisp A story of Hope by Zana Fraillon |
Year 6 |
Letters from the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll Erica’s Story by Ruth Vander Zee |
Autumn 2 - Environment
The theme of environment aims to expose children to the impact of climate change, loss of habitat and their place in creating a brighter and better future for all.
Year 1 |
Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann Bloom by Anne Booth |
Year 2 |
The Secret Sky Garden by Linda Sarah Here we are by Oliver Jeffers |
Year 3 |
The Planet in a Pickle Jar by Martin Stanev Tidy by Emily Gravett |
Year 4 |
The Last Bear by Hannah Gold Alba the Hundred Year Old Fish by Lara Hawthorne |
Year 5 |
Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar The Promise by Nicola Davies |
Year 6 |
Floodland by Marcus Sedgewick You can save the planet by J A Wines |