Year 5 Curriculum

Year 5 Curriculum

Subject Leader – Kirstie Orton

“The value of English in the curriculum? What can I say? Without English, nothing. And without good English, nothing very well.” (Anne Fine, Author)

We put maximum priority on children’s ability to read, write and communicate effectively as these skills are the gateway to life. Reading with children at KS2 is primarily done through group work called Guided Reading where children’s reading comprehension skills are developed and assessed as well as whole class work. Children who are still in the earlier stages of developing reading and writing skills attend phonics groups. English Literacy teaching follows the principles of the National Literacy Framework and is taught increasingly as part of our cross-curricular Learning Journeys. We aim to give children the confidence, opportunity, encouragement, support and skills in a range of situations and for a range of purposes.  There is an emphasis on the development of speaking, listening and responding, group discussion, interaction, and drama.

Spoken Language

(The objectives for Spoken Language are common across Key Stages 1 and 2 (Years 1-6))

  • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
  • ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
  • use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary
  • articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
  • give well-structured descriptions, explanations & and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings.
  • maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments
  • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
  • speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
  • participate in discussions, presentations, performances, roleplay/improvisations and debates
  • gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
  • consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others
  • select and use appropriate registers for effective communication

Reading

(The objectives for Reading are common across Years 5 and 6)

Word Reading

Our children will be taught to:

  • apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (morphology and etymology), both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words that they meet.

Comprehension

Our children will be taught to:

  • maintain positive attitudes to reading and an understanding of what they read by:
  • continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
  • reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
  • increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions
  • recommending books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices
  • identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
  • making comparisons within and across books
  • learning a wider range of poetry by heart
  • preparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience
  • understand what they read by
  • checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
  • asking questions to improve their understanding
  • drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
  • predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
  • summarising the main ideas drawn from more than 1 paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas
  • identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
  • discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader
  • distinguish between statements of fact and opinion
  • retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction
  • participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously
  • explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary
  • provide reasoned justifications for their views.

Writing

(The objectives for Writing are common across Years 5 and 6)

Spelling

Our children will be taught to:

  • use further prefixes and suffixes and understand the guidance for adding them
  • spell some words with ‘silent’ letters [for example, knight, psalm, solemn]
  • continue to distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused
  • use knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling and understand that the spelling of some words needs to be learnt specifically
  • use dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words
  • use the first 3 or 4 letters of a word to check spelling, meaning or both of these in a dictionary
  • use a thesaurus

Handwriting and Presentation

Our children will be taught to write legibly , fluently and with increasing speed by:

  • choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices and deciding whether or not to join specific letters
  • choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task

Composition

Our children will be taught to:

  • Plan their writing by:
  • identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own
  • noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary
  • in writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings in what pupils have read, listened to or seen performed
  • Draft and write by:
  • selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning
  • in narratives, describing settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action
  • précising longer passages
  • using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs
  • using further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader [for example, headings, bullet points, underlining]
  • Evaluate and edit by:
  • assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing
  • proposing changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning
  • ensuring the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing
  • ensuring correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural, distinguishing between the language of speech and writing and choosing the appropriate register
  • proofread for spelling and punctuation errors
  • perform their own compositions, using appropriate intonation, volume, and movement so that meaning is clear.

Vocabulary, grammar & punctuation

Our children will be taught to:

  • develop their understanding by:
  • recognising vocabulary and structures that are appropriate for formal speech and writing, including subjunctive forms
  • using passive verbs to affect the presentation of information in a sentence
  • using the perfect form of verbs to mark relationships of time and cause
  • using expanded noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely
  • using modal verbs or adverbs to indicate degrees of possibility
  • using relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that or with an implied (ie omitted) relative pronoun
  • learning grammar appropriate  for years 5 and 6
  • indicate grammatical and other features by:
  • using commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity in writing
  • using hyphens to avoid ambiguity
  • using brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis
  • using semicolons, colons or dashes to mark boundaries between independent clauses
  • using a colon to introduce a list
  • punctuating bullet points consistently
  • use and understand the grammatical terminology accurately and appropriately in discussing their writing and reading.

Subject Leader – Clare Morris

“Maths is a truly global language. With it, we convey ideas to each other that words can’t handle…” (Professor Alison Wolf)

Children participate in daily Maths lessons and as part of other subject areas within our Learning Journey themes. As a result, they have the opportunity to use and apply their skills both within maths lessons and across wider curriculum areas. Teaching and learning in Maths follows the New National Curriculum for Mathematics. There is now a greater emphasis on the teaching of number with fluency across the four operations of Mathematics (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division).

As part of the daily maths lesson, children regularly practise strategies for mental calculations, including multiplication tables and other number facts. Children are expected to practice maths “fast facts” at home as part of their homework tasks.

Number & Place Value

Our children will be taught to:

  • read, write, order and compare numbers to at least 1,000,000 and determine the value of each digit
  • count forwards or backwards in steps of powers of 10 for any given number up to 1,000,000
  • interpret negative numbers in context, count forwards and backwards with positive and negative whole numbers, including through 0
  • round any number up to 1,000,000 to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000
  • solve number problems and practical problems that involve all of the above
  • read Roman numerals to 1,000 (M) and recognise years written in Roman numerals.

Addition & Subtraction

Our children will be taught to:

  • add and subtract whole numbers with more than 4 digits,including using formal written methods (columnar addition and subtraction)
  • add and subtract numbers mentally with increasingly large numbers
  • use rounding to check answers to calculations and determine, in the context of a problem, levels of accuracy
  • solve addition and subtraction multi-step problems in contexts, deciding which operations and methods to use and why.

Multiplication & Division

Our children will be taught to:

  • identify multiples and factors, including finding all factor pairs of a number, and common factors of two numbers.
  • know and use the vocabulary of prime numbers, prime factors and composite (non-prime) numbers
  • establish whether a number up to 100 is prime and recall prime numbers up to 19
  • multiply numbers up to 4 digits by a one- or two-digit number using a formal written method, including long multiplication for two-digit numbers
  • multiply and divide numbers mentally drawing upon known facts
  • divide numbers up to 4 digits by a one-digit number using the formal written method of short division and interpret remainders appropriately for the context
  • multiply and divide whole numbers and those involving decimals by 10, 100 and 1,000
  • recognise and use square numbers and cube numbers, and the notation for squared (²) and cubed (³)
  • solve problems involving multiplication and division, including using their knowledge of factors and multiples, squares and cubes
  • solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and a combination of these, including understanding the meaning of the equals sign
  • solve problems involving multiplication and division, including scaling by simple fractions and problems involving simple rates.

Fractions (decimals & percentages)

Our children will be taught to:

  • compare and order fractions whose denominators are all multiples of the same number
  • identify, name and write equivalent fractions of a given fraction, represented visually, including tenths and hundredths
  • recognise mixed numbers and improper fractions and convert from one form to the other and write mathematical statements > 1 as a mixed number [for example 2/5 + 4/5 = 6/5 = 1 1/5]
  • add and subtract fractions with the same denominator and denominators that are multiples of the same number
  • multiply proper fractions and mixed numbers by whole numbers, supported by materials and diagrams
  • read and write decimal numbers as fractions [for example, 0.71 = 71/100]
  • recognise and use thousandths and relate them to tenths, hundredths and decimal equivalents
  • round decimals with 2 decimal places to the nearest whole number and to 1 decimal place
  • read, write, order and compare numbers with up to 3 decimal places
  • solve problems involving number up to 3 decimal places
  • recognise the per cent symbol (%) and understand that per cent relates to “number of parts per 100”, and write percentages as a fraction with denominator 100, and as a decimal fraction
  • solve problems which require knowing percentage and decimal equivalents of 1/2, 1/4, 1/5, 2/5, 4/5 and fractions with a denominator of a multiple of 10 or 25.

Measurement

Our children will be taught to:

  • convert between different units of metric measure [for example, kilometre and metre; centimetre and metre; centimetre and millimetre; gram and kilogram; litre and millilitre]
  • understand and use approximate equivalences between metric units and common imperial units such as inches, pounds and pints
  • measure and calculate the perimeter of composite rectilinear shapes in centimetres and metres
  • calculate and compare the area of rectangles (including squares) including using standard units, square centimetres (cm²) and square metres (m²) and estimate the area of irregular shapes
  • estimate volume [for example, using 1 cm³ blocks to build cuboids (including cubes)] and capacity [for example, using water]
  • solve problems involving converting between units of time
  • use all four operations to solve problems involving measure using decimal notation including scaling [for example, length, mass, volume, money].

Properties of Shape

Our children will be taught to:

  • identify 3-D shapes, including cubes and other cuboids, from 2-D representations
  • know angles are measured in degrees: estimate and compare acute, obtuse and reflex angles
  • draw given angles, and measure them in degrees (°)
  • identify:
  • angles at a point and 1 whole turn (total 360°)
  • angles at a point on a straight line and half a turn (total 180°)
  • other multiples of 90°
  • use the properties of rectangles to deduce related facts and find missing lengths and angles
  • distinguish between regular and irregular polygons based on reasoning about equal sides and angles.

Position & Direction

Our children will be taught to:

  • identify, describe and represent the position of a shape following a reflection or translation, using the appropriate language, and know that the shape has not changed.

Statistics

Our children will be taught to:

  • solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in a line graph
  • complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables.

Subject Leader – Teresa Bowcher

“Science is an integral part of modern culture. It stretches the imagination and creativity of young people. Its challenges are quite enormous.” (Professor Malcolm Longair)

In Science, children learn about a wider range of living things, materials and phenomena. They begin to make links between ideas and to explain things using simple models and theories. They apply their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas to familiar phenomena, everyday things and their personal health. They begin to think about the positive and negative effects of scientific and technological developments on the environment and in other contexts. Children develop their investigation skills through different practical activities, working increasingly systematically, evaluating and communicating their findings in different forms. Science is often included with the Learning Journeys and may be the lead subject for the theme.

Working Scientifically

During years 5 and 6, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:

  • planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
  • taking measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and precision
  • recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, and bar and line graphs
  • using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests
  • reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations
  • identifying scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments.

Living Things and their habitats

Our children will be taught to:

  • describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird
  • describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals.

Animals, including humans

Our children will be taught to:

  • describe the changes as humans develop to old age.

Properties and Changes of Materials

Our children will be taught to:

  • compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets
  • know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution
  • use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
  • give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic
  • demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes
  • explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda.

Earth and Space

Our children will be taught to:

  • describe the movement of the Earth, and other planets, relative to the Sun in the solar system
  • describe the movement of the Moon relative to the Earth
  • describe the Sun, Earth and Moon as approximately spherical bodies
  • use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night, and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky.

Forces

Our children will be taught to:

  • explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object
  • identify the effects of air resistance, water resistance and friction, that act between moving surfaces
  • recognise that some mechanisms including levers, pulleys and gears allow a smaller force to have a greater effect

Music

Subject Leader – Lorraine Maxwell

The National Curriculum for Music in Years 3 to 6.

Our children will be taught to:

play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression

improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music

listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory

use and understand staff and other musical notations

appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians

develop an understanding of the history of music.

Art & Design

Subject Leader – Rebecca James

The National Curriculum for Art & Design in Years 3 to 6.

Our children will be taught to:

to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas

to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]

about great artists, architects and designers in history. History

History

Subject Leader – Luke Archer

Examples in italics are not statutory.

Pre-Roman Britain

Our children will be taught about changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age

This could include:

late Neolithic hunter-gatherers and early farmers, for example, Skara Brae

Bronze Age religion, technology and travel, for example, Stonehenge

Iron Age hill forts: tribal kingdoms, farming, art and culture

Roman Britain

Our children will be taught about the Roman empire and its impact on Britain

This could include:

Julius Caesar’s attempted invasion in 55-54 BC

the Roman Empire by AD 42 and the power of its army

successful invasion by Claudius and conquest, including Hadrian’s Wall

British resistance, for example, Boudica

“Romanisation” of Britain: sites such as Caerwent and the impact of technology, culture and beliefs, including early Christianity

Anglo-Saxons & Scots

Our children will be taught about Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots

This could include:

Roman withdrawal from Britain in c. AD 410 and the fall of the western Roman Empire

Scots invasions from Ireland to north Britain (now Scotland)

Anglo-Saxon invasions, settlements and kingdoms: place names and village life

Anglo-Saxon art and culture

Christian conversion – Canterbury, Iona and Lindisfarne

Anglo-Saxons & Vikings

Our children will be taught about the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor

This could include:

Viking raids and invasion

resistance by Alfred the Great and Athelstan, first king of England

further Viking invasions and Danegeld

Anglo-Saxon laws and justice

Edward the Confessor and his death in 1066

Local History

Our children will be taught about an aspect of local history

For example:

a depth study linked to one of the British areas of study listed above

a study over time tracing how several aspects of national history are reflected in the locality (this can go beyond 1066)

a study of an aspect of history or a site dating from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the locality.

Extended chronological study

Our children will be taught a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066

For example:

the changing power of monarchs using case studies such as John, Anne and Victoria

changes in an aspect of social history, such as crime and punishment from the Anglo-Saxons to the present or leisure and entertainment in the 20th Century

the legacy of Greek or Roman culture (art, architecture or literature) on later periods in British history, including the present day

a significant turning point in British history, for example, the first railways or the Battle of Britain

Anient Civilizations

Our children will be taught about the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following:

Ancient Sumer;

The Indus Valley;

Ancient Egypt; or

The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China

Ancient Greece

Our children will be taught a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world

Non-European Study

Our children will be taught about a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from:

early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900;

Mayan civilization c. AD 900; or

Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300

Geography

Subject Leader – Luke Archer

Locational Knowledge

Our children will be taught to:

locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities

name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time

identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)

Place Knowledge

Our children will be taught to:

understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region in North or South America

Human and Physical Geography

Our children will be taught to:

describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle

describe and understand key aspects of human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water

Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

Our children will be taught to:

use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied

use the 8 points of a compass, 4 and 6-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world

use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies.

Computing

Subject Leader – Rhianna Rodwell

Our children will be taught to:

design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts

use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output

use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs

understand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world-wide web; and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration

use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content

select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information.

use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact

Design & Technology

Subject Leader – Rebecca James

Design

Our children will be taught to:

use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups

generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design

Make

Our children will be taught to:

select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks accurately

select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities

Evaluate

Our children will be taught to:

investigate and analyse a range of existing products

evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work

understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world

Technological Knowledge

Our children will be taught to:

apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures

understand and use mechanical systems [for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages] in their products

understand and use electrical systems [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors] in their products

apply their understanding of computing to programme, monitor and control their products.

Cooking & Nutrition

Our children will be taught to:

understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet

cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet

become competent in a range of cooking techniques [for example, selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipes]

understand the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients

Personal, Social & Health Education (PSHE)

Subject Leader – Catherine Cullen

At St Michael’s we place huge store in developing children’s personal wellbeing and self-esteem in order to help them develop as whole individuals. Through specific PSHE teaching and input via assemblies, social groups, and where necessary 1:1 work with specialist staff, children develop emotionally, socially and spiritually. As of September 2018 a new scheme of work was implemented using guidance from the PSHE Association. Children are given the opportunity to discuss and consider issues surrounding personal safety, health and hygiene, relationships and friendships (including bullying), financial responsibilities, the effects of alcohol and drugs and how to lead active and responsible lives as citizens both nationally and globally.

In the summer term, children also receive sex and relationships education, and parents have full access to the materials used prior to lessons taking place. The material used is taught at an appropriate level in all years and all teaching is carried out sensitively within the context of caring responsibility and with due regard to the value of family life.

We are fortunate to be able to share the expertise of visitors to the school with our children. Recent workshops have been delivered by the Fire Service, NSPCC and the School Nursing Team.

This year, Autumn Term, our core theme will be Health and Wellbeing, including healthy lifestyles, keeping safe and growing and changing. Spring Term’s core theme will be Relationships. This will include healthy relationships, feelings and emotions and valuing difference. Summer Term’s core theme will be Living in the Wider World. Including rights and responsibilities, taking care of the environment and money.

Physical Education (PE)

Subject Leader – Victoria Marlow

Sport & Games

Our children will be taught to:

use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination

play competitive games [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis], modified where appropriate, and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending

develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example through athletics and gymnastics]

perform dances using a range of movement patterns

take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team

compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.

Swimming and water safety

Our children will be taught to:

All schools must provide swimming instruction either in key stage 1 or key stage 2. In particular, pupils should be taught to:

swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres

use a range of strokes [for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke] effectively

perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

Spanish

Subject Leader – Maria De La Pena

The National Curriculum for Foreign Languages in Years 3 to 6.

Note that the curriculum aims state that: Teaching may be of any modern or ancient foreign language and should focus on enabling pupils to make substantial progress in one language. At St. Michael’s Junior School, we focus on Spanish.

Listening & Comprehension

Our children will be taught to:

listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding

explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words

Speaking

Our children will be taught to:

engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help*

speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures

develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases*

present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences*

Reading & Comprehension

Our children will be taught to:

read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing

appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language

broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary

Writing

Our children will be taught to:

write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly

describe people, places, things and actions orally* and in writing

understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

(*Not ancient languages)

Religious Eduction (RE)

Subject Leader – Harriet Stevens

Click here for details on Religious Education at St. Michael’s.