Stage 4

Spelling

Place the possessive apostrophe accurately in words with regular plurals and in words with irregular plurals

Write from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far.

Use Standard English forms for verb inflections instead of local spoken forms.

Handwriting and Presentation

Increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting

Composition

Plan their writing by:

1. discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar
2. discussing and recording ideas clearly

Draft and write by:

1. composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures (See English Appendix 2)
2. organising paragraphs around a theme
3. in narratives, creating a developed setting, characters and plot
4. in non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices with effect including bullet points.

Evaluate and edit by:

1. assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements
2. proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences

Proofread for spelling and punctuation errors

Read their own writing aloud, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controlling the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear.

Vocabulary, grammar & punctuation

Develop their understanding of the concepts set out in Appendix 2 by:

1. extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, including when, if, because, although
2. using the present perfect form of verbs in contrast to the past tense
3. choosing nouns or pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion and to avoid repetition
4. using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause
5. using fronted adverbials
6. learning the grammar for years 3 and 4 in Appendix 2

Indicate grammatical and other features by:

1. using commas after fronted adverbials
2. indicating possession by using the possessive apostrophe with singular and plural nouns
3. using full punctuation for direct speech

Use and understand the grammatical terminology in Appendix 2 accurately and appropriately in discussing their writing and reading.