Year 5 & 6
Outcomes
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Reading
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Word Reading
At this stage, there should be no need for further direct teaching of word reading skills for almost all pupils. If pupils are struggling or failing in this, the reasons for this should be investigated. It is imperative that pupils are taught to read during their last two years at primary school if they enter year 5 not being able to do so. Pupils should be encouraged to work out any unfamiliar word. They should focus on all the letters in a word so that they do not, for example, read 'invitation' for 'imitation' simply because they might be more familiar with the first word. Accurate reading of individual words, which might be key to the meaning of a sentence or paragraph, improves comprehension. When teachers are reading with or to pupils, attention should be paid to new vocabulary - both a word's meaning(s) and its correct pronunciation.
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Comprehension
Even though pupils can now read independently, reading aloud to them should include whole books so that they meet books and authors that they might not choose to read themselves. The knowledge and skills that pupils need in order to comprehend are very similar at different ages. Pupils should continue to apply what they have already learnt to more complex writing. Pupils should be taught to recognise themes in what they read, such as loss or heroism. They should have opportunities to compare characters, consider different accounts of the same event and discuss viewpoints (both of authors and of fictional characters), within a text and across more than one text. They should continue to learn the conventions of different types of writing, such as the use of the first person in writing diaries and autobiographies. Pupils should be taught the technical and other terms needed for discussing what they hear and read, such as metaphor, simile, analogy, imagery, style and effect. In using reference books, pupils need to know what information they need to look for before they begin and need to understand the task. They should be shown how to use contents pages and indexes to locate information. The skills of information retrieval that are taught should be applied, for example, in reading history, geography and science textbooks, and in contexts where pupils are genuinely motivated to find out information, for example, reading information leaflets before a gallery or museum visit or reading a theatre programme or review. Teachers should consider making use of any library services and expertise to support this. Pupils should have guidance about and feedback on the quality of their explanations and contributions to discussions. Pupils should be shown how to compare characters, settings, themes and other aspects of what they read.
- Maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:
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Understand what they read by:
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Checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
Examples
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Drawing inferences such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
Examples
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Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
Examples
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Summarising the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas
Examples
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Identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
Examples
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Checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
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Distinguish between statements of fact and opinion
Examples
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Retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction
Examples
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Word Reading
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Writing
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Transcription
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Spelling
As in earlier years, pupils should continue to be taught to understand and apply the concepts of word structure so that they can draw on their knowledge of morphology and etymology to spell correctly.
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Use further prefixes and suffixes and understand the guidance for adding them
Examples
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Spell some words with 'silent' letters [for example, knight, psalm, solemn]
Examples
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Continue to distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused
Examples
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Use knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling and understand that the spelling of some words needs to be learnt specifically, as listed in English Appendix 1
Examples
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Use further prefixes and suffixes and understand the guidance for adding them
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Spelling
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Composition
Pupils should understand, through being shown, the skills and processes essential for writing: that is, thinking aloud to generate ideas, drafting, and re-reading to check that the meaning is clear.
- Draft and write by:
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Evaluate and edit by:
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Assessing the effectiveness of their own and others' writing
Examples
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Proposing changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning
Play Activities 168Examples
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Ensuring correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural, distinguishing between the language of speech and writing and choosing the appropriate register
Examples
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Assessing the effectiveness of their own and others' writing
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Proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors
Examples
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Vocabulary, Grammar & Punctuation
Pupils should continue to add to their knowledge of linguistic terms, including those to describe grammar, so that they can discuss their writing and reading.
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Transcription
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Year 5 - Vocabulary, Grammar & Punctuation
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Sentence
Relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that, or an omitted relative pronoun Indicating degrees of possibility using adverbs [for example, perhaps, surely] or modal verbs [for example, might, should, will, must]Examples
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Punctuation
Brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis Use of commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguityExamples
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Terminology for Pupils
Modal verb, relative pronoun Relative clause Parenthesis, bracket, dash Cohesion, ambiguityExamples
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Sentence
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Year 6 - Vocabulary, Grammar & Punctuation
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Word
The difference between vocabulary typical of informal speech and vocabulary appropriate for formal speech and writing [for example, find out - discover; ask for - request; go in - enter] How words are related by meaning as synonyms and antonyms [for example, big, large, little].Examples
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Sentence
Use of the passive to affect the presentation of information in a sentence [for example, I broke the window in the greenhouse versus The window in the greenhouse was broken (by me)]. The difference between structures typical of informal speech and structures appropriate for formal speech and writing [for example, the use of question tags: He's your friend, isn't he?, or the use of subjunctive forms such as If I were or Were they to come in some very formal writing and speech]Examples
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Terminology for Pupils
Subject, object Active, passive Synonym, antonym Ellipsis, hyphen, colon, semi-colon, bullet pointsPlay Activities 114Examples
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Word