English
Here, at Street Lane Primary, we like to explore our children’s creativity; whether this through non-fiction texts to support our cross-curricular learning, through film to develop our understanding of inference or through a diverse range of texts, our curriculum allows the children to develop their understanding of the world through a language rich environment.
To support our children, we use a range of researched strategies from dual coding and using pictures to support children’s understanding to the use of Rainbow Grammar to break down the grammar curriculum slowly and inline with our progression document. Within all classrooms from Year 1 to Year 6, posters are displayed that are consistent with the development of punctuation and grammar across the school.
We use a range of resources to develop our children’s bank of language from word wheels to the zone of relevance. On this basis, children are taught all together as a class: children are given the chance to develop and learn from each other’s experiences.
In EYFS, our children start their journey of the use dual coding to develop their creativity, language and writing through the use of Drawing Club.
Adaptive Strategies used in English Lessons at Street Lane Primary:
- Use of dual coding/ story mapping or text mapping to support the children’s understanding of the subject matter that they are writing about.
- Oracy skills to share their understanding and to build from each other, allowing time for children to think and allowing every child their voice: we are not afraid of silent moments.
- Rainbow Grammar to build their understanding of sentence structure and the correct use of punctuation. Use of the correct grammatical language from the beginning with the use of repetition in classes to support retention.
- Use of tools such as world wheels, posters, vocabulary pages.
- Language rich environments through the use of age-appropriate texts that can be adjusted to support all children’s understanding.
- Scaffolding and modelling to support misconceptions.
At Street Lane, we recognise the importance of understanding the fundamentals of spelling, punctuation and grammar as a basis for becoming a successful writer. Through the use of Rainbow Grammar, we ensure that children are taught the grammatical terms right from EYFS.
Click here for the progression in the teaching of grammar from Year 1 to Year 6.
Here are the SP&G posters that we use in class to support the children's understanding of the terminology:
Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions
Useful Websites
- Phonics Play – Online phonics games.
- Oxford Owl – Free library of ebooks and games to help improve reading.
- Love Reading 4 Kids – Book recommendations, reviews, competitions and more!
- BBC Bitesize Phonics – Short animations and games.
- Book Trust – Games, activities and recommendations for children of all ages
Early English in EYFS
In the Duckling class, our early English, takes the form of reading lots of favourite stories. The children all select a favourite book from home and we use these books to form part of our Reading for Pleasure initiative with the aim that all children will know these chosen books off by heart by the end of their EYFS year.
In October 2024 we initiated the Greg Botrill 'Reading Club' activity in EYFS. Every week we choose an exciting text and the children will draw (and ultimately write) about the character, setting and extended adventures that may happen in the story. This enables children to develop their understanding of story structure as well as helping them to develop their imaginative ideas to create their own stories. This goes hand in hand with our Funky Finger programme which helps the children to develop their muscle tone to hold a pencil confidently. Every day we complete dough disco and funky finger exercises to develop our fine motor coordination strength and skill.
World Book Day 2025
Some of our Funky Finger Activities
Rainbow Grammar at Street Lane
Year 5 and Year 6
Non-finite Clauses in Year 5 and Year 6:
Year 3 and 4
The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis- March 2023
In Literacy, Year 1 & 2 carried out reading and writing linked to the Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis. They wrote a retell and an alternative version of the story. As part of the literacy work, children created a model of the Bog Baby for a display in our book area.
Retelling stories!
The children were looking at the book Where the Wild Things Are and loved retelling the story! The children then created their own stories with different wild things and different characters!
The Puffins had so much fun!
Helicopter Stories in FS2
In the Duckling class we have been practising our independent writing skills through our 'Helicopter Scribed Story' sessions. The children can come and tell a story to the adults and the adult will then write it down (word for word!) in our special Helicopter Story book. The children are encouraged to participate in the recording of their story by having a go at writing any words that they feel they can write phonetically. The children then get chance to 'act out' their stories with their friends! This is a great way to develop children's language and story telling sequencing as well as the chance to practise their performance and role-play skills!
Ducklings Getting Ready to Write!
Our new Ducklings have already started getting ready to be great writers! They are all enjoying daily Dough Disco to encourage movement and dexterity in all fingers and have also been practising gross motor movements using our flipper flappers. The Ducklings have then been practising making horizontal and vertical lines and anti-clockwise circles to get ready to write some recognisable letter shapes. Well done Ducklings- your journey to becoming amazing writers has begun!
Peacock Class – The Highway Man by Alfred Noyes
As part of their ‘Crime and Punishment’ topic, Peacock Class have begun studying the poem ‘The Highway Man’ by Alfred Noyes. In order to deepen our understanding of the poem and prepare for our writing, we carried out a CSI style investigation in to the deaths of Bess and the Highway Man. We then held our own court case acting in role. All children took on a role as either a character from the text or a member of the court. The jury then had to reach a verdict on who was guilty for the death of Bess.
