Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
The grammar of our first language is learnt naturally and implicitly through interactions with other speakers and from reading. Explicit knowledge of grammar is, however, very important, as it gives us more conscious control and choice in our language. Building this knowledge is best achieved through a focus on grammar within the teaching of reading, writing and speaking.
Spelling
At Silver Springs spelling is taught through direct teaching and investigation and the children are encouraged to keep personal spelling lists of the words they find tricky across the curriculum. In line with the National Curriculum, each year group learn a list of assigned words (common exception words).
Our approach is designed to supplement our vocabulary programme and foster a love of words, so children are inspired to always search for the best vocabulary choices to improve the quality of their writing.
Spelling in Year 1.
In Year 1, most children will use their phonics to spell words they don’t know and the common and tricky words. We send spellings home for the children to practise – sometimes using card games and online games to make it fun!
Spelling in Year 2.
Your child will be expected to use phonic skills and use what they know from their reading to spell unfamiliar, common and tricky words. Your child will also now be able to recognize by sight, read and spell many of the common and tricky words. We will send home weekly spellings to learn and test them back in class.
Spelling in Key Stage 2.
Children will still be expected to use their phonic knowledge to tackle new or unknown words but they will also be learning about spelling patterns and rules, too, along with the etymology of words, so that they have a wider range of strategies to use when they are writing. Weekly spelling tests continue as well as the use of online resources such as Spelling Shed and teacher resources including No Nonsense Spelling.
What are ‘tricky words’?
‘Tricky words’ are words which are difficult to decode or ‘sound out’. They need to be learned by sight.
Grammar and Punctuation
Grammar and punctuation are taught in discrete lessons at Silver Springs. Once pupils are familiar with a grammatical concept, they are encouraged to apply and explore this concept in the grammar of their own speech and writing and to note where it is used by others e.g. authors. This is built into our teaching sequence for writing.
