Writing

Writing

The last phase of primary school, upper key stage two, brings together all of the spelling, punctuation and grammar learning the children have completed through their years in primary school. The children apply their knowledge to different genres of writing which are inspired by age-appropriate, quality texts.

The key focuses and new learning are as follows:

Spelling

  • 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, as listed in English appendix 1
  • Spell words with endings which sound like /??s/ spelt –cious or –tious
  • Spell words with endings which sound like /??l/
  • Spell words ending in –ant, –ance/–ancy, –ent, –ence/–ency
  • Spell words ending in –able and –ible, words ending in –ably and –ibly
  • Add suffixes beginning with vowel letters to words ending in –fer
  • Learn to use the hyphen
  • Spell words with the /i:/ sound spelt ei after c
  • Spell words containing the letter-string ough
  • Spell words with ‘silent’ letters (i.e. letters whose presence cannot be predicted from the pronunciation of the word)
  • Spell homophones and other words that are often confused
  • Spell words from the word list – years 5 and 6
  • 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

  • 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
  • write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task

 

Writing - Composition

  • 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
  • plan their writing by noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary
  • plan their writing by 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
  • draft and write by in narratives, describing settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action
  • draft and write by précising longer passages
  • draft and write by using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs
  • draft and write by 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
  • evaluate and edit by proposing changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning
  • evaluate and edit by ensuring the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing
  • evaluate and edit by 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

 

Year 6 Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation

  • 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]
  • 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]
  • Recognising subjunctive forms
  • Linking ideas across paragraphs using a wider range of cohesive devices: repetition of a word or phrase, grammatical connections [for example, the use of adverbials such as on the other hand, in contrast, or as a consequence], and ellipsis
  • Layout devices [for example, headings, sub-headings, columns, bullets, or tables, to structure text]
  • Use of the semi-colon to mark the boundary between independent clauses [for example, It’s raining; I’m fed up]
  • Use of the colon to mark the boundary between independent clauses
  • Use of the dash to mark the boundary between independent clauses
  • Use of the colon to introduce a list
  • Use of semi-colons within lists
  • Punctuation of bullet points to list information
  • How hyphens can be used to avoid ambiguity [for example, man eating shark versus man-eating shark, or recover versus re-cover]

Terminology for pupils:

  • subject
  • object
  • active
  • passive
  • synonym
  • antonym
  • ellipsis
  • hyphen
  • colon
  • semi-colon
  • bullet points