In Year 6 this half term, the classes have continued to use Alex Rider: Stormbreaker as their text driver. This has enabled them to think carefully about character and setting descriptions, exploring how Anthony Horowitz builds tension and atmosphere through precise vocabulary and sentence structure. They have analysed key extracts to identify effective language features, before applying these techniques in their own writing. Pupils have written detailed character profiles, vivid setting descriptions and suspense-filled narrative passages inspired by the novel. Alongside this, they have revised key grammar skills, including the use of expanded noun phrases, varied sentence starters and accurate punctuation, to improve clarity and impact in their written work.

In the second half of the autumn term, Team DB have studied the text 'Street Child', by Berlie Doherty. This text has lent itself as the hook into their writing for the half term. The class studied what the realms of the Victorian period was like for children, using images found from both primary and secondary sources to fuel their poetry learning. They discussed in detail how we do not always have to make poetry rhyme, and looked at metaphors and similes and applied these into their poetry. In their next piece of learning, they applied their knowledge of expanded noun phrases as well as using time conjunctions to ensure that their writing was cohesive. Team DB wrote their own diary extract based on the character Jim from the text, describing the daily life of a child in the workhouse. 

Using the text as their driver, Team JD focused on crafting diary entries from the perspective of Mina, one of the key characters, allowing the children to step into her world and experience the story through her eyes. In their writing lessons, they focused on developing cohesion and clarity by carefully incorporating a range of grammatical structures. The children learned to use a variety of conjunctions to link ideas smoothly, expanded noun phrases to add depth and detail to their descriptions, and fronted adverbials to signal time and sequence. These techniques helped to establish a clear chronology within their writing, ensuring that events unfolded logically and with a strong sense of flow.

This half term in writing, Team LF have focused on two genres: character description and instructions. The children wrote detailed character descriptions with the purpose of giving SF Said ideas for a new character for Varjak Paw. They focused on organising their writing into clear paragraphs and using expanded noun phrases, appropriate adjectives and a range of sentence types to describe both appearance and personality. In addition, the children wrote instructional texts, applying key instructional features and fronted adverbial phrases. These instructions were written to guide Varjak Paw on how to return home safely from the city. The children even had the exciting opportunity to present their instructions to a very special visitor.

This half term, within writing Team CB have been working on the text Charlotte’s Web. The class have loved engaging with the story and learning all about the themes within the text. We have used the text driver to guide our writing and have spent time creating diary extracts from Wilbur’s perspective. As a class we carefully considered the use of causal conjunctions to capture the reason we felt certain ways at certain points in our day. We also incorporated adverbs of time and chronology to support with sequencing our writing and shifting time on as we started new paragraphs. Later in the half term we also created our own rhyming couplet poems linked to Charlotte the spider. The children used their phonics knowledge to identify words which rhyme and used this to structure a small poem. 

This half term, Team JF have truly shone in their writing journey, inspired by their class text driver The Tin Forest. Their creativity, imagination, and growing technical skills have been a joy to see! They began by making their very own tin birds. Not only did the children enjoy crafting these unique creations, but they also wrote clear and thoughtful instructions to teach Team CH about how to make their own. What fantastic teachers they became! Next, the children turned their attention to descriptive writing. Using rich expanded noun phrases, they brought to life the two contrasting forests from The Tin Forest — one dull and lifeless, the other bursting with colour and growth. Their words painted pictures so vivid, you could almost step right into the page. Alongside their creative work, Team JF have worked hard to strengthen their grammar skills. They practised adding the suffixes es, ed, and ing to a variety of root words, building confidence in spelling and sentence construction.

In writing this half term, Team AC children enjoyed reading the story The Tiger Who Came to Tea. They worked towards writing clear sentences about the tiger and describing what he does in the story. The children focused on using good segmenting (Fred Talk) to help them spell words independently. They practised using finger spaces to separate their words clearly. There was a strong focus on using capital letters at the start of sentences and full stops at the end. The children also worked hard on neat handwriting and forming their letters correctly.

This half-term in Team EO Reception children have continued their learning on letter formation. In some Reception RWI groups the children have been introduced to Fred Fingers (segmenting to spell) and some children are learning to write sentences through ‘hold a sentence’. Year 1 children have continued to ensure all letters are formed correctly and have begun using the new RWI handwriting scheme to support this. The children enjoy checking their letter formation to check for their best formed letter and ticking two things they like about it and one thing that they would like to fix. They have continued to use Fred Fingers to segment to spell and practised writing tricky red words. The children have also been writing sentences through ‘hold a sentence’ based on stories that they have read in class– they know that a sentence needs a capital letter at the start, finger spaces after each word and a full stop at the end. The children have been using sentences stems from their hold a sentence to orally build a sentence with their partner then they have written it.”

This half term in Literacy Team CW have shared lots of  stories relating to their termly theme of Sparkle and Shine and their weekly themes of: light and dark, colours, bullying, opposites, and Christmas. They  have discussed the  characters feelings, actions and plot and learnt new vocabulary and how to use it in different contexts. In their daily phonics lessons they have been practising learning new sounds, with many children learning special friends ch,sh,th,ng, nk, qu,ck. They have also been practising reading and writing CVC words and beginning to write the sounds they can hear in words to accompany their drawings . In the continuous provision the children are provided with  lots of opportunities to write , such as making lists  in our Santa’s grotto. The children have also been  involved in activities  to develop their fine motor skills: throughout the continuous provision .
 
 

In Year 6 the classes have used Stombreaker by their class author Anthony Horowitz as inspiration for the development of some of their writing. The class explored points for and against Alex Rider taking the MI6 mission and developed their own letters of advice. They explored formal and informal language – applying their formal writing in a letter to Mrs Oliver our chair of governors. They also looked at a range of devices to develop character descriptions: such as interaction, show don’t tell, dialogue, description, use of verbs and adverbs and internal monologue to develop rich character descriptions based on their favourite characters from children’s fiction. They have been working hard on their handwriting and weekly spellings. The children have also revised the identification and development of complex expanded noun phrases. Year 6 have also explored different devices to build cohesion.