At Gainsborough our values are a consistent thread through our curriculum, including English. We have developed a sequence of teaching consistent across the whole school, which develops component and composite knowledge. We believe every child should see themselves and their community in the books they study, but also learn about contrasting communities too. Books are carefully chosen to engage children and our English work revolves around these. Our English curriculum is aspirational for all, it is vocabulary rich, with new language modelled, orally rehearsed and used by children throughout. Equity is achieved by ensuring all children make progress from their differing starting points through accurate assessment, adaptations and challenges. Children build resilience and stamina with basic skills explicitly taught including spelling, handwriting, grammar and punctuation. Handwriting long term plans ensure clear progression of this basic skill taught within the context of English lessons for quick application. Similarly grammar & punctuation are explicitly taught as well as taught in the context of writing. Spelling lessons are progressive and apply theories of learning and recall, ensuring spellings move into children’s long term memories and are not quickly forgotten.
At Gainsborough we teach early reading, fluency and comprehension skills. We have high aspirations for all children to learn to read as quickly as possible. We ensure equity with interventions and additional support for those children who do not grasp early reading as quickly as others. Once this has been mastered we develop and track fluency and grow children’s comprehension ability. Texts are chosen to develop children’s vocabulary and understanding of communities near and far. Children build resilience and stamina through independent reading and become inspired by adults reading to them daily. We believe all children should enjoy reading and be excited to put pen to paper.
Book Intents
|
Year Group |
Book |
Intent |
|
Year 1 |
The Proudest Red |
Value: Community This book follows on from ‘The Proudest Blue’ which they worked on last year. It is about family, supporting others and being kind to those around you. This book introduces the children to more complex vocabulary they could use in their own writing. |
|
Year 1 |
Lubna and the Pebble |
Value: Resilience A story of a little girl escaped from a refugee crisis. Finding comfort in a pebble and showing her new friend how to overcome sadness. |
|
Year 2 |
The Snail and the Whale |
Value: resilience and community One tiny snail longs to see the world and hitches a lift on the tail of a whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs and volcanoes, sharks and penguins, and the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. |
|
Malala’s Magic Pencil |
Value: Resilience This book is the true story of Malala. She wanted to chance the world around her to make it better for everyone. |
|
|
Year 3 |
Stone Age Boy |
Value: Community This book focuses on a Stone Age Community, how they function, search for food and live with each other as a community. The book has a high level of history specific vocabulary. |
|
Year 3 |
Llama Out Loud |
Value: community This book is set in East London and will be familiar to our children. The main character lives in a small house in London amongst a large muslim family. She is quiet and needs to find her own self confidence. |
|
Year 4 |
The Egyptian Cinderella |
Value: Equity This book focuses on a twist on the traditional Cinderella story, but set in Egyptian times. Pharaoh searches for the owner of the red ruby slipper. The society divide is explored and women waiting to be rescued by men should be challenged in class discussions. Children to write a different ending, where Rhodopis does not leave with the Pharaoh. |
|
Year 4 |
The Girl the Cat and the Navigator |
Value: Resilience & Equity In this book the character lives in a northern island and sails with their father. She is the only girl on the ship but does not let that stop her. Her sisters stay at home arguing over a prince. This book demonstrates challenging gender stereotypes and bravery and resilience. |
|
Year 5 |
Skellig |
Value: Resilience This book is rich in imaginative language and descriptive writing. It paints a clear picture in the reader's mind, which we want children to convey with use of their own descriptive writing. |
|
Year 5 |
The Shark Caller |
Value: Resilience & Community This book is set in Papua New Guinea, where the main character lives with an elder / guardian from the village after losing their parents. This book demonstrates how different communities live and the loyalty and importance of working together. It also addresses themes of bravery and resilience. |
|
Year 6 |
Hitler’s Canary |
Value: Resilience & Community Focused on a family living in Denmark during the German invasion of WW2, this book explores the resilience and bravery required living between two countries at war. It also focuses on the community of Denmark, how people pull together and support each other during distressing times. |
|
Year 6 |
Journey to the River Sea |
Value: Resilience & Community It is 1910 and Maia, tragically orphaned at thirteen, has been sent from England to start a new life with distant relatives in Manaus, hundreds of miles up the Amazon. She is accompanied by an eccentric and mysterious governess who has secret reasons of her own for making the journey. |