SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar)

As well as developing children’s composition, it is also important that children are confident and skilled with the transcription side of writing.  The tools used to support the teaching of this are ‘RWI Get Writing,’ ‘RWI Comprehension’ and ‘RWI Spelling’.

 

From Reception to Year 2, as part of their phonics sessions, children take part in Get Writing and have books closely matched to their level.  In these sessions, children are taught to hold a sentence focusing on forming letters correctly, spelling words correctly, using punctuation and developing words into sentences.  Sentences are repeated using My Turn Your Turn (MTYT) and children are reminded of how to sit and hold their pencil.  Actions are used to help children punctuate their sentences correctly with capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks.  Children are taught grammar explicitly using examples from the story books. Different word classes are taught such as nouns, adjectives and verbs. Check boxes throughout the books prompt children to proofread and review their writing, helping them to make sustained progress.

 

During Year 2, children are taught using RWI Comprehension.  RWI Comprehension as well as teaching reading, also explicitly teaches spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Children continue to hold a sentence where they develop their letter formation, spelling and punctuation.  Children are taught to spell common words they have been reading.  They learn how to spell words containing high frequency graphemes (green words).  Each module teaches children to spell a focus sound e.g. ee.  Children use dots and dashes to match the speech sounds to graphemes in each word.  Children practice spelling red words in each module. Red words are common words that contain a tricky spelling.  In grammar lessons, children are explicitly taught: noun phrases, verbs in the past and present tense, adverbs, punctuation, conjunctions and sentence types.  

 

From Year 2 – Year 6 RWI Spelling is used.  It teaches spelling cumulatively and systematically with deliberate, focused practice.  It builds upon the teaching strategies and spelling activities from Read Write Inc. Phonics and RWI Comprehension.  It makes spelling fun through the use of aliens from an exciting online spelling planet that introduces spelling rules and concepts.  It provides plenty of writing practice with a clear record of progress.  Children learn the routines and behaviours necessary for each activity, and practise these until they use them automatically. This allows them to focus on what matters most – learning to spell.  The programme’s core activities teach:

• alternative spellings of vowels
• alternative spellings of consonants
• homophones
• the impact of adding prefixes and suffixes to root words
• how to spell plural nouns
• ‘silent’ letters
• unusual letter strings
• word families.

 

It includes all the spelling requirements of the English National Curriculum Years 2 to 6, and also revises spelling taught in Year 1.

From Years 2 – 6, children are taught the punctuation, sentence types and words classes linked to the national curriculum.