To do: Print powerpoint as slides for parents Spellings objectives printed for parents as well as word bank from curric appendix Quick ‘spotters’ guided

Spelling, punctuation and grammar parent workshop - 25th January 2016

“Grammar to a writer is to a mountaineer a good pair of hiking boots or, more precisely, to a deep-sea diver an oxygen tank.”

Aims of the workshop The main aims of this workshop are to: •familiarise you with the Year 4 & 5 SPAG curriculum •enable you to support your child with various spelling, punctuation and grammar activities •give you an opportunity to ask questions pertaining to the SPaG curriculum

Y4 objectives

Standard English forms for verb inflections instead of local spoken forms He goed away. We was tired. He done it.

Noun phrases expanded by the addition of modifying adjectives, nouns and preposition phrases (eg the teacher expanded to : the strict maths teacher with curly hair) The horse was in the stable. Can you identify the nouns? Now try to expand the nouns.

Fronted adverbials (for example, Later that day, I heard the bad news) An adverbial tells you how, when or where something happens. Can you identify the adverbial phrases in the following sentences? We met by the train station.   He stood and waited under the clock. The rabbit hopped as fast as it could. She danced all night long. He ate his breakfast before the sun came up. How would these sentences be reworded so that the adverbial phrases are fronted? Nb: Fronted adverbials are mostly followed by a comma.

Use of paragraphs to organise ideas around a theme : At a basic level this can be seen through using separate paragraphs for the beginning, middle and end of a simple story. Following on from this, the children are expected to understand using paragraphs to indicate a change in setting, character and time.

Appropriate choice of pronoun or noun within and across sentences to aid cohesion and avoid repetition John and Lisa enjoyed the film, John and Lisa said that the film was very entertaining.

Y5 objectives

Relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that, or an omitted relative pronoun. The year 5 teachers, who were excited about the workshop, thoroughly enjoyed working with the children’s parents.

Devices to build cohesion within a paragraph e. g Devices to build cohesion within a paragraph e.g. then, after that, this, finally. George finished his homework after eating his dinner. I stepped into the vast empty room, then suddenly felt a chill run down my spine Although I wanted to eat the whole box of chocolates, this time I could only eat five! I reached the top of the mountain, finally I had succeeded!

Linking ideas across paragraphs using adverbials of time e.g. later place e.g. nearby and number e.g. secondly or tense choices e.g. he had seen her before Later that day, I decided that I would attend the party. Whilst we were at the beach, I saw a nearby café which sold ice cream.

Brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis (a word or phrase inserted as an explanation or afterthought into a passage which is grammatically complete without it) I stood under the shelter (due to the rain) and wondered when the bus would arrive.

Use of commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity. It had been a particularly unusual day, mainly due to the snow and the change to our break time.

Assessment changes - 2016 • The English grammar, punctuation and spelling test was introduced in May 2013 as part of the KS2 SATs programme for Year 6 pupils, replacing the previous English writing test. • In line with the new raised expectations, there will be new national curriculum tests for grammar, punctuation and spellings in Years 2 and 6 introduced this year. • For your child to do well in the SPaG tests, they don’t just have to be good at writing; they also need a technical understanding of how the English language works, including the correct grammatical terminology.

What do we do at school to improve writing? • Grammar and punctuation are explicitly taught and practised each day in additional SPaG lessons and then applied in the children’s own writing • Spelling patterns and general rules are taught and practised with weekly spelling tests • Regular opportunities to write at length and ongoing teacher assessment of writing • Children have individual writing targets • Writing skills are applied across the curriculum • Regular writing days to raise the profile of writing and engage the children

home to improve writing? What can be done at home to improve writing? These are fantastic websites with a huge range of resources and games to make SPaG and English learning fun. • www.oxfordowl.co.uk - This excellent website has loads of ideas for quick and easy ways to help your child with grammar, punctuation and spelling, plus games and activities you can play with your child to support their learning. It also has 250 free eBooks for you to share with your child as well as simple ideas, top tips, activities and games to help your child with their reading at home. • www.topmarks.co.uk • www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize • www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk • www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk

Helpful Links Espresso:                                 Helpful Links Espresso: A home link to Espresso is accessible through the school website on the 'Login' 'Students' tab. Grammar and Punctuation KS2: http://172.16.195.100/espresso/primary_uk/subject/module/sub_modules_index/item284045/grade2/index.html?source=subject-English-KS2-English-Resource%20types English Grammar KS2: http://172.16.195.100/espresso/modules/e2_grammar/index.html?source=subject-English-KS2-English-Resource%20types Spelling in Upper KS2: http://172.16.195.100/espresso/primary_uk/subject/module/frontscreen/item709257/grade2/index.html?source=subject-English-KS2-English-Resource%20types VLE: There are interactive games to support the whole KS2 SPAG curriculum in the Learning Library section on the VLE  http://littlereddings.herts.dbprimary.com/service/util/cp