1. Grammar & Spelling Presentation
Tuesday 20th September

2. Outline of tonight
To gain an understanding of how we teach the grammar and spelling as part of the new curriculum.
To gather ideas of how to help at home with a focus on spellings.

3. Key Differences
A greatly increased emphasis on phonics as the dominant method for learning to read
A much greater focus on knowing and understanding the different grammatical terms and how to apply these.
Specific spelling rules and grammar terminology to be learnt in specific years.
Year 6 Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar test
Year 2 Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar test

4. What’s the Point of Phonics?
Phonics is recommended as the first strategy that children should be taught in helping them learn to read. It runs alongside other teaching methods such as Guided Reading and Shared Reading to help children develop all the other vital reading skills and hopefully give them a real love of reading.
Phonics helps children to blend and segment sounds in order to read and write.
Phonics taught daily in EYFS and KS1.
National ‘Phonics Screening Check’ in June of Year One.

5. Supporting your child with Phonics
Set out the letters in the word using lower case letters saying the sound of each letter in the word.
Use pure sounds – mmmm, not “muh”
Ask your child to say the sounds in each word, touching each letter as they say it and then saying the whole word.
Ask them to write a word saying the sound of each letter as they write it.

6. Phonics and Spelling
Set words to learn from ‘Letters and Sounds’ programme that we use at Barley Hill.
Set words to spell from the new national curriculum (see handout). Spelling tests starting from Year One.
At home – best to praise child for sounding out the word (when writing), but if it is a word that you know they should know (from spelling tests) then remind them of the correct spelling.
Putting spelling words into sentences is more beneficial then just writing them.

7. How to help at home
KS1 spellings – make it fun! Spelling in sand/foam, with chalk, magnetic letters, hangman, word searches, making words from playdough etc.
Little and often
Read everyday.
Praise the sounds/letters they have got right within the word, even if the word is spelt wrong.
Please see the ‘Phonics Guide’ at the back.

8. In school
Children have specific grammar and spelling sessions within the timetable.
This teaches the terminology and puts it into context. We try to make it fun, using games, puzzles and quizzes.
However, SPAG teaching is completely interwoven and you will find it in early morning starters, English warm-ups, Topic and Science lessons, marking and even just discussions on the carpet.
This doesn’t mean we know everything! We use the glossary to improve our own understanding of some of these terms too. (Copies on your tables)
Spelling tests are used in classes and words sent home to learn but unless children learn the rule alongside this list of words, they are unlikely to retain them. There is a much greater emphasis now on teaching the rule and encouraging children to explore and understand this. For Y6, this will undoubtedly help when faced with a set of unknown words in their SAT test.
We link the statutory spelling patterns and rules to the NC word list to create our weekly spellings.

9. Spelling
Spelling has two aspects; the tackling of existing errors in a child’s work and the learning of new words.
Now there are statutory spelling words but word lists are rapidly forgotten after the test.
Introduce new words as new vocabulary, used in real contexts – orally, at first.

10. Look, Say, Cover, Write This is useful for a natural visualiser
Write the word correctly for your child.
Let them look at it for about 10 seconds
Cover the word.
Let them write the word.
Check with correct spelling
If incorrect look at the part that is incorrect
Repeat until correct

11. Simultaneous Oral Spelling
Your child needs to know the letter names.
Write the word for him/her, saying the letter names as you write.
Ask your child to write the word, saying each letter name as s/he writes it.
Ask him/her to read the whole word and check the spelling with the model.
If incorrect, repeat until correct.

12. Tracing
Relies on memory for the feel of a word – useful for younger children.
Write the word on a card with letters about 5cm high (or on sandpaper), using cursive handwriting style.
Ask your child to trace over the letters with his/her index finger (pointing finger) as if writing.
Ask him/her to write the word on paper and check
If necessary, repeat the procedure until correct

13. Syllables
Break words into syllables to help remember them more easily. For example Wed-nes-day Re-mem-ber The child should say each syllable as they write the word.

14. Words Within Words How many words within words can you find?
determination

15. Compound Words Can children spot the individual words? For example:
breakfast
goldfish
sometimes
cupboard

16. LET THE CHILDREN CREATE THEIR OWN
Mnemonics
People - People eat orange peel like elephants
Could: O U lucky duck
Because – big elephants can always understand small elephants
Necessary – never eat cress, eat salmon sandwiches and remain young
LET THE CHILDREN CREATE THEIR OWN

17. Making Links Sign – signal – signature Autonomy – automatic
Friend – friendship – friendly – unfriendly
This strategy is used at a later stage than other

18. Identify Prefixes and Suffixes
Un – what does this mean?
Dis –
Mono –
…ful
…less
…tion
Collect lists of similar words – can you find any patterns?

19. Investigating Spelling Rules
baby babies lady ladies shine shiny salt salty taste tasty impossible approachable edible understandable credible predictable audible comfortable

20. Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP)
Write the target word to be learned by your child on a card.
Hold the card to his/her upper left.
Discuss visual features and pattern of the word.
Close eyes and ask him/her to try and ‘see’ the word in his/her head.
Remove the card.
Ask him/her to write it on a whiteboard.
Ask him/her to name the letters forwards, then backwards.
Hold the card up again. Ask your child to self-check his/her spelling of the word.

21. Always encourage children to have a go
even if they make a mistake, but get the initial phoneme (sound) right, then they are trying.
Don’t criticise; use lots of praise
Play games – hangman, scrabble etc
Ensure your child reads everyday

22. SATs
The spelling, punctuation and grammar test was first introduced in May 2013 as part of the KS2 SATs for Y6 pupils.
This replaced the English writing SAT which is now teacher assessed throughout the year.
The KS2 test has been updated for the children taking KS2 SATs from May 2016 and it is more challenging.
The KS1 spelling, grammar and punctuation test was first introduced from May 2016.

23. KS1
Paper 1 (spelling test) - approximately 15 minutes to write the 20 missing words.
Paper 2 (spelling, punctuation and grammar) – approximately 20 minutes to answer 19 questions.
Taken during the month of May.
Results are for internal use only.
Scaled score between

24. Pack
Sky
Shell
Baby
Phone
Eyes
Flying
Plank
Money
Talk
Rides
Pear
Glove
Lazy
Match
Office
Ladder
Bounces
Gentle
Stories

25. KS2
The grammar, punctuation and spelling test consists of two parts: a grammar and punctuation paper requiring short answers, lasting 45 minutes, and an aural spelling test of 20 words, lasting around 15 minutes. For the spelling paper, the children have to spell words dictated by the examiner (class teacher) which are presented within sentences. The grammar and punctuation test includes two sub-types of questions: •Selected response, e.g. ‘Identify the adjectives in the sentence below’ •Constructed response, e.g. ‘Correct/complete/rewrite the sentence below,’ or, ‘The sentence below has an apostrophe missing. Explain why it needs an apostrophe.’

26. Skills and knowledge
Children need a very technical understanding of how the English language works.
The upgraded KS2 SAT test reflects the new curriculum, which includes more challenging additional material e.g. ‘subjunctive mood’ and ‘passives with and without agents’.
Questions that would previously have been found in the KS2 SAT were in the KS1 SAT in May 2016.
On tables, you have a copy of the first KS2 sample grammar and punctuation question paper and spelling list introduced in 2013 and the KS sample question paper and spelling list. This shows how much more technical and in depth it has become.

27. Writing
The new primary curriculum has also placed a significant emphasis on grammar and spelling in the writing assessment grids. (See grids on your tables)

28. How can you help?
Copy some sentences from a book and get him/her to underline the main or subordinate clause.
Write down some unpunctuated sentences for your child to punctuate correctly.
Call out a word and ask your child to tell you a synonym or antonym.
When writing s or letters, encourage your child to add in specific word classes (adjective/adverb etc)
If your child asks you a question, ask how he/she would rephrase it as a command!
Encourage your child to read a variety of texts to broaden their vocabulary.
When writing, actively discuss the spelling…especially if you are unsure. Talk them through your thinking.
Ask us if you are unsure about any aspect of grammar or spelling patterns.
Have fun!

29. On your tables… Loop cards Collect the cards
Word searches (this also helps develop skimming and scanning skills which are helpful in reading comprehension)
Crosswords
Scramble and Unscramble
Which is correct?
Board games (plural or possessive)
Spelling activity cards
‘Games for teaching tricky words’ and ‘Tips for teaching spelling from Pie Corbett’
Spelling, punctuation and grammar dictionary

30. Useful Websites http://www.spellitright.talktalk.net/