Developing a creative and engaging English curriculum
For the last few years, much of the work I have done with schools has been about developing a creative and engaging, but rigorous English curriculum. Schools have been questioning the way that they are teaching English and want to make effective changes.
Schools are asking questions about their teaching of English such as:
• What literature can we or should we use?
• How can we make good use of guided reading? Should all the children use the same text?
• Is whole class reading effective?
• How can we make our children enthusiastic readers and writers?
• How can we make purposeful links with the foundation curriculum to give reasons for reading and writing?
• The objectives are so big and they are pitched at the end of year expectations. How can we ensure progression?
• Our children don’t use and apply English skills consistently. What can we do?
• What does effective drafting, evaluating, editing and proof reading look like?
These are some of the most common concerns raised and discussed over and over again. It became clear that it would be useful to provide some kind of model to support schools in the teaching of English.
I have never been an advocate of schemes. I believe that every school should develop their own bespoke curriculum which reflects and meets the needs of its context. A curriculum should always be under review, evaluated for what works well and what could be improved and updated according to the school’s context.
What is Focus English?
Focus English offers a model of a literature-based, learning-led English curriculum with a complete and flexible programme for each year group. It is based on the use of a high-quality core text which drives the curriculum by making purposeful and interesting links with history, geography and science learning with poetry is built in to each unit. There are direct links to the Learning Challenge Curriculum.
Each unit is broadly 6 weeks with flexibility built in to extend, adapt or introduce alternative activities based on rigorous on-going assessment. Outcomes and objectives are clearly identified and activities planned to ensure that they are based on the year group learning. Attention has been paid to looking at progression within each objective, breaking them down into steps towards achieving the end of year learning.
Whilst there is a clear week by week sequence within each unit, skills, knowledge and understanding are built throughout the unit and provide the building blocks for the identified outcomes.
Sharp focus on reading
There is a sharp focus on reading and the units offer questions and activities which may be used in whole class or group reading lessons. The beginning of each unit concentrates on understanding, responding to and deepening understanding of the text. This focus continues with on-going reading activities matched to the identified reading objectives. Word detective work should be an emphasis throughout.
Additional texts to motivate pupils
Additional texts have also been suggested which may be used as class reads or to motivate and excite children about reading. This is not a definitive list, but serves as a starting point to ensure that children experience a range of reading during the year. These will be updated at intervals during the year and aim to highlight newly published books as well as forgotten old favourites. It will include books which are real “page-turners” to foster that life-long love of reading.
Other areas covered within the Focus English curriculum
Suggested incidental writing opportunities are identified throughout, which includes working with vocabulary and sentences as well as responding to the text so that children have many opportunities to practise and consolidate writing skills.
Grammar work is clearly identified with all grammar being taught purposefully, in context so that it can be used in the identified outcomes. Grammar taught early in the year may not always be identified in subsequent units, but activities from units may be used in context in subsequent units to revisit and consolidate learning as necessary. Grammar games should be used in addition to the units to revisit and consolidate learning as appropriate.
Along with the focus on grammar to ensure effective and accurate writing, the high-quality texts provide models and scaffolds so that children are enabled to make independent choices about how they write and the effect they wish to create.
Focus English time-scales
In general, a week has been allotted to the writing of extended texts. This allows time for the children to write, evaluate, redraft and proof read. Suggested prompts are provided for this, but should be adapted as appropriate.
Focus English aims to answer the questions raised by schools by providing a practical model of a curriculum from outcomes to resourced activities, firmly grounded in the required year group learning. Its flexibility allows teachers to respond to children’s learning and to secure and deepen learning.
To order Focus English, please click on the image below.
Focus English
Judging Year 1, 3, 4 and 5 Writing
Deep Dives into Reading
Ros has over 30 years’ experience working in teaching and leadership roles in schools, both nationally and internationally, as well as leadership roles within Local Authority advisory teams.
With extensive experience in all aspects of school improvement and contexts, as well as specialisms in English and EAL, Ros has developed inspirational, creative resources and training which puts English at the heart of the curriculum.
