English Literature and Elite Writing (6-7 yro)

Aims

• To develop students’ reading skills in terms of fluency, accuracy and comprehension through exposure to a diverse range of contemporary and modern texts in English Literature.
• To foster enjoyment in reading in English and to expand student’s vocabulary and grammatical awareness.
• To practice a range of reading skills, including: decoding and understanding new words, drawing on background knowledge, making inferences, understanding cause and effect, identifying themes, sequencing and prediction.
• Through guided questioning and discussion, develop students’ understanding of how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.
• To provide opportunity for students to engage in collaborative writing projects for a range of text types (including simple poetry, narratives and plays) and so to develop their understanding of the different steps in the writing process (brainstorming, planning/ organising ideas, drafting, editing and ‘publishing’, or reading aloud the finished piece).
• In the collaborative writing process, students will develop their knowledge of vocabulary, spelling, grammar and correct use of punctuation.

Texts that may be covered in the course

• A range of popular contemporary children’s stories (e.g. Julia Donaldson, Dick King Smith, Anthony Browne, Jill Tomlinson)
• A range of classic children’s stories (e.g. Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Judith Kerr, ‘The Little Prince’, ‘Winnie the Pooh’, fairy tales/ fables)
• Poetry for children (e.g. Haiku, Calligram, Limerick, Narrative Poetry, Kenning, Free Verse).
• Short Plays for children.
• Non-fiction: A range non-fiction texts including informational texts on topics such as animals, the body, space, the weather and seasons, and dinosaurs; a biography of a famous person; a news report; a letter or invitation, a recipe, and a diary entry.