Lancashire Professional Development Service helps educational settings like schools and academies to realise the full potential of their children and young people, by providing professional training, bespoke consultancies and inspiring resources. All of our curriculum resources are designed by highly experienced teaching and learning consultants.
Lancashire Professional Development Service helps educational settings like schools and academies to realise the full potential of their children and young people, by providing professional training, bespoke consultancies and inspiring resources. All of our curriculum resources are designed by highly experienced teaching and learning consultants.
Intent, Implementation and Impact of your curriculum!
These documents will support subject leaders and senior leaders in reflecting on the provision for the different subjects within your school curriculum and how these meet the specific needs of your children. This reflects the emphasis on the whole curriculum in the Ofsted inspection framework from September 2019.
The aim of the Examining Teaching and Learning in… documents is to provide subject leaders with a precise evaluation of the provision for their subject. Once conducted, the information can then be used as a basis for:
the subject improvement plan;
a discussion during an Ofsted inspection;
a position statement report to the governing body; and
general discussions about the subject with senior leaders and teachers in school.
The questions and prompts within the resources have been carefully designed to ensure consistency in a school’s approach to evaluation by the subject leader whilst also focusing on the individual characteristics of each subject area. They can be independently used by schools or be provided as part of a subject specific ‘Health Check’ provided by one of the Lancashire Teaching and Learning Consultants.
Writing Opportunities to Support the Reading Phase of the Teaching Sequence
This document provides guidance on planning an English unit using the teaching sequence from reading to writing. It contains ideas for reading skills and learning objectives which are linked to writing opportunities within the reading phase of the teaching sequence.
This document provides clarity on the difference between learning objectives and outcomes in reading, and can support teachers when planning for reading sessions.
Themed around magic, mystery and much more, both the narrative and non-fiction units within this publication, interweave reading and writing skills from Year 5 and Year 6.
Children will be taken on a magical journey whilst reading Ross MacKenzie’s award-winning The Nowhere Emporium. Regular short and long writing opportunities are embedded throughout the sequence - with opportunities for further challenge and independent writing also signposted – whilst the final written outcome is an extended narrative based around the plot of The Nowhere Emporium.
This is followed by a non-fiction unit, flexibly themed around magic or the circus – it’s your choice! Following research, children will work towards producing a hybrid information text in the form of a magazine page. This includes a mini biography, a discussion text and a non-chronological report. The children could be finding out about the history of magic, researching a famous magician or discussing whether animals should be allowed to perform in a circus. Lots of interesting facts to find and discussions to have!
Year 2 Spring 2 English Planning Unit : The Farm Shop
This half term block, based around The Farm Shop, consists of three English units:
Stories with familiar settings
Persuasion
Poetry - riddles
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside science and design and technology. Stories with familiar settings can be themed around the farm, linking to science work on plants, growth and nutrition. It can also be linked to the designing of an eatwell plate in design and technology. The Riddles unit can
further support this work on food, based around farm shop produce. It is suggested that work from the Persuasion unit is linked to a variety of real-life farms, farm shops and other family days out in your local area.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 3 Spring 2 English Planning Unit : The Iron Man
This half term block, based around a theme of The Iron Man, consists of two English units:
Novel as a theme
Recount: diaries
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside science, music and design technology. The class novel can be linked to the creation of the children’s own character using mechanical systems – levers and linkages. This character can feature in children’s own stories. Linked to Design Technology, Computing and Music, children could create a film trailer using a suitable application such as iMovie.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 2 Autumn 2 English Planning Unit : Fighting Fit
This half term block, based around a theme of Fighting Fit, consists of two English units:
Traditional tales with a twist
Instructions
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside Science work on what humans need to survive, human growth and exercise. Traditional tales with a twist have been planned to address the Year 2 2014 National Curriculum requirement to become increasingly familiar with a wider range of traditional tales.
Instructions have been explicitly linked to playground games designed to encourage physical exercise.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 4 Summer 1 English Planning Unit : Water, Water Everywhere
This half term block, based around a theme of Water, Water Everywhere, consists of three English units:
Stories with a Theme
Poems with a Structure
Information Booklets
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside work on rivers and the water cycle in geography and science. The children’s learning about rivers and the water cycle might be in the context of a local river study (fieldwork) and/or key aspects of a local river e.g. River Lostock. This work could then feed into
their welcome brochure in English. Alternatively, the children’s leaflets could include facts about rivers that run through Cornwall. In addition, their poetry could feature elements of the water cycle.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Fast Forward Spelling has been developed to prepare pupils for the higher expectations in the current National Curriculum and to support them to achieve successfully in both papers of the Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test at the end of Year 6. This intervention has been designed to address any gaps in learning.
Fast Forward Spelling is a twelve week programme with daily sessions planned for each week.
It focuses on:
Spelling rules and conventions
Teaching approaches
Independent practice.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
This publication of 7-8 weeks focusing on Year 4 and Year 5 reading and writing skills, includes both narrative and non-fiction opportunities, all based around the classic children’s novel The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Using film clips, websites and a range of texts, including those themed around evacuation and mythical creatures, this unit will immerse the children in themes central to the novel.
A variety of short and long writing opportunities are embedded throughout the unit as the children analyse the story, gather content on mythological creatures and develop an extended narrative based upon The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
The Loch Ness Monster
Reading and writing skills for Year 3 and Year 4 are interwoven throughout these two units of work lasting 3-4 weeks for narrative and 2-3 weeks for non-fiction, all based around the theme of the Loch Ness Monster.
The first unit focuses on exploring and researching the infamous legend using film clips, websites, texts and news sources, before children write their own non-fiction article for a children’s magazine.
Following this, a narrative unit is provided which includes developing a new Loch Ness monster character based on a plot pattern inspired by the classic cartoon, The Family-Ness! Enjoy singing along to the theme tune with your class!
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
Year 2 and Year 3 reading and writing skills are interwoven throughout both narrative and non-fiction units in this publication, all themed around one of our favourite bears from children’s literature – Paddington!
The first unit explores Michael Bond’s classic text, alongside the use of more recent film material. Regular short and long writing opportunities are embedded throughout the sequence as the children work towards an extended narrative of their own Paddington adventure.
This is followed by a non-fiction unit, in which children will explore a range of non- fiction sources, websites and clips, before writing their own tourist guide to either London or your local area. Be prepared for your classroom to be transformed to a tourist destination, complete with regular tours!
Applying skills from both Year 1 and Year 2, this publication is based around the theme of wolves and integrates both narrative and non-fiction in a 5-6 week sequence.
Children will share in the delights of The Way Home for Wolf by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, before taking on the role of researchers to find out more about wolves and other animals.
Using their newly found facts, children will produce an information leaflet to inform an audience. The unit concludes with a return to fiction, where children will create an innovation based on the original story.
Year 2 Summer 2 English Planning Unit : Buckets and Spades
This half term block, based around a theme of Buckets and Spades, consists of three English units:
Story as a theme
Explanation texts
Poems on a theme
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside a Science units based on materials where children investigate suitable properties for making buckets, hats and helmets, trampolines and sandcastles, and could provide a focus for writing explanation texts to explore why and how materials are suitable, or not. Poems could be linked to a history context of seaside holidays in the past, where children include details about objects or ideas such as ice cream, the promenade or souvenirs.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 6 Spring 2 English Planning Unit : Super Sleuth
This half term block, based around a theme of Super Sleuth, consists of two English units:
Detective/crime fiction
Explanations
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside scientific enquiry. Links can be utilised via exploring chromatography and fingerprinting as part of themed work in which the children become ‘experts’ as crime scene investigators. The iterative process in design technology could be explored to create a prototype of a new game e.g. based on ‘Cluedo’.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 4 Autumn 1 English Planning Unit : Sparks Might Fly!
This half term block, based around a theme of Sparks Might Fly, consists of three English units:
Explanations
Stories with fantasy settings
Film and playscripts
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside Science work on electricity (series circuits, switches, conductors, insulators). Further links could be made to ICT and electrical systems (control and electrical components) through Design and Technology. The unit on film and playscripts has been chosen to fulfil the National Curriculum requirement that children in lower Key Stage 2 should be developing their understanding and enjoyment of stories, poetry, plays and nonfiction.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 5 Autumn 1 English Planning Unit : A Kingdom United
This half term block, based around a theme of A Kingdom United, consists of two English units:
Legends
Persuasion
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside Geography and History work on UK cities, counties and key features and Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots. The unit on legends has been chosen to fulfil the National Curriculum requirement that children in upper Key Stage 2 will increase their
familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 4 Autumn 2 English Planning Unit : The Great Plague
This half term block, based around a theme of The Great Plague, consists of three English units:
Fairy tales
Classic poetry
Recount: newspapers
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside History work on The Great Plague of 1665 (A theme in British history beyond 1066). The unit on fairy tales has been chosen to fulfil the National Curriculum requirement that children in lower Key Stage 2 should be increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including fairy stories. The classic poetry unit is part of the National Curriculum recommendation for children to prepare poems and playscripts to read aloud and perform.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 1 Spring 1 English Planning Unit : Growth and Green Fingers
This half term block, based around a theme of Growth and Green Fingers, consists of three English units:
Classic stories
Instructions
Traditional rhymes
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside Science units based on researching and growing plants. Instructions could be based around how to grow plants or seeds.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Intent, Implementation and Impact of your curriculum!
These documents will support subject leaders and senior leaders in reflecting on the provision for the different subjects within your school curriculum and how these meet the specific needs of your children. This reflects the emphasis on the whole curriculum in the Ofsted inspection framework from September 2019.
The aim of the Examining Teaching and Learning in… documents is to provide subject leaders with a precise evaluation of the provision for their subject. Once conducted, the information can then be used as a basis for:
the subject improvement plan;
a discussion during an Ofsted inspection;
a position statement report to the governing body; and
general discussions about the subject with senior leaders and teachers in school.
The questions and prompts within the resources have been carefully designed to ensure consistency in a school’s approach to evaluation by the subject leader whilst also focusing on the individual characteristics of each subject area. They can be independently used by schools or be provided as part of a subject specific ‘Health Check’ provided by one of the Lancashire Teaching and Learning Consultants.
Year 4 Summer 2 English Planning Unit : Hunted
This half term block, based around a theme of Hunted, consists of three English units:
Narrative – Folk Tales
Non Fiction – Debate
Poem on a theme.
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside a Science focus linked to Living things and their Habitats. Debates can be based upon any focus, either linked to the theme or other relevant contexts, depending upon the curriculum focus.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.