English
It has been a lot of work but I think that the planning is becoming much more effective. Certainly the children seem to be reporting that once they are able to talk through the plan in detail, their composition feels easier and more flowing. The more we work this as a process, the more they will be able to develop their writing, leading to more mature compositions relying less on delivering information and more on the style and emphasis of the delivery.
To which end, we have begun working hard not just on multi-clause sentences, but how to use them to contrast against shorter sentences for greater emphasis. This is a new skill and will take a little while to embed, but it lays the groundwork for next term when we will be looking closely at the use of different rhythms to create new writing styles, and look at how punctuation can be used to enhance them.
Grammar
We have covered so much ground since September but now the benefits are just beginning to show through. Having spent so much time covering the basics in such detail, it is now easier for the children to appreciate not only how subordination and coordination is used to create multi-clause sentences, but also how to punctuate them accordingly. Next term will be really useful for refining their compositions as they learn to apply this knowledge more effectively.
Reading
Next term will also see a shift in focus as I am now able to move away from such a heavy hit on the grammar and start looking at comprehension skills in more detail.
Maths
We will be sticking with fractions for a little while yet. The focus has been on adding and subtracting them using a variety of technique and then testing that knowledge in problems. This needs to be really solid before we move into multiplying and dividing them next term which of course is nothing but fun…
