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Year 4

Reading

To read most words fluently and attempt to decode any unfamiliar words with increasing speed and skill.

To apply their knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes/word endings to read aloud fluently.

To read all Y3/Y4 exception words, discussing the unusual correspondences between spelling and these occur in the word.

To discuss and compare texts from a wide variety of genres and writers.

To read for a range of purposes.

To identify themes and conventions in a wide range of books.

To refer to authorial style, overall themes (e.g. triumph of good over evil) and features (e.g. greeting in letters, a diary written in the first person or the use of presentational devices such as numbering and headings).

To identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.

To identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarise these.

Discuss vocabulary used to capture readers’ interest and imagination

To draw inferences from characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives that justifies their actions, supporting their views with evidence from the text.

To justify predictions from details stated and implied.

To recognise and discuss some different forms of poetry (e.g. free verse or narrative poetry).

To prepare and perform poems and play scripts with appropriate techniques (intonation, tone, volume and action) to show awareness of the audience when reading aloud.

To use all of the organisational devices available within a non - fiction text to retrieve, record and discuss information.

To use dictionaries to check the meaning of words that they have read.

Speaking and Listening

To listen carefully in a range of different contexts and usually respond appropriately to both adults and their peers.

To follow complex directions/multi-step instructions without the need for repetition.

To generate relevant questions to ask a specific speaker/audience in response to what has been said.

To regularly offer answers that are supported with justifiable reasoning.

To use intonation when reading aloud to emphasise punctuation.

To practise and rehearse sentences and stories, gaining feedback on their performance from teachers and peers.

To take on a specific role in role-play/drama activities and participate in focused discussion while remaining in character.

To discuss the language choices of other speakers and how this may vary in different situations.

To regularly use interesting adjectives, adverbial phrases and extended noun phrases in speech.

To know and use language that is acceptable in formal and informal situations with increasing confidence.

To recognise powerful vocabulary in stories/ texts that they read or listen to, building these words and phrases into their own talk in an appropriate way.

To give descriptions, recounts and narrative retellings with specific details to actively engage listeners.

To debate issues and make their opinions on topics clear.

To adapt their ideas in response to new information.

To engage in discussions, making relevant points and ask for specific additional information or viewpoints from other participants.

To begin to challenge opinions with respect.

To engage in meaningful discussions in all areas of the curriculum.

Writing

To spell words with / shuhn/ endings spelt with ‘sion’ (if the root word ends in ‘se’, ‘de’ or ‘d’, e.g. division, invasion, confusion, decision, collision, television).

To spell words with a / shuhn/ sound spelt with ‘ssion’(if the root word ends in ‘ss’ or ‘mit’, e.g. expression, discussion, confession, permission, admission).

To spell words with a / shuhn/ sound spelt with ‘tion’(if the root word ends in ‘te’ or ‘t’ or has no definite root, e.g. invention, injection, action, hesitation, completion).

To spell words with a / shuhn/ sound spelt with ‘cian’(if the root word ends in ‘c’ or ‘cs’, e.g. musician, electrician, magician, politician, mathematician).

To spell words with the /s/ sound spelt with ‘sc’ (e.g. sound spelt with ‘sc’ (e.g. science, scene, discipline, fascinate, crescent).

To spell all of the Y3 and Y4 statutory spelling words correctly.

To correctly spell most words with the prefixes in -, il -, im -, ir -, sub -, super -, anti -, auto -, inter -, ex - and non - (e.g. incorrect, illegal, impossible, irrelevant, substandard, superhero, autograph, antisocial, intercity, exchange, nonsense).

To form nouns with the suffix - ation (e.g. information, adoration, sensation, preparation, admiration).

To spell words with the suffix - ous with no change to root words, no definitive root word, words ending in ‘y’, ‘our’ or ‘e’ and the exceptions to the rule (e.g. joyous, fabulous, mysterious, rigorous, famous advantageous).

To spell words that use the possessive apostrophe with plural words, including irregular plurals (e.g. girls’, boys’, babies’, children’s, men’s, mice’s). To use their spelling knowledge to use a dictionary more efficiently.

To increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting [e.g by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant; that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch].

To confidently use diagonal and horizontal joining strokes throughout their independent writing to increase fluency.

To compose and rehearse sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures.

To consistently organise their writing into paragraphs around a theme to add cohesion and to aid the reader.

To proofread consistently and amend their own and others’ writing, correcting errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling and adding nouns/ pronouns for cohesion.

To write a range of narratives and non fiction pieces using a consistent and appropriate structure (including genre specific layout devices).

To write a range of narratives that are well- structured and well-paced.

To create detailed settings, characters and plot in narratives to engage the reader and to add atmosphere.

To begin to read aloud their own writing, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and to control the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear.

To always maintain an accurate tense throughout a piece of writing.

To always use Standard English verb inflections accurately, e.g. ‘we were’ rather than ‘we was’ and ‘I did’ rather than ‘I done’.

To use subordinate clauses, extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, which are sometimes in varied positions within sentences.

To expand noun phrases with the addition of ambitious modifying adjectives and prepositional phrases, e.g. the heroic soldier with an unbreakable spirit.

To consistently choose nouns or pronouns appropriately to aid cohesion and avoid repetition, e.g. he, she, they, it.

To use all of the necessary punctuation in direct speech, including a comma after the reporting clause and all end punctuation within the inverted commas.

To consistently use apostrophes for singular and plural possession.

To recognise and use the terms determiner, pronoun, possessive pronoun and adverbial.