Year 1 Writing Curriculum at West Wycombe School

Introduction

At West Wycombe School, we are dedicated to fostering proficient and confident writers. Our Year 1 writing curriculum is designed to develop a comprehensive set of writing skills, ensuring that students can effectively plan, structure, and present their ideas. This report outlines the key topics covered, the competencies expected from our Year 1 writers, and the type of writer we aim to cultivate.

Key Topics and Competencies:

1.Planning
Competency: Students are taught to verbalize their sentences before writing.
Expectation: They should be able to say their sentence out loud before writing it.
Milestone: "I can say my sentence out loud before writing it."

2.Organisation
Competency: Use of finger spaces in writing.
Expectation: Students should consistently use finger spaces between words.

Milestone: "I can use finger spaces in my writing."

3.Style of Writing
Competency: Attempting to write in the appropriate style.
Expectation: Students should try to write in the correct style for different purposes.
Milestone: "I can attempt to write in the correct style."

4.Checking and Editing
Competency: Skills in re-reading and improving written work.
Expectation: Students should be able to re-read their work to check it makes sense and make improvements.
Milestone: "I can re-read what I have written to check it makes sense and make improvements."

5.Punctuation
Competency: Correct use of punctuation marks.
Expectation: Students should use capital letters, full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, and capitalize 'I' and proper nouns correctly.
Milestones:
"I can use capital letters at the start of my sentences."
"I can use full stops at the end of my sentences."
"I can use question marks correctly (?)."
"I can use exclamation marks correctly (!)."
"I can use a capital letter for ‘I’."
"I can use a capital letter for names of people and places, and for days of the week."

6.Sentence Structure
Competency: Use of simple conjunctions to connect ideas.
Expectation: Students should use simple joining words such as ‘and’, ‘then’, ‘because’, and ‘but’.
Milestone: "I can use simple joining words such as ‘and’ ‘then’ ‘because’ ‘but’."

7.Vocabulary
Competency: Use of simple adjectives.
Expectation: Students should enrich their writing with simple adjectives.
Milestone: "I can use simple adjectives."

8.Tense
Competency: Correct use of past tense verbs.
Expectation: Students should start to use past tense verbs correctly.
Milestone: "I can start to use past tense verbs correctly."

9.Spelling
Competency: Use of phonics for spelling new words and correctly spelling Year 1 high-frequency words.
Expectation: Students should use their phonics knowledge to spell new words and spell Year 1 high-frequency words correctly.
Milestones:
"I can use my phonics to spell new words."
"I can spell Year 1 High frequency words correctly."

10.Handwriting
Competency: Forming letters correctly.
Expectation: Students should form their letters correctly.
Milestone: "I can form my letters correctly."

National Curriculum Expectations for Year 1 Writers

The national curriculum for Year 1 writers emphasizes the development of a range of writing skills, including planning, drafting, evaluating, and editing. Students are expected to:
•    Write for a range of purposes and audiences.
•    Organize their writing into coherent sentences.
•    Use a rich and varied vocabulary.
•    Apply accurate grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
•    Develop a legible and fluent handwriting style.

The Type of Writer We Aim to Cultivate

At West Wycombe School, we aim to cultivate writers who are:

•    Confident: Able to express their ideas clearly and creatively.
•    Competent: Skilled in the technical aspects of writing, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
•    Reflective: Capable of evaluating their own work and making improvements.
•    Engaged: Enthusiastic about writing and eager to explore different genres and styles.

Our Year 1 writing curriculum is designed to equip students with the skills they need to become proficient and confident writers. By focusing on key topics and competencies, we ensure that our students meet the expectations of the national curriculum and develop into the type of writers who can effectively communicate their ideas and engage their readers.