Year 2 Writing Curriculum at West Wycombe School

Introduction

At West Wycombe School, we are dedicated to fostering proficient and confident writers. Our Year 2 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 2 writers, and the type of writer we aim to cultivate.

Key Topics and Competencies

1.Planning

Competency: Students are taught to plan their writing to ensure it has a clear structure.
Expectation: They should be able to outline their ideas before writing, ensuring coherence and organization.
Milestone: "I can plan what I need to include in my writing."

2.Checking and Editing

Competency: Skills in reviewing and revising work for clarity and coherence.
Expectation: Students should be able to assess their own work and make improvements.
Milestone: "I can re-read my work to check it makes sense and make changes where necessary."

3.Punctuation

Competency: Use of punctuation marks and understanding different sentence forms.
Expectation: Students should demonstrate consistent use of punctuation to enhance readability.
Milestones:
"I can use capital letters and full stops for every sentence."
"I can make some use of question marks, exclamation marks, commas to separate items in a list, and apostrophes to mark singular possession in nouns."
"I can use sentences with different forms: statements, questions, exclamations, commands."

4.Sentence Structure

Competency: Use of coordination and subordination in sentences.
Expectation: Students should vary their sentence structures to create engaging and dynamic writing.
Milestones:
"I can use co-ordination (or/and/but)."

"I can use subordination (when/if/that/because)."

5.Vocabulary

Competency: Use of expanded noun phrases for description and specification.
Expectation: Students should enrich their writing with detailed and varied vocabulary.
Milestone: "I can use expanded noun phrases to describe and specify."

6.Tense

Competency: Correct and consistent use of present and past tense.
Expectation: Students should consistently use the appropriate tense for their writing.
Milestone: "I can use present and past tense correctly and consistently."

7.Spelling

Competency: Ability to segment words into phonemes, spell common exception words, use contracted forms, and add suffixes correctly.
Expectation: Students should demonstrate accurate spelling in their writing.
Milestones:
"I can segment spoken words into phonemes and represent these by graphemes, spelling many correctly."
"I can spell many common exception words."
"I can spell some words with contracted forms."
"I can add suffixes to spell some words correctly (–ment, –ness, –ful, –less, –ly)."

8.Handwriting

Competency: Skills in joining letters, writing capital letters and digits correctly, and maintaining appropriate spacing between words.
Expectation: Students should develop a clear and efficient handwriting style.
Milestones:
"I can use the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters."
"I can write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation, and relationship to one another and to lower case letters."
"I can use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters."

National Curriculum Expectations for Year 2 Writers

The national curriculum for Year 2 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 and paragraphs.
•    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 2 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.