At Homer First, teaching of English is planned around quality children’s literature and children’s cross-curricular experiences.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

There are three interlinked aspects of speaking and listening, these are:

• the SOCIAL aspect of talk, concerned with people getting on with each other
• the COMMUNICATIVE aspect referring to talk as a means of transferring meaning between people
• the COGNITIVE aspect, emphasising talk as a means of learning.

Our aims when teaching speaking and listening are to enable children;

• To become effective speakers and listeners, having respect for the opinions of others and being able to take turns when speaking and respond appropriately to others.
• To communicate clearly and confidently.
• To use speaking and listening to develop their own understanding.
• To take part in drama

READING

Reading is a vital tool which supports the whole curriculum. Reading helps to support independent learning. Reading can help us understand the opinions, beliefs and feelings of other human beings. It is a vital part of communication and can foster the confidence to live in a world full of the ‘written word’.

At Homer First School our aims are to;

• create confident lifelong readers who derive pleasure from books
• develop the ability to read accurately, widely and fluently and to be reflective and thoughtful about what is read
• develop understanding of texts of increasing variety and complexity
• develop the appreciation of a wide variety of written forms drawn from our own literary heritage and from other cultures and traditions
• develop the ability to read for a variety of purposes.

Reading together is the most important thing you can do to help your child succeed. It is expected that children at Homer First will read with, or to, an adult at least 5 times a week outside of school.

WRITING

Writing is valuable as a means of remembering, communicating, organising and developing ideas and information and should also be a source of enjoyment. At Homer we follow the Talk for Writing approach developed by Pie Corbett.

At Homer First School our aims are:

• To develop confident and independent young writers who derive pleasure from their writing.
• To develop pupils’ ability to write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
• To develop the skills needed to write accurately and legibly
• To encourage pupils to take a pride in the presentation of their written work.
• To provide opportunities for writing in all areas of the curriculum.