Writing Instruction Scope and Sequence
Foundation Year
Writing on whiteboards with markers
Term 1
Scope  Explicit instruction and focus on pencil grip
and (dynamic tripod grasp)
Sequence  Explicit first name writing instruction. Every
morning, students will practice writing their
name (initially tracing over their name  tracing
over dotted letters  writing name
independently on whiteboard.
 Explicit handwriting instruction (as part of
synthetic phonics program) 10mins per day,
Mon to Thurs
- Focus on single letter formation (uppercase
and lowercase) using sky/grass/ground
template
- Consolidation of 4 focus letters on Friday,
with blending focus
 Once all 26 letters have been taught, include
one week long explicit ‘b’ and ‘d’ focus (look at
articulation to aid formation)
 HF decodable Group 1 word writing and
blending  progress to reading words the fast
way
 Focus on common rime endings (word families)
introduced in-Group 1: at, in, it, is, as, an, e.g.
e.g. s-at, f-at, m-at, c-at (the quick way)
 Finger gym (1x session a week) Goal: For
students to improve their fine motor skills for
handwriting
Goals HF Words Goals:
 For students to attempt to write all of the  For students to write all of the Group 1 high
Group 1 high frequency decodable words with a
visual aid by the end of the term
 For students to write all of the Group 1 high
Term 2
 Consolidate pencil grip
 Explicit instruction – difference between
consonants and vowels
 Consolidate formation of harder to form letters,
e.g. a, e, b, d, g, y, q
 Introduce language ‘digraph’ (2-letters that
make one sound)
 Introduce common consonant digraphs in Jolly
Phonics sequence (Mon to Thurs), e.g. ng, ch, sh,
th, wh
- Friday: consolidate digraphs taught that
week by blending words with common rime
endings, e.g. shop, chop, ship, chip
 After lunch every day: Explicit handwriting
lesson with a focus on HF words
- Students read and write HF words
- Teacher and students orally create sentences
using target HF word to give examples of
word use in a variety of contexts and
improve student comprehension
 Introduce common vowel digraphs in Jolly
Phonics sequence (Mon to Thurs), e.g. ai, oa, ie,
ee, oo/oo, ou, oi, ue
- Friday: consolidate digraphs taught that
week
- Every morning during literacy block, include
explicit instruction re. writing words with
digraphs taught that week, and provide
targeted consolidation during literacy
rotations with small groups of students
 Introduce r-controlled vowel digraphs in Jolly
Phonics sequence (Mon to Thurs), e.g. or, er, ar
- Friday: consolidate digraphs taught that
week
- Every morning during literacy block, include
explicit instruction re. writing words with
digraphs taught that week, and provide
targeted consolidation during literacy
rotations with small groups of students
HF Word Goals:
frequency decodable words independently by
the end of the term
frequency “tricky” words and 5 additional
Writing in 14mm lined books with pencils
Term 3
 Transition to writing books
 Consolidate letter formation (using knowledge
of students’ gaps)
 Begin explicit 5 star sentence writing
instruction:
- My sentences start with capital letters
- My sentences make sense
- I use finger spaces
- My writing is neat
- My sentences end with a full stop
 Introduce Royal Writing Book (for neat writing)
 Introduce alternative digraphs in Jolly Phonics
sequence (Mon to Thurs)
- Friday: consolidate digraphs taught that
week
- Every morning during literacy block, include
explicit instruction re. writing words with
digraphs taught that week, and provide
targeted consolidation during literacy
rotations with small groups of students
 Incorporate daily dictation with a focus on
known HF words and digraphs, as well as 5-star
sentence writing
 Introduce ‘magic e’ spelling rule with soft and
hard c and g
- Every morning during literacy block, include
explicit instruction re. writing using magic e
spelling rule, and provide targeted
consolidation during literacy rotations with
small groups of students
HF Word Goals:
 For students to write all of the Group 2 high
frequency decodable words independently by
the end of the term
Term 4
 Consolidate letter formation (using knowledge
of students’ gaps)
 Consolidate 5 star sentence writing
 Introduce the following spelling rules during
morning literacy block:
- Magic e
- Soft and hard ‘c’ and ‘g’
- Flossy
- c & k rule, e.g. ‘ck’
- Three ways to say ‘y’
- Three ways to say ‘ed’
- Using ‘ing’ for verbs in the present
 Practice 5 star sentence writing dictation using
spelling rules taught throughout term
 Introduce focus on when and when not to
capitalise words in sentences, e.g. places and
names
 Introduce focus on punctuation, e.g.
exclamation mark, question mark
 Introduce narrative writing using Story Champs
visual sequence, e.g. students to include the;
character(s), problem, feeling(s), plan, action(s),
consequence and ending
HF Word Goals:
 For students to write all of the Group 3 high
frequency decodable words independently by
the end of the term
 For students to attempt to write all of the
Group 1 high frequency “tricky” words with a
visual aid by the end of the term
Writing Goals:
 For students to write all 26 single graphemes
with recognisable formation independently by
the end of the term
 For students to write their first name using
correct letter formation independently by the
end of the term.
words from Group 2 independently by the end
of the term
Writing Goals:
 For students to participate in silent sustained
writing for 2 minutes independently by the end
of the term
 For students to write all of the Group 2 and 3
high frequency “tricky” words independently by
the end of the term
Writing Goals:
 For students to write one 5-star sentence (see
above) independently by the end of the term
 For students to participate in silent sustained
writing for 5 minutes independently by the end
of the term
 For students to write all of the Group 4 high
frequency “tricky” words independently by the
end of the term
Writing Goals:
 For students to write two 5-star sentence
independently by the end of the term
 For students to participate in silent sustained
writing for 10 minutes independently by the end
of the term