Scheme of Work Grade 3

Scheme of Work – English stage 3
Introduction
This document is a scheme of work created by Cambridge as a suggested plan of delivery for Cambridge Primary English stage 3. Learning objectives for the
stage have been grouped into topic areas or ‘Units’. These have then been arranged in a recommended teaching order but you are free to teach objectives in any
order within a stage as your local requirements and resources dictate.
The scheme for English has assumed a term length of 10 weeks, with three terms per stage and three units per term. An overview of the sequence, number and
title of each unit for stage 3 can be seen in the table below.
The scheme has been based on the minimum length of a school year to allow flexibility. You should be able to add in more teaching time as necessary to suit the
pace of your learners and to fit the work comfortably into your own term times.
Speaking and Listening learning objectives are recurring, appearing in every unit and as such are listed separately at the start of each unit below. These are
followed by the objectives for the topic of the unit (the objectives are summarized rather than following the precise wording in the curriculum frameworks).
Activities and resources are suggested against the objectives to illustrate possible methods of delivery.
There is no obligation to follow the published Cambridge Scheme of Work in order to deliver Cambridge Primary. It has been created solely to provide an
illustration of how delivery might be planned over the six stages.
A step-by-step guide to creating your own scheme of work and implementing Cambridge Primary in your school can be found in the Cambridge Primary Teacher
Guide available on the Cambridge Primary website. Blank templates are also available on the Cambridge Primary website for you to use if you wish.
Nine units of work are suggested for children working at Stage 3. In each school term there are three units: fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The range of topics
suggested are:
Term 1 2 3
Focus
Fiction Unit 1A: Stories with familiar settings Unit 2A: Myths, legends and fables Unit 3A: Adventure and mystery stories
(40% of teaching Reading, analysing then planning and Reading, analysing then planning and Reading, analysing then planning and
time) writing a story in a familiar setting. writing myths, legends and fables. writing adventure and mystery stories.
Non-fiction Unit 1B: Instructions Unit 2B: Letters Unit 3B: Non-chronological reports
(40% of teaching Reading, analysing then planning and Reading, analysing then planning and Reading, analysing then planning and
time) writing instruction texts. writing letters for a variety of purposes. writing non-chronological reports.
Poetry Unit 1C: Poems based on observation Unit 2C: Poems from different cultures Unit 3C: Humorous poems Reading
(20% of teaching and the senses / Playscript Reading poems from different cultures then humorous poems then analysing, planning
time) Reading, analysing then writing poems analysing, then planning and writing a and writing one.
based on observation and the senses. poem.
Reading, analysing and writing a
playscript.
V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 1

Overview
For children to become more proficient in their literacy skills, it is important that they keep revisiting and consolidating new skills in different contexts. For this
reason, many of the literacy objectives are revisited in different ways in every unit. This gives all children the opportunity to grasp the ideas involved.
Within each term, it is not important in which order the units are taught – the level of expectation is consistent across all three units. It is important, however, that
you should teach the term 1 units before the term 2, and the term 2 before the term 3.
The teaching and learning of literacy is a continuum; the prior knowledge expected for these units is developed in Stages 1 and 2, and the skills and understanding
developed in stage 3 are important for the children to make good progress in subsequent stages. If this level of work is not appropriate for the students in your
class, it is recommended that you use ideas from the stage 2 or 4 units of work: comparable texts are often studied in each stage, so matching text type with
appropriate learning objectives is usually fairly easy.
In general, specific texts are not recommended because of the different resources available in each school and location. Teachers have the flexibility to include
locally or nationally relevant resources.
Descriptions of the kinds of texts you will need for teaching are indicated at the beginning of the unit. Large print and picture book texts and individual class copies
of a text are never assumed, but the more the children can see and read the text, the more effectively you can teach. Where relevant, websites are recommended.
The list of websites is not exhaustive, and CIE cannot be held responsible for their contents.
It is assumed throughout that you will have access to a whiteboard, blackboard or flipchart to record brief texts for general discussion and analysis.

The objectives listed below should be taught, reinforced and developed throughout the entire school year.
You may wish to allocate time each day to teaching these objectives, or you may prefer to allocate a set amount of time each week.
Recommended Prior Knowledge
Children should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in Stages 1 and 2, in particular :
 common ways of representing all short and long vowel phonemes in monosyllabic words;
 reading and spelling 200+ high frequency words;
 reading simple texts using a variety of strategies including decoding phonically regular words, using grammar and context to help to decode unfamiliar words;
 forming all letters correctly and using largely joined up writing;
 writing longer texts independently, although using phonic spellings for more complex words.
Ongoing work:
Framework Learning Outcomes Suggested Teaching Activities Other Resources

Codes
Ongoing work in Phonics, Spelling and Vocabulary

3PSV1 To spell common, Throughout the year, follow a spelling programme that will enable the children to Visit the website:
3PSV7 phonically regular spell most of the words they need to use confidently and accurately. They should be http://national
3PSV8 words correctly. spelling high frequency words and words which are phonically regular. strategies.standards.dcsf.
gov.uk/node473342
to download the
spelling section of
Developing Early
Writing.

Codes
3PSV1 To use effective Have regular 5 minute sessions, including at the beginning and end of literacy
3PSV8 strategies to tackle lessons, where a tricky word is written on the board and ask children what they can
3PSV9 unfamiliar words in say about it. Encourage observations which include reference to:
reading.  any recognised long or short vowel phonemes and the possible pronunciations
(ask children to make links to other words when they explain the possible
pronunciations e.g. ea could be ‘ee’ as in ‘bead or ‘e’ as in bread.);
 any recognised syllables and possible pronunciations (with analogous words);
 prefixes or suffixes that are recognised;
 possible pronunciations of the word.
To use dictionaries to When children have given all the information they can from looking at the word, write
confirm the meaning the word in a sentence and ask children to read it in the context of a sentence. What
and pronunciation of new information can they give about the word now? Can they:
unknown words.  decide which of the earlier possible pronunciations is correct and explain why?
 try to give a definition for the word?
 suggest other words which could take the place of the tricky word in the
sentence and explain their reasoning?
 list other related words?
Look the word up in a dictionary.

Teach children how to read and use the pronunciation guide.
Check the children’s definitions against that in the dictionary.

Codes
3PSV1 Using a variety of Whilst rereading a text, cover up a potentially tricky word. Ask children what A book and removable
3PSV4 strategies to tackle strategies they know of which could help them to identify the word. Encourage sticky labels.
unfamiliar words. reference to:
 using pictures cues;
 using the sense and syntax of the sentence (rereading the whole sentence,
without the missing word and trying to predict the word class, then the likely
word).
Uncover the first letter of the tricky word. Discuss whether or not that is helpful in
predicting the word;
Continue to uncover the word, bit by bit (focusing on common letter patterns (e.g.
ough, ai, sp) or syllables, depending on the reading skills of the class).
Discuss which strategies were most productive, or whether all the strategies are
helpful working together.
3PSV1 To check that spelling As they redraft their text, children should identify their own spelling errors and correct
3PSV10 remains consistent them, perhaps keeping a spelling log to record errors to learn and secure their
when children are spellings later.
writing.

Codes
Ongoing work in Grammar and Punctuation

3GPr1 To be aware of all Whilst rereading a book, talk about the function of the punctuation being to split the Display board on which to
3GPr2 punctuation when text into ‘units of meaning’ (the word ‘clause’ will be introduced at Stage 4). Point out write sentences for the
3GPw2 reading; to take note of the difference between full stops, question marks and commas and discuss the class to read and discuss.
how it is used. difference can be shown when reading.
Introduce the apostrophe as used to mark omission of letters in words such as can’t,
don’t, didn’t, I’m, we’ll, you’re etc. Explain the function of the apostrophe in these
words.
3GPr3 To introduce the Introduce the word classes to the children by making sets of words. Display board on which to
3GPr6 metalanguage: ‘verb’, NB always use the words in sentences when putting them into classes because most write sentences for the
‘noun’, ‘adjective’ and words can belong in different word classes in different contexts. class to read and discuss.
‘plural’.
Choose sentences from the stories. Write them on a display board and explore them
in different ways, e.g.
 ask children to identify the different word classes;
 cover/ omit a word. Can children predict the word class of the missing word?
Ask them to explain how;
 ask children to replace words, e.g. one of the nouns with a different noun.
Discuss how the sentence changes. Explore with changing verbs and
adjectives. How does the meaning of the sentence change each time?
 play with transposing ideas into singular / plural. Explore what changes in the
sentence. Discuss how pluralisation is marked and which words are affected.

Codes
3Rf11 To look at the Reread books which include dialogue.

3GPw2 punctuation of
dialogue and to Draw children’s attention to the different ways of punctuating dialogue. At the very
consider its function. least, make sure that they understand that the words between the speech marks are
the words the character actually speaks.
Discuss why authors choose to include dialogue in their stories. Encourage reasons
such as:
 for realism;
 to show us what characters think;
 to tell us about how different characters react to each other;
 to give information.
3GPw2 To be aware that Copy a brief passage containing dialogue onto a display board, but don’t include
3GPw4 dialogue is usually in dialogue punctuation.
the present tense. Ask children to identify the words that should be enclosed in speech marks. Discuss
how they know.
Punctuate the passage properly and then consider features of the dialogue including
the tense.
Discuss why dialogue is usually in the present tense, whereas narrative is usually in
the past tense.

Codes
Ongoing work in handwriting

3Wp1 For the children to Throughout the unit, follow a handwriting programme that will enable children to
3Wp2 develop a fast and develop a fast, fluent and legible handwriting style.
3Wp3 fluent handwriting Poor handwriting can affect children’s self esteem and willingness to write.
style. Focus on a multi-sensory approach which enables children to develop their spelling
and handwriting in tandem.
3Wp1 Assessing the Children’s handwriting needs to be fast, fluent and legible. Take time during the unit,
3Wp2 children’s handwriting as necessary, to teach good handwriting and insist that the children apply what they
3Wp3 when writing. have been taught.
Key features of handwriting at this stage are:
 consistency in size and proportion of the letters;
 consistent spacing between letters and between words;
 good formation and some evidence of joining.
Ongoing work in writing

3Wp4 For children to develop When children redraft and improve their work, give them opportunities to choose
presentation skills in different ways of presenting it, including ICT.
writing. If they are using a word processing programme, show them how to use spelling and
grammar checks, as well as how to alter the font, the spacing between the lines of
text etc.

Unit 1A: Stories with familiar settings

Reading, analysing then planning and writing a story in a familiar setting

Children should be should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in Stages 1 and 2, in particular:
Context
This is the first of nine units for Stage 3. You should expect to cover three units each term (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays). Time suggested for this unit is 4
weeks.
Texts needed
 Three or four short stories / picture books which will entertain the children and bear re-reading. At least one of the books should include dialogue. All of the
stories need to be set in contemporary / familiar settings and they all need to be in a format which you can share with the class of children. Large print and
picture books are ideal, as are electronic texts.
 A class novel, which is a chapter book that you can read gradually throughout the unit. You should expect to read it aloud to the children, either with the
children simply listening, or with them following in their own copies.
 A range of books that the children can read with increasing independence.
Outline
Children will read and discuss a variety of stories, first enjoying the texts as readers, then reading as writers and analysing features of the text and finally planning
and writing a story based on one of the texts you have read and analysed.

Framework Learning Objective Activities Resources
Codes
3PSV1 To increase the range of prefixes Revise the prefixes un and dis and introduce de, re, pre.
3PSV6 the children recognise. Ask children to use the dictionary to find words beginning with the
prefixes, note the meanings and try to discover what the prefixes might
signify:
 what kind of words are the prefixes used before?
 what does the addition of a prefix do to the root word?
 are there always root words? (No. We have the word repeat, but
not peat).
 how can you tell if a word begins with a prefix or not? (In general,
prefixes are unstressed and in a separate syllable. So the re in
read is not a prefix, whereas the re in repeat is).
3Rf5 To read, enjoy and discuss a Read each book aloud to, and with, the children. Short stories and
3Rf9 story, identifying main character, Ask children for their opinions of the book. picture books.
setting, plot and theme.  what did they like and dislike?
 what effect did the story have on them? What is their personal
response?
 did they make ‘pictures in their minds’ as they read and listened to
the story? What kind of pictures were they?
 were there any particular words, phrases or images that they
found particularly effective?
 were there any particularly interesting or surprising moments in
the story that the children responded to?
Discuss main character, setting, plot and theme. Check that children are
familiar with the vocabulary. Ask them to explain the reasons for their
responses.
Always encourage children to find evidence in the text to support their
responses.

Codes
3Rf4 To begin to infer meaning. Reread a page of a familiar story.

Ask children questions about the events on the page. Begin with ‘who’,
‘when’ and ‘where’ questions and ask children to find the words and
phrases in the story which they use for their answers.
Move on to ‘Why do you think…?’, ‘How do you think/ know…?’, ‘What
might have happened if…’ questions. Again, ask children to find evidence
in the text to support their answers.
Discuss how authors can give readers information without telling them
directly. Discuss the difference for a reader between being told what a
character or place is like and being ‘shown’ what it is like.
3Rf4 To use information from Summarise what is known about one of the characters in a book, including
3Wf3 reading to write a character information that has been deduced. Discuss how a short description of the
study. character could be presented, without simply writing a list of
characteristics.
Explore ideas such as: writing a ‘wanted’ poster; writing the school report
of the character; drawing and labelling a picture; compiling the character’s
shopping list or a list of what you would expect to find in the character’s
bedroom/ dustbin etc.
Use all the information to write a paragraph for a story introducing the
character. Remind children to explain what the character does and feels
as well as what they look like.
3PSV11 To recognise the impact of a Select part of a story in which the writer has chosen to use some powerful
3PSV13 good choice of words in a text verbs and precise nouns. Discuss reasons for choosing powerful verbs.
3Rf7 Cover up the powerful verbs. Ask children to suggest other verbs which
3SL8 the author could have used instead. Discuss the impact on the meaning of
the sentence.
To explore alternative verbs, Focus on verbs connected with dialogue in the story. Explore what would
particularly with dialogue. happen if the ‘he said’ phrases were replaced by thundered, whispered,
suggested, roared etc. How would that impact on the reader’s
understanding of the text?

Codes
3Rf11 To use observations in reading Revisit part of one of the familiar stories where two characters are having
3Wf8 as the model for writing dialogue. a conversation.
Speculate as to how the conversation might continue. Encourage pairs of
children to role play possible dialogues.
Ask children to record part of the dialogue they improvised.
Children should check their punctuation against the punctuation in a book.
They should see if they can strengthen any of the verbs or adjectives in
their writing.
3PSV11 To recognise the importance of Write a sentence which is in some way related to one of the texts, e.g. The Display board for writing.
3PSV14 accurate vocabulary choice. big cat got down from the tree. Ask children to change or add an adjective/
3Rf7 noun/ verb, each time with the aim of making the sentence give more
information, e.g. the man-eating tiger lunged from the decaying branch;
the pampered pussy cat stretched down from the old apple tree. Explore
how the meaning changes and discuss the impact on the reader.
To develop lists of synonyms for Give children time to make their own lists of synonyms for words they use
common words. frequently in their writing, particularly verbs of motion, verbs of saying and
adjectives to describe size and approval/ disapproval.
3Rf1 To understand why writers use Choose one of the stories that has been read with the children. Reread a
paragraphs. few pages which have clear paragraphs – try to avoid pages with a lot of
dialogue at this point.
At the beginning of each new paragraph, ask the children to try to explain
why the author chose to begin a new paragraph at that point.
The most common reasons for new paragraphs are:
 change of time or place;
 change of character focus;
 change of action;
 new speaker in dialogue.
Talk about how helpful it is to the reader to have these significant story
changes marked by the visual impact of a paragraph.

Codes
3Rf1 To recognise that progression in Revisit one of the familiar stories.

3Wf1 paragraphs can be linked to the Using a preferred planning style, help the children to record the plan for
3Wf2 story structure. the story you have read (try to stick to no more than five plot development
3Wf5 stages: introduction, problem/ build up, climax/ conflict, resolution and
conclusion).
Revisit the text and point out that the beginning of each of these stages
usually coincides with a new paragraph.
Discuss the reasons for this.
Together, draw a plan for a new story (a sequel/ prequel to one you have
read? A story about one of the characters from the book? An alternative
version of the same story?).
3Wf2 To write a short description of a Remind the children of a place they have all been to (or take them to such Photographs of place
setting using as many senses as a place) that they could use as the setting for a ‘story with a familiar that all of the children
possible. setting’. have visited are useful
Ask the children to visualise the place and then quickly jot down: but not essential.
 four things they see there;
 three things they hear there;
 two things they can touch there;
 one thing they can smell.
Re-read information about the setting from one of the books you have
been reading.
Can the children write their own paragraph, describing the place they
chose and incorporating the details they have noted, based on the style of
the book?

Codes
3Wf5 To plan and write a story using Give children the opportunity to draw up a plan for a story,
3Wf6 paragraphs and containing dialogue. which should be related to one of the stories you have been
3SL2 studying.
3SL7 Children should have the opportunity to tell the story to each
3SL8 other, checking that their planned story makes sense.
To tell the story before writing it, using Revisit the main points of the unit including:
tone of voice appropriately.  how readers can infer information as well as being told
it directly;
 study of character and dialogue;
 the importance of the choice of words;
 the use of the senses when describing a setting;
 the use of paragraphs to signal a change of times,
place, character or action.
Give children time to write the story they have planned. Make
your success criteria clear before they begin writing, e.g. “Write
a story with paragraphs....etc. Use some dialogue and
remember to choose interesting and powerful words.”
3PSV1 To reread and improve their own After children have finished their first draft, ask them to do the
3PSV10 writing. ‘writer’s mumble’ i.e. read the story aloud four times to check:
3GPw1  does the story make sense? Is the theme clear? How
can it be improved?
 is the information you have given your reader the
information they need?
 would a better choice of vocabulary improve it?
 are the paragraphs and sentences well constructed?
Do they help the reader?
 is punctuation and spelling as accurate as it can be?
How can it be improved?

Unit 1B: Instructions

Reading, analysing then planning and writing instruction texts

Children should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in Stages 1 and 2, in particular:
 recognising that different text types and genres have different features;
Context
This is the second of nine units for Stage 3. You should expect to cover three units each term (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays). Time suggested for this unit is
4 weeks.
Texts needed
 A range of instructional texts including:
 large print and picture books and poster texts;
 simple recipe books;
 books related to other subjects which include instructions, e.g. the Balloon cards section of the Classroom Activities for the Cambridge International
Primary Programme;
 ‘How to do…’ books.
 A range of books – including instructional texts that the children can read with increasing independence.
Outline
Children will read, discuss and follow a variety of instruction texts, first, experiencing the texts as readers, then reading as writers and analysing features of the text
and finally planning and writing instructional texts based on one of the texts you have read and analysed.

Code
Phonics Spelling and Vocabulary work for Stage 3 Term 1

3PSV1 To increase the range of Revise the prefixes un and dis and introduce de, re, pre.
3PSV6 prefixes the children
recognise. Ask children to use the dictionary to find words beginning with the prefixes, note
the meanings and try to discover what the prefixes might signify.
 are there always root words? (No. We have the word repeat, but not peat)
 how can you tell if a word begins with a prefix or not? (In general, prefixes
are unstressed and in a separate syllable. So the re in read is not a prefix,
whereas the re in repeat is).

Code
3Rf6 To identify a text as fiction Show the children one of the shared texts. Give them a minute or so to look at it Variety of instruction
3Rf8 or non-fiction. and then to consider questions like: texts, which may include
3Rn1  is this fiction or non-fiction? How do you know? Balloon Cards.
3Rn6  what is the purpose of the text? When would you read a text like this?
3Rn2 To recognise key features  what is the text type?
3Rn4 of instructional texts.  which features of the text type can you identify?
3Rn5
3SL1 (answers for Balloon Cards would include:
3SL3 To find information * clear aim at the top;
3SL4 efficiently in a book and on * a list of what you will need;
a page. * written instructions supported by diagrams;
* instructions are numbered and sequential;
* the language of instructions is directed straight at the reader and
To evaluate different ways includes command (imperative) verbs.
of giving information.
Once features of instructional texts have been identified, give different children
access to different kinds of instructional text in books and on sheets. Ask them to:
To discuss their  list similarities and differences between the different kinds of instructions;
evaluations, listening to  be ready to explain how they found particular instructions in a book;
others’ opinions and taking  consider how easy it would be to find your way around the instructions;
turns in speaking.  collect different ways of presenting instructions and evaluate them;
 agree features for the ‘perfect’ instructional text.
Give the children opportunities to discuss their findings and evaluations in groups.
Assess the extent to which they are able to participate in group discussions, both
in terms of the content and timing of their contributions and their respect for
others’ ideas.

Code
3GPr4 To recognise the Focus on one of the instructions in a text e.g. Draw and colour your picture. Ask
3GPr5 importance of verbs – in the children to find the verbs in the sentence. What can they tell you about these verb
3GPw4 correct person and tense – forms?
in an instruction.  they are in the present tense.
 they are imperative / command verbs which tell someone to do
something.
 they are addressed directly at the reader of the text i.e. they are 2 nd person
verb forms.
In an instructional text, the importance of the verb is very clear. Make sure the
children understand that changing the verbs in an instructional text will change the
entire outcome of the activity. (Try changing the verbs above to cut up and throw
away and discuss how the outcome would be very different!)

Code
3Rn3 To listen to instructions and Model giving the children oral instructions to do something simple. Include
3SL5 to follow them. language of sequencing in your instructions, e.g. First get your books, then open
than at page 17. After that, get a clean piece of paper and finally, write the date on
the paper. Some children will not be able to retain a list of four instructions like
this, others will find it too easy; amend your instructions to suit the children.
To give oral instructions. Write your instructions and together explore how they could have been improved
or clarified e.g.
 would the children have found it easier if they were written instructions?
 would they have liked diagrams?
 would they prefer to have been given numbers rather than sequencing
words?
Let children work in pairs or small groups to plan and then give instructions orally
to another pair or small group. The instructions should be simple and might be:
 to make or draw a simple model/ picture / pattern;
 to make/do something connected to another cross-curricular subject e.g. a
thumb pot made of clay; a simple experiment in science; a PE activity, etc.

Code
3Wn2 To plan and write a simple Give children the opportunity to write a simple instructional text. This can relate to
instruction text. a text you have studied together, an activity you have done together as a class,
the oral instructions the children planned or a different idea. The success criteria
should include:
 all the features of the ‘perfect’ instructional text you identified in earlier work,
including:
o a clear aim;
o a ‘you will need’ list (with illustrations?);
o a clearly sequenced set of instructions to achieve the goal (with
illustrations/diagrams?);
o command verbs at the beginning of instructions, unless there is a
sequencing word.
Depending on the stage of the children, the writing activity could include:
 sequencing instructions together with a cloze procedure approach;
 sequencing pictures then adding instructions;
 adding missing instructions to a partially written set;
 writing a complete set of instructions.
3PSV1 To reread and improve their After children have finished their first draft, ask them to do the ‘writer’s mumble’
3PSV10 own handwriting. i.e. read the story aloud four times to check:
 are the instructions clear? How can they be improved?
 is the information you have given your reader the information they need?
 are the sentences well constructed? Do they help the reader?
 is punctuation and spelling as accurate as it can be? How can it be
improved?

Unit 1C: Poems based on observation and the senses/ Playscript

Reading, analysing then writing poems based on observation and the senses. Reading, analysing and writing a playscript.

Children should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in Stages 1 and 2, in particular:
 knowing some language to discuss poems e.g. rhyme, rhythm, alliteration;
 writing poems using existing poems as models and changing rhyming words etc.
Context
This is the third of nine units for Stage 3. You should expect to cover three units each term (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays).
Time suggested for this unit is 2 – 3 weeks.
Texts needed
 A range of poetry books and poems based on observation and the senses. Large print and picture books and poster poems are ideal, as are electronic texts.
 A playscript, ideally linked to a book you have also read.
Outline
Children will read and discuss a variety of texts, first, enjoying them as readers, then reading as writers and analysing features of the text and finally planning and
writing a text based on one of the texts you have read and analysed.

Code

3PSV1 To increase the range of Revise the prefixes un and dis and introduce de, re, pre.
prefixes the children
recognise. Ask children to use the dictionary to find words beginning with the prefixes, note
 are there always root words? (No. We have the word repeat, but not peat)
 how can you tell if a word begins with a prefix or not? (In general, prefixes
are unstressed and in a separate syllable. So the re in read is not a prefix,
whereas the re in repeat is).

Code
3Rf2 To read, enjoy and discuss Let children browse through collections of poems and choose those that they Poems.
3Rf12 poems based on particularly enjoy which are based on the senses or observation.
observation and the senses, Possibly ask children to make copies of the poems to add to a class anthology.
identifying features. Work in groups with the children and each poem discuss:
 likes and dislikes – did you like/ dislike the poem? Why? Were there
certain words or phrases that you liked/ disliked?
 effects – what effect does the poem have on you, the reader?
 pictures – does the poem paint a picture in your mind? How?
 patterns – look for patterns of rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, lines, verse
structure
 words – which words and phrases were particularly effective? Why?
 interesting things – what else would you like to say about the poem?
For individual poems, you can ask questions and have discussions about different
topics, but this list includes many of the issues it is interesting to discuss with
poetry.
Bring some of the poems discussed by groups back to the whole class for a wider
ranging discussion and to model good discussion for groups where they didn’t
happen.

Code
3Rf11 To read playscripts and Introduce the conventions of playscripts to the children including:
3SL1 understand their basic  the layout - with the characters’ names in a row on the left and the
3SL6 conventions. dialogue indented;
 the punctuation – there are no speech marks although there is a lot of
dialogue;
 discuss why speech marks are unnecessary;
 the presentation and use of stage directions. How are settings introduced
in the play?
 the use of stage directions.
Let groups of children enjoy reading (and performing?) playscripts.
3Rf7 To recognise the impact of In poems, the choice of words is particularly important because poems are so
3PSV11 a good choice of words in a compact that each word has to be worthwhile and meaningful.
3PSV12 poem. As you look at a poem, focus on the poet’s choice of words:
 why did the poet choose this word? Is it for rhyme? Rhythm? Effect?
 try to find words the poet could have used instead. Are they more or les
effective? Did they meet the criteria for the word that the poet used?
Introduce children to simple thesauruses and rhyming dictionaries. Teach them
how to use these resources when they are thinking about substituting words in a
poem.
Look at the overall impact of the poem with the substituted words. Recognise that
a poem is more than a rhyme and rhythm.

Code
3Wf9 To plan and write a poem. Give children the opportunity to draw up a plan for a poem based on observation
3Wf10 and the senses. Their poem could be:
 a rewrite of another poem, replacing pairs of rhyming words and
particular verbs or nouns;
 writing a new verse for the poem;
 writing a new version of the poem;
 writing a new poem, which is based on a model.
Encourage children to work with response partners as they write their poem.
The role of the response partner is offer help and advice on word choice etc as
well as to listen to each version of the poem and to state explicitly one or two
things which are good and something that could be improved.
3Wf4 To write a simple playscript. Once children have read playscripts, encourage them to attempt to write one.
Their playscript could be:
 based on dialogue from a book or play you have read together;
 the continuation of a scene from a book or play;
 an alternative version of the events in a book or play;
 a new playscript based on a familiar story.
Before the children begin to write, remind them of the conventions of a playscript.
Ideally, they should have one in front of them as they write to remind them.

Code
3PSV1 After children have finished their first draft, ask them to do the ‘writer’s mumble’
3PSV10 i.e. read the text aloud four times to check:
 does the poem/ playscript make sense? Is the theme clear? How can it be
improved?
Would a better choice of vocabulary improve it?
 are the sentences/verses and lines well constructed? Do they help the
reader?
improved?

Unit 2A: Myths, legends and fables

Reading, analysing then planning and writing myths, legends and fables

Children should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in previous Stages and in Stage 3 Term 1, including:
 reading age appropriate texts, using a variety of strategies to decode unfamiliar words;
 forming all letters correctly and use largely joined up writing;
 understanding and using the metalanguage character, setting, plot and theme;
 using good sentence punctuation, including some functions of commas;
 writing longer texts independently, only using phonic spellings for more complex words.
Context
This is the fourth of nine units for Stage 3. You should expect to cover three units each term (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays). Time suggested for this unit is
4 weeks.
Texts needed
 Three or four short stories / picture books which will entertain the children and bear re-reading. At least one of the books should include dialogue. All of the
stories should be myths, legends or fables and at least one should come from the part of the world you are working in. The stories need to be in a format
which you can share with the class of children. Large print and picture books are ideal, as are electronic texts.
Outline
Children will read and discuss a variety of stories, first enjoying the texts as readers, then reading as writers and analysing features of the text and finally planning

Code

3PSV1 To recognise a wider range Introduce the suffixes –ly, -ful and –less.
3PSV4 of suffixes. Ask children to investigate the kinds of words that each of these suffixes can be
3PSV6 attached to and consider what happens to the word when a suffix is added. (Most
often, the addition of a suffix causes the word to change word class e.g. help =
noun; helpful = adjective.)
3PSV2 To recognise different ways Show children how compound words are made from two combined words e.g.
of making words, including everyone, somehow, anything, nowhere.
compound words. Talk about the importance of recognising these words as a strategy for reading – if
children are aware of compound words, they are less likely to get stuck trying to
decode the odd combinations of consonants that occur where the words join.

Code
3PSV1 To spell common phonically Begin to explicitly teach independent spelling strategies for example: Visit the website:
3PSV8 regular words correctly.  using visual strings like letter patterns; http://national
 using analogy to work out the likely spelling; strategies.standards.dcsf
 trying out different possible spellings before checking to see which ‘looks .gov.uk/node473342
right’. to download the
spelling section of
Developing Early
Writing.

Code
3Rf9 To read, enjoy and discuss Read each story aloud to, and with, the children. Short stories and picture
a story. Ask children for their opinions of the book e.g. books.
 what did they like and dislike?
 what effect did the story have on them? What is their personal response?
 did they make ‘pictures in their minds’ as they read and listened to the
story? What kind of pictures were they?
 were there any particular words, phrases or images that they found
particularly effective?
 were there any particularly interesting or surprising moments in the story
that the children responded to?
Discuss main character, setting, plot and theme. Check that children are familiar
with the vocabulary. Ask them to explain the reasons for their responses.
Always encourage children to find evidence in the text to support their responses.
3Rf9 To recognise features of Reread the story and discuss the story features. Draw attention to:
3Rf5 myths, legends and  the opening words Once upon a time…;
traditional tales.  the fact that the characters in the story are ‘standard’ characters. We don’t
need to know very much about them and how they feel; we only need to
know those characteristics which are crucial to the plot;
 the use of a ‘standard’ setting. Again, we know very little about the setting.
The reteller doesn’t give us more information than we need;
 the rule of three: in traditional tales, things often happen in threes. Can
the children identify the three events in this story?
 the theme. Traditional tales often have themes. What do children think the
theme of this story is?
 the use of magic. This is an important element in many traditional tales.

Code
3Rf4 To begin to infer meanings. Reread a page of a familiar story. Familiar text.
3Rf3 Ask children questions about the events on the page. Begin with ‘who’, ‘when’ and
‘where’ questions and ask children to find the words and phrases in the story
which they use for their answers.
Move on to ‘Why do you think…?’, ‘How do you think/ know…?’, ‘What might have
happened if…’ questions. Again, ask children to find evidence in the text to
support their answers.
Discuss how authors can give readers information without telling them directly.
Discuss the difference for a reader between being told what a character or place
is like and being ‘shown’ what it is like.
Link this discussion to the use of ‘standard’ characters and settings in myths,
legends and traditional tales. It is particularly important in these stories that the
reader brings prior knowledge and inference to bear on the characters and
settings.
3Rf4 To use information from Summarise what is known about one of the characters in a book, including
3Wf3 reading to write a character information that has been deduced. Discuss how a short description of the
study. character could be presented without simply writing a list of characteristics.
Explore ideas such as: writing a ‘wanted’ poster; writing the school report of the
character; drawing and labelling a picture; compiling the character’s shopping list
or a list of what you would expect to find in the character’s bedroom/ dustbin etc.
Ask the children to use ideas and information from the text to write the character
study.

Code
3Rf7 To recognise the impact of Select part of a story in which the writer has chosen to use some powerful verbs Familiar text, removable
3PSV3 a good choice of words in a and precise nouns. stickers.
3PSV11 text. Discuss reasons for choosing powerful verbs.
3PSV13 Cover up the powerful verbs. Ask children to suggest other verbs which the author
could have used instead. Discuss the impact on the meaning of the sentence.
To explore alternative Focus on verbs connected with dialogue in the story. Explore what would happen
verbs, particularly with if the ‘he said’ phrases were replaced by thundered, whispered, suggested, roared
dialogue. etc. How would that impact on the reader’s understanding of the text?
3PSV11 To recognise the Write a sentence which is in some way related to one of your texts. Ask children Display board for writing.
3PSV14 importance of accurate to change or add an adjective/ noun/ verb, each time with the aim of making the
3Rf7 vocabulary choice. sentence give more information e.g. the rich landlord captured the poor boy.
Explore how the meaning changes and discuss the impact on the reader.
Give children time to make their own lists of synonyms for words they use
To develop lists of frequently in their writing, particularly verbs of motion, verbs of saying and
synonyms for common adjectives to describe size and approval/ disapproval.
words.

Code
3Rf5 To understand how themes Once the themes of a story have been established, look through it again and try to
are used in traditional tales. find how the theme is developed in the story. If the theme is ‘kindness is more
important than riches’ encourage observations like:
 the main character is poor; the people who try to force him to work are
rich;
 the main character uses his work to help people; the rich men just want to
help themselves;
 the very first thing we know about the main charcter is how poor he is and
how hard he works. Since this is a traditional tale, we know immediately
that his poverty and hard work are going to be themes. As the only thing
we really know about the rich men is that they are rich, we know that this
is a feature about them which is important in the story.
3Rf1 To recognise that Revisit one of the familiar stories. Using a preferred planning style, help the
3Wf1 progression in paragraphs children to record the plan for the story that has been read (try to stick to no more
3Wf5 can be linked to the story than five plot development stages: introduction, problem/build up, climax/conflict,
structure. resolution and conclusion). Revisit the text and point out that the beginning of
each of these stages usually coincides with a new paragraph. Discuss the
reasons for this.
Together, draw a plan for a new story (a sequel/ prequel to one that has been
read? A story about one of the characters from the book? An alternative version of
the same story?)

Code
3Wf5 To plan and write a story Give children the opportunity to draw up a plan for a traditional tale. It could be:
3Wf6 using paragraphs and  a retelling of one that has already been read;
3Wf8 containing dialogue.  a new story based on one that has already been read e.g. having the
3SL2 same theme or characters;
 a modern version of the existing story.
To tell the story before Children should have the opportunity to tell the story to each other, checking that
writing it, using tone of voice their planned story makes sense.
appropriately. Revisit the main points of the unit including:
 how readers can infer information as well as being told it directly;
 study of themes in the stories and how they are created;
 the importance of the choice of words;
 the use of paragraphs to signal a change of times, place, character or
action.
Give children time to write the story they have planned. Make the success criteria
clear before they begin writing, e.g. “Write a story with paragraphs. Use some
dialogue and remember to choose interesting and powerful words.”
3PSV10 own writing. i.e. read the story aloud four times to check:
 does the story make sense? Is the theme clear? How can it be improved?
 are the paragraphs and sentences well constructed? Do they help the
reader?
improved?

Unit 2B: Letters

Reading, analysing then planning and writing letters for a variety of purposes

Children should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in previous Stage and in Stage 3 term 1 including:
 reading age appropriate texts, using a variety of strategies to decode unfamiliar words;
 knowing that different text types and genres have different features;
 using good sentence punctuation, including some functions of commas;
 writing longer texts independently, only using phonic spellings for more complex words.
Context
This is the fifth of nine units for Stage 3. You should expect to cover three units each term (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays). Time suggested for this unit is 4
weeks.
Texts needed
 Letters, postcards and e-mails written for different purposes (e.g. from relations, friends, and penpals, thank you letters, invitations, apologies, sympathy,
complaint, introduction asking questions, giving advice, letters from newspapers and magazines. These can be brought in by the children, invented by you or
published in big books and collections. Large print and picture books are ideal, as are electronic texts.
Outline
Children will read and discuss a variety of stories, firstly, enjoying the texts as readers, then retelling the stories orally and then in writing.

Code

noun; helpful = adjective).
compound words.
Talk about the importance of recognising these words as a strategy for reading – if
3PSV1 To spell common, Begin to explicitly teach independent spelling strategies for example: Visit the website:
3PSV8 phonically regular words,  using visual strings like letter patterns; http://national
correctly.  using analogy to work out the likely spelling; strategies.standards.dcsf
spelling section of
Developing Early
Writing.

Code
3Rf6 To read, enjoy and discuss Discuss letter writing. Ask the children:
3Rf8 a variety of letters.  if they ever write letters. If so, to whom and why?
3Rn1  if they write e-mails? If so, to whom and why?
3Rn6  if they ever receive letters. How do they feel when they do?
 if their parents write/ receive letters or e-mails?
 whether they think their parents letters and e-mails are about the same
kind of things as their own letters and e-mails are?
To think about features of Share some of the letters and postcards that have been collected. Model
letters and how to skim a skimming a letter to work out:
letter for its gist.  who the letter is from;
 the purpose of the letter;
 what the writer wants the reader to do/ feel/ know.
Together, evaluate whether the letter achieves its purpose.

Give the children a variety of letters written for different purposes. Ask them to
skim read the letters to find basic information, then to read the letters more closely
to discover whether or not their initial skim read was effective and accurate.
Let children share the letters and their evaluations of them.
Discuss whether letters are fact or fiction.

Code
3Rf4 To recognise features of Reread one of the letters together and discuss features and layout, including:
3SL3 letters and know that we  the salutation – is there one? What does it tell us about the relationship
3SL4 can use some of them to between the reader and the writer?
infer information about the  the placement of address(es) and date;
sender and receiver.  the layout of the letters;
 the way that the letter is finished;
 the way that the writer writes/ signs his or her name.
Ask children to revisit a number of letters and compare the list of features looked
at together with features on the letters they are looking at. Ask children to draw up
tables to show how different kinds of salutations match with the different kinds of
letter endings.
Highlight the fact that you can use inference to work out a lot of information about
the relationship between a writer and receiver of letters by looking at these
features.
3PSV11 To recognise the Write a sentence which is in some way related to one of your texts e.g. I got wet. Display board for writing.
3PSV14 importance of accurate Ask children to change or add an adjective/ noun/ verb, each time with the aim of
3Rf7 vocabulary choice. making the sentence give more information e.g. I was drenched in the sudden
downpour. Explore how the meaning changes and discuss the impact on the
reader.
To develop lists of Give children time to make their own lists of synonyms for words they use
synonyms for common frequently in their writing, particularly verbs of motion and adjectives to describe
words. size and approval/ disapproval.

Code
3Rf1 To understand why writers Choose one of the letters that has been read with the children which has a
3SL3 use paragraphs. number of paragraphs. Reread the letter
3SL4 At the beginning of each new paragraph, ask the children to try to explain why the
writer chose to begin a new paragraph at that point.
The most common reasons for new paragraphs in stories are:

 change of time or place;
 change of character focus;
 change of action;
 new speaker in dialogue.
What do the children think are the most common reasons for a new paragraph in
letters?
 any of the above?
 change of theme or subject?
 developing an idea?
Discuss whether using paragraphs to organise ideas is helpful in letters. Point out
the use of paragraphs when beginning and ending a letter.

Code
3Wn3 To plan and write a letter Read a letter to the children and together work out how they might reply to the
using paragraphs. letter.
Use a shared writing session to develop a reply, focusing on:
 using the features of letters you have previously identified;
 using paragraphs;
 replying to ideas and information in the original letter.
Write another letter (which could be the third in the chain or a new letter) and ask
children to write a reply.
Generate / share the success criteria. Their letter should:
 use the features of letters you have previously identified;
 have paragraphs;
 reply to ideas and information in the original letter.
3PSV2 own writing. i.e. read the letter aloud four times to check:
3PSV10  does the letter make sense? Is the theme clear? How can it be improved?
3GPw1  is the information you have given your reader the information they need?
3GPw3 Would a better choice of vocabulary improve it?
3GPw6  are the paragraphs and sentences well constructed? Do they help the
reader?
improved?

Unit 2C: Poems from different cultures

Reading poems from different cultures then analysing, planning and writing a poem

Children should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in previous Stages and in Stage 3 term 1, including:
 knowing some language to discuss poems, e.g. rhyme, rhythm, alliteration;
Context
This is the sixth of nine units for Stage 3. You should expect to cover three units each term (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays). Time suggested for this unit is 2
weeks.
Texts needed
 A range of poetry books and poems from around the world and different cultures. Large print and picture books and poster poems are ideal, as are electronic
texts. Try to include poems from the place where you live, as well as poems from countries from where you have read stories.
Outline
Children will read and discuss a variety of poems, first, enjoying the texts as readers, then reading as writers and analysing features of the text and finally planning

Code

noun; helpful = adjective).
compound words.
Talk about the importance of recognising these words as a strategy for reading – if
3PSV1 To spell common, Begin to explicitly teach independent spelling strategies for example: Visit the website:
3PSV8 phonically regular words,  using visual strings like letter patterns; http://national
correctly.  using analogy to work out the likely spelling; strategies.standards.dcsf
spelling section of
Developing Early
Writing.

Code
3Rf2 To read, enjoy and discuss Let children browse through collections of poems from different cultures and
3Rf12 poems. choose those that they particularly enjoy. Possibly ask children to make copies
3PSV12 of the poems to add to a class anthology.
3SL3
3SL4 Work in groups with the children and discuss each poem:
 likes and dislikes – did you like/ dislike the poem? Why? Were there
certain words or phrases that you liked/ disliked?
structure
For individual poems, you can ask questions and have discussions about
different topics, but this list includes many of the issues it is interesting to
discuss with poetry.
Bring some of the poems discussed by groups back to the whole class for a
wider ranging discussion and to model good discussion for groups where they
didn’t happen.

Code
3Rf2 To consider how poems Children will have read stories from different cultures. Ask them how poems from
3Rf12 differ from stories. the cultures are different. Consider:
 how do we know which culture or country a poem comes from?
 what kind of information do we find out in poems that we don’t find out in
stories and non-fiction books?
 why do people choose to write poems when they could write stories
instead?
 what are the themes and ideas in the poems?
3PSV11 To recognise the Look at the words in the poems that have been read. Consider what made the
3PSV14 importance of accurate poet choose those particular words.
3Rf7 vocabulary choice.  how did they enrich the poem?
 how much did the choice of words contribute to the sense of the culture?
 could the poet have used different words?
To develop lists of Ask the children to use a thesaurus and rhyming dictionary to suggest other words
synonyms for common the poet could have used. How would they have changed the meaning of the
words. poem?

Code
3Wf9 To write poems, attending Give children the opportunity to draw up a plan for a poem based on one they
3SL6 to the sound of the words. have read.
Encourage them to research the country and culture they want to write about so
their choice of words is more specific. Their poem could be:
 a rewrite of another poem replacing words to change the culture;
 writing a new version of the poem, changing the culture;
 writing a new poem, which is based on a model.
Encourage children to work with response partners as they write their poem. The
role of the response partner is offer help and advice on word choice etc as well as
to listen to each version of the poem and to state explicitly one or two things which
are good and something that could be improved.

Unit 3A: Adventure and mystery stories

Reading, analysing then planning and writing adventure and mystery stories

Children should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in Stages 1 and 2 and in Stage 3 Terms 1 and 2, in particular:
Context
This is the seventh of nine units for Stage 3. You should expect to cover three units each term (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays). Time suggested for this unit
is 4 weeks.
Texts needed
 Three or four short adventure stories and mysteries which will entertain the children and bear re-reading. They all need to be in a format which you can share
with the class of children. Large print and picture books are ideal, as are electronic texts.
Outline

Code

3PSV1 To increase the range of Revise the prefixes un and dis, de, re, pre and introduce mis, non, anti, ex, co.
3PSV4 prefixes the children
3PSV6 recognise. Ask children to use the dictionary to find words beginning with the prefixes, note
 are there always root words? (No. We have the word repeat, but not peat.)
3PSV1 To spell common, Continue to explicitly teach independent spelling strategies for example: Visit the website:
3PSV8 phonically regular words,  using (electronic) word banks and dictionaries; http://national
correctly.  finding related words and working out clues from those. strategies.standards.dcsf
.gov.uk/node473342
to download the
spelling section of
Developing Early
Writing.

Code
3Rf5 To read, enjoy and discuss Read each book aloud to and with the children. Short stories and picture
3Rf9 a story, identifying main Ask children for their opinions of the book e.g. books.
character, setting, plot and  what did they like and dislike?
theme.  what effect did the story have on them? What is their personal response?
 did they make ‘pictures in their minds’ as they read and listened to the
story? What kind of pictures were they?
 were there any particular words, phrases or images that they found
particularly effective?
 were there any particularly interesting or surprising moments in the story
that the children responded to?
Discuss main character, setting, plot and theme. Check that children are familiar
with the vocabulary. Ask them to explain the reasons for their responses.
Always encourage children to find evidence in the text to support their responses.

Code
3Rf5 To recognise key features Whilst reading the stories, ask children to consider the differences between these
of adventure tales and stories and stories in familiar settings, so they can begin to understand the
mysteries. features of adventure and mystery stories which include:
 they must have an element of excitement;
 there is always a bad character or enemy;
 the story is built up in waves, increasing the tension and danger at each
point until towards the end of the story when there is resolution;
 the stories usually have a happy ending;
 children are usually heroes in children’s fiction;
 is it important that we know how characters are feeling;
 details in building up the settings are crucial;
 the story usually moves from a happy, safe place, to the adventure, then
back to the happy, safe place.
3GPr3 To develop awareness of Choose sentences from the stories. Write them on a display board, but without the Display board on which
3GPr5 the importance of verbs in verb each time. to write sentences for the
3GPw4 sentences.  can children say what is missing from each of the sentences? And class to read and
3GPr6 suggest a replacement? discuss.
 can they explain how they know?
To know the importance of  emphasise the fact that a sentence must have a verb – without a verb you
consistency of tenses. don’t have a sentence.
 what do children instinctively know about verb tenses in books? Show
them different books and ask them to say what tense they think the book
is written in (at the moment, don’t trick them by finding unusual examples).
Talk about the logic of the different tenses used in each text type.

Code
3GPr4 To identify the function of Reread a text, replacing all the pronouns with common nouns. Can the children
3GPw5 pronouns and ensure the identify what is odd about the reading?
grammatical agreement of Find paragraphs which begin with a pronoun. Can the children tell you to whom
pronouns and verbs in the pronoun refers? Ask them how they know?
Standard English.
Introduce the word ‘pronoun’, explaining that it takes the place of a noun phrase (a
noun and the words associated with it) in a sentence.
Show children sentences with nouns and noun phrases and ask children to show
you which word you could replace with a pronoun.
Discuss the importance of pronoun/ verb agreement in Standard English. If

necessary give children options between e.g. we was and we were, discussing
how they know which option to choose.
3Rf4 To use information from Summarise what you know about one of the characters in a book, including
3Wf3 reading to write a character information you have deduced. Ask children to draw and label the character, then
study. write about the character, guessing how they would react in different
circumstances.
3Rf7 To recognise the impact of Select part of a story in which the writer has chosen to use some powerful verbs Familiar text, peel-able
3PSV11 a good choice of words in a and precise nouns. Discuss reasons for choosing powerful verbs. stickers.
3PSV13 text.
Cover up the powerful verbs. Ask children to suggest other verbs which the author
could have used instead. Discuss the impact on the meaning of the sentence.
To explore alternative Focus on verbs connected with dialogue in the story. Explore what would happen
verbs, particularly with if the ‘he said’ phrases were replaced by thundered, whispered, suggested, roared
dialogue. etc. How would that impact on the reader’s understanding of the text?
Discuss the importance of details in settings in adventure and mystery stories e.g.
the creaking door; decaying cobwebs; broken window pane.

Code
3Wf8 To use observations in Revisit part of a familiar story where two characters are having a conversation.
reading as the model for Speculate as to how the conversation might continue. Encourage pairs of children
writing dialogue. to role play possible dialogues.
Ask children to record part of the dialogue they improvised.
Children should check their punctuation against the punctuation in a book. They
should see if they can strengthen any of the verbs of adjectives in their writing.
3Rf1 To understand why writers Read the beginning of a story together. Can children explain the reason for the
use paragraphs. change in all of the paragraphs?
3Wf1 To write a short description Ask children to visualise two contrasting settings; one comfortable and safe, one Photographs of places
3Wf2 of a setting using as many dangerous and insecure. For each place, ask children to write paragraphs that all of the children
senses as possible. describing the places. Each paragraph should include reference to the senses, have visited are useful
seeing, hearing, touching and smelling. but not essential.
Ask the children to evaluate each other’s writing.

Code
3Wf5 To plan and write a story Give children the opportunity to draw up a plan for a story, which should be
3Wf6 using paragraphs and related to one of the stories that has been studied.
3SL2 containing dialogue. Children should have the opportunity to tell the story to each other, checking that
their planned story makes sense.
Revisit the main points of the unit including:
 how readers can infer information as well as being told it directly;
 study of character and dialogue;
To tell the story before  the importance of the choice of words;
writing it, using tone of voice  the use of the senses when describing a setting ;
appropriately.  the use of paragraphs to signal a change of times, place, character or
action.
Give children time to write the story they have planned. Make your success
criteria clear before they begin writing, e.g. “Write a story with paragraphs. Use
some dialogue and remember to choose interesting and powerful words.”
3PSV10 own writing. i.e. read the story aloud four times to check:
 does the story make sense? Is the theme clear? How can it be improved?
reader?
improved?

Unit 3B: Non-chronological reports

Reading, analysing then planning and writing non-chronological reports

Children should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in Stages 1, 2 and Stage 3 terms 1 and 2, in particular:
 recognising the features of some text types and genres;
Context
This is the eighth of nine units for Stage 3. You should expect to cover three units each term (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays). Time suggested for this unit is
4 weeks.
Texts needed
 A range of report texts, ideally linked to some cross curricular subject. Some of the texts need to be in a format which you can share with the class of children.
Large print and picture books are ideal, as are electronic texts.
Outline

Code

3PSV4 prefixes the children Ask children to use the dictionary to find words beginning with the prefixes, note
3PSV6 recognise. the meanings and try to discover what the prefixes might signify.
 are there always root words? (No. We have the word repeat, but not
peat.)
.gov.uk/node473342
to download the
spelling section of
Developing Early
Writing.

Code
3Rn5 To find books in libraries. Take the children to the school/ local library. Introduce them to the different ways
3Rn7 of organising books for fiction and non-fiction: fiction is usually shelved
alphabetically by the author’s name; non-fiction is shelved by subject and topic.
Ask them to consider why that might be the case.
Give the children information about the classification system used in the library,
and show them how to find books. Encourage use of the library.
3Rf6 To look at books containing Give pairs of children different books of report texts and ask them all questions A variety of information
3Rf8 report texts and: about their different books to establish what they know and their expectations of books containing report
3Rn2  recognise the key the books. Questions could include: texts linked to a class
3Rn6 features and their  is your book fiction or non-fiction? How do you know? topic.
purposes;  what is your book about? How do you know? (Encourage children to use
 know whether the the title, the covers pictures, the blurb as well as a brief skim through).
books are fiction or  which features usually found in non-fiction book can you find in your
non-fiction; book? (e.g. contents, index, glossary, photographs, illustrations,
 know how to find diagrams, maps, charts, headings and subheadings, captions and labels,
information in a bullet points, different fonts for different ways of presenting information).
book.
Check that all of the children can identify the features.
Discuss the purpose of each of the features. Focus particularly on the different
purposes and organisation of the contents and index pages.

Code
3Rn1 To skim and scan a report Prepare copies of one report text for all children to look at.
3Rn4 text. Ask children to skim read the text to answer a question (e.g. What kind of
information does this text give you?).
Ask the children to scan the text to answer a specific question.
Talk about the layout of the text. What are the headings? What is their function?
How do you know what is a heading and what is main text?
Discuss whether it is important to read the information from the top of the page to
the bottom of the page. Would the text still make sense if you read a lower
heading before a heading higher up the page?
3Rf1 To understand why writers Revisit the reasons for changing paragraphs in fiction texts. Are the same reasons
use paragraphs. used in non-fiction texts? (No)
Ask children to reread a report text and decide why a writer of non-fiction texts
would decide to start a new paragraph (change of topic or change of focus).
Read the opening sentence of each paragraph. This is often called the ‘topic
sentence’, discuss why. (Generally the first sentence will introduce the theme or
topic for the paragraph).

Code
3GPr3 To consider the language Remind children of the work they did previously on instructional texts. How is the
3GPr5 used in report texts. language in report texts similar and different? Focus on:
3GPw1  the use of present tense throughout (unless the report is a historical report
3GPw3 when the tense will be past);
3GPw4  the use of the third person;
3GPw5  a slightly distant, formal style. The writer is giving information, not chatting
3GPw6 or giving instructions.
 the use of full sentences, no dialogue and generally no questions (except
in headings and subheadings, where questions are often used).
3Rn5 To compare report texts in Once paper texts have been explored, introduce children to e-texts which are Try
3Rn7 print and in IT sources. non-fiction, either on CD-ROMs or using the internet. www.enchantedlearning.
com as a child friendly
Compare the different types of text: resource with a huge
 is the style of writing generally the same? variety of information
 are paragraphs used in the same way? texts.
 can you skim and scan to find information quickly?
 is the way that you find the information the same?
 what else is different?

Code
3SL1 To make an oral report on a Challenge children to work in groups and plan and present an oral report on a Some children may want
3SL2 topic of interest. subject that interests them. This may be linked to a school topic or leisure to make a PowerPoint
3SL6 activities. Tell children that their talk may be based either on scripted writing or on show as the background
3SL8 notes and should include: to their talk.
 a clear title to tell the audience what they are going to learn about;
 sections with headings and a topic sentence to introduce the topic.
 consistent use of tense and an appropriate register (not too chatty and
informal);
 interesting ideas and information for the audience – and should include
background information if the audience is likely to need it.
Assess the children on the clarity and presentation of their talk as well as on the
content.
3Wn2 To plan for writing a report After the children have given an oral report, ask them to write one. This may be
3Wp4 text, then write it. linked to their talk or be on a different subject. They should first plan their writing,
recording the information in the most appropriate way. This might be:
 on a chart;
 in a diagrammatic form e.g. a mind map. (This is often recommended as
the most effective planning proforma for report texts, because children
can easily add information as they think of it before they decide which
order to write it down);
 as a flow diagram (if they already know what they are going to write and
the order in which they are going to present their ideas. This is the
hardest planning proforma for report writing).
Once the children have planned their writing, remind them of the success criteria
including:
 the use of headings and a title;
 paragraphs with topic sentences to introduce new topics;
 the use of illustrations maps and diagrams if they are helpful – and the
importance of labelling them or adding a caption;
 well constructed sentences with clear links between ideas.

Code
3PSV1 To review and improve their After children have finished their first draft, ask them to do the ‘writer’s mumble’
3PSV10 writing. i.e. read the writing aloud four times to check:
 does it make sense? How can it be improved?
reader?
improved?

Unit 3C: Humorous poems

Reading humorous poems then analysing, planning and writing one

Children should be familiar with skills and knowledge taught in Stages 1 and 2 and Stage 3 terms 1 and 2, in particular:
 knowing some language to discuss poems e.g. rhyme, rhythm, alliteration;
Context
This is the ninth of nine units for Stage 3. You should expect to cover three units each term (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays). Time suggested for this unit is 2
weeks.
Texts needed
 A range of poetry books with jokes and humorous poems. Big Books and poster poems are ideal, as are electronic texts. Try to include poems from the place
where you live, as well as poems from countries you have read stories from.
Outline

Code

3PSV4 prefixes the children Ask children to use the dictionary to find words beginning with the prefixes. Note
3PSV6 recognise. the meanings and try to discover what the prefixes might signify.
 are there always root words? (No. We have the word repeat, but not
peat).
.gov.uk/node473342
to download the
spelling section of
Developing Early
Writing.

Code
3PSV12 To read, enjoy and discuss Let children browse through collections of humerous poems and choose those Short stories and picture
3GPr1 humorous poems. that they particularly enjoy. Possibly ask children to make copies of the poems to books.
3Rf2 add to a class anthology.
3Rf12 Work in groups with the children and discuss each poem you look at:
3SL1  likes and dislikes – did you like/ dislike the poem? Why? Were there
3SL6 certain words or phrases that you liked/ disliked?
structure.
For individual poems, you can ask questions and have discussions about different
topics, but this list includes many of the issues it is interesting to discuss with
poetry.
Bring some of the poems discussed by groups back to the whole class for a wider
ranging discussion and to model good discussion for groups where they didn’t
happen.

Code
3Rf2 To explore what makes Give groups of children different humorous poems to look at and consider. They
3Rf12 humorous poems funny. should try to think about:
3PSV7 Is the poem funny? What makes the poem funny? Is it:
 the subject matter?
 the poet’s choice of words?
 the fact that the poet implies things that are never mentioned explicitly?
 the fact that words that look the same can have other meanings?
 that some lines are ambiguous (i.e. the whole line in the poem has
another meaning?)
 the sound of the words?
 the rhythm?
 the length of the poem?
Talk as a class and try to find out what it is about poems that children think is
funny. Compile a class list of ‘things that can make poems funny.’
Ask children to think about how funny poems are different from jokes.
3PSV11 To recognise the Look at the words in the poems that have been read. Consider what made the
3PSV14 importance of accurate poet choose those particular words.
3Rf7 vocabulary choice.  how did they enrich the poem?
 how much did the choice of words contribute to making the poem funny?
 could the poet have used different words?
To develop lists of
synonyms for common Ask the children to use a thesaurus and rhyming dictionary to suggest other words
words. the poet could have used. How would they have changed the meaning of the
poem?

Code
3Wf9 To write poems, attending Give children the opportunity to draw up a plan for a poem based on one they
3Wf10 to the sound of the words. have read. The children should use their list of ‘what makes poems funny’ while
they think about their own poem:
 a rewrite of another poem replacing words to make it funny in a different
way;
 writing a new poem, which is based on a model;
 writing a poem in a specific form, e.g. a limerick.
Encourage children to work with response partners as they write their poem. The
role of the response partner is to offer help and advice on word choice etc as well
as to listen to each version of the poem and to state explicitly one or two things
which are good and something that could be improved.
3PSV10 own writing. i.e. read the poem aloud four times to check:
3SL1  does the poem make sense? Is the theme clear? How can it be
3SL6 improved?
 are the verses and lines well constructed? Do they help the reader?
improved?

Scheme of Work Grade 3

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Scheme of Work – English stage 3

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 1

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 2

Framework Learning Outcomes Suggested Teaching Activities Other Resources

Ongoing work in Phonics, Spelling and Vocabulary

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 3

Look the word up in a dictionary.

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 4

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 5

Ongoing work in Grammar and Punctuation

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 6

3Rf11 To look at the Reread books which include dialogue.

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 7

Ongoing work in handwriting

Ongoing work in writing

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 8

Unit 1A: Stories with familiar settings

Recommended Prior Knowledge

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 9

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 10

3Rf4 To begin to infer meaning. Reread a page of a familiar story.

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 11

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 12

3Rf1 To recognise that progression in Revisit one of the familiar stories.

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 13

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 14

Unit 1B: Instructions

Recommended Prior Knowledge

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 15

Phonics Spelling and Vocabulary work for Stage 3 Term 1

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 16

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 17

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 18

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 19

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 20

Unit 1C: Poems based on observation and the senses/ Playscript

Recommended Prior Knowledge

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 21

Phonics Spelling and Vocabulary work for Stage 3 Term 1

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 22

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 23

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 24

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 25

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 26

Unit 2A: Myths, legends and fables

Recommended Prior Knowledge

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 27

Phonics Spelling and Vocabulary work for Stage 3 Term 2

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 28

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 29

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 30

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 31

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 32

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 33

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 34

Unit 2B: Letters

Recommended Prior Knowledge

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 35

Phonics Spelling and Vocabulary work for Stage 3 Term 2

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 36

Together, evaluate whether the letter achieves its purpose.

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 37

V1 1Y07 English Stage 3 38