Primary Grammar Progression - Preface

This programme is a complete practical tool to help teachers and parents teach children under their care to master basic skills in grammar and punctuation; these are the essential tools for mastering the skills of effective reading and writing. Spelling, another essential tool for reading and writing is covered elsewhere in the booklet Primary Spelling and Phonics programme by the same author. The last essential skill for effective reading is language and context comprehension, this can be developed using graded reading books like Ladybird or schools published reading schemes and answering comprehension questions on texts read.

The programme is designed for use from the Reception class year up to Key stage 3 (children aged 5 to 12 years) and is divided into grammatical awareness and punctuation sections. The structure is progressive from year to year with constant revision built in for each year group; this enables opportunity for slower children to revisit work from previous years and for faster children to progress at their own pace. Children learning English as a second language will also find the teaching sequence helpful.

The programme can be used as a day to day reference material for the busy teacher; it cuts down on planning time and if used consistently should enable all children to become fully literate by the time they leave primary school. It can also serve as a useful tool for subject leaders and the school leadership team when monitoring teaching and learning of literacy and cross curricula work in their school.

The programme enables children to:

·       Have a growing repertoire of vocabulary to use in their speaking and writing activities

·       Develop an interest in books and other literary works

·       Use the full range of reading cues to monitor their reading

·       Have an interest in words and their meanings

·       Read  and write  with confidence and  fluency

·       Develop their powers of imaginative word use in creative and inventive writing 

·       Plan, draft, evaluate and edit their writing using appropriate words and punctuation

This programme serves as a companion to the Complete Language Structures kit by Fidelia Nimmons which can be downloaded from:  http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/englishB15.htm

 These series of programmes have been developed from my work as a reading and writing expert teacher working with hard to teach primary school children in South London.