Skip to main content
Home Home
Main navigation
  • About
    Our vision and values
    Our staff
    Governance
    Culture and wellbeing
    Ofsted and results
    Key information and policies
    Ark Schools
  • Curriculum

    Our approach

    Curriculum overview
    Digital
    Reading
    Special educational needs
    Early years foundation stage

    Subjects

    List by subject
    List by year group

    Extended curriculum

    Overview
    Performing arts
    Sport
    Clubs
    Primary Passport
  • Admissions
  • Parent Hub

    Parent handbook

    Parent handbook

    Key information and resources for parents, carers and families.

    Parent hub

    Quick links

    Reporting absence
    Term dates
    School meals
    Uniform
    Payments

    Communication

    Parentmail
    Parent engagement
    Friends of Ark Atwood
    Newsletters
    Guides and resources
  • News
  • Calendar
  • Jobs
  • Contact
User account menu
  • Support us

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Curriculum
  3. Subjects
  4. English

Welcome to English

Why do we learn English?
Our approach
Nursery
Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6

Why do we learn English?

Learning to read is a skill prioritised at Atwood as we know it is the gateway to the wider curriculum which proves vital not just for secondary education but beyond in later life.  Children progress from learning to read, to reading to learn, enabling them to access a curriculum rich in literary works that expands their knowledge and curiosity about the world. Throughout their school career, children are taught not only the strategies to decode texts successfully with fluency but to also become metacognitive readers so they gain the skills to tackle challenging texts independently. Atwood develops a passion for reading so that scholars begin their secondary schooling as proud, fluent readers at or above their chronological age, well set up with a life-long love of reading beyond the classroom.

At Atwood, writing for purpose and pleasure is also at the centre of our vision for writing for our children, Teachers seek exciting, engaging and enriching experiences for children in the texts and topics they choose to study so pupils not only become enthusiastic writers but are provided with a rich context from which to draw upon. Pupils are exposed to and immersed in a wide range of genres with a focus on purpose and audience enabling children to become confident communicators. Our approach to teaching is based on the recommendations of the Education Endowment Fund aimed at improving literacy teaching and the outcomes of pupils. It focuses on teaching writing composition strategies through modelling and supporting strategies and developing pupils’ fluent written transcription skills through purposeful and explicit practices.

Our approach

Writing:

Throughout Early Years, children are immersed in a world of stories with a strong focus on developing vocabulary and oral literacy. Pupils start mark making from an early age developing the gross and fine motor skills needed for pen control through fine motor workshops. In Reception, pupils learn letter formation alongside letter sounds through the Read, Write Inc programme and start forming words and short sentences. Children have daily opportunities to write either through whole class activities, small group work or independently at a writing station. Children are given a clear purpose for writing with a focus on writing cards, letter, messages, lists and recipes.

In Key Stages One and Two, purpose and audience remain central to effective writing. Teachers look for opportunities in texts they are reading and topics children are enjoying to provide highly engaging contexts and provide a real purpose and audience for children’s work. Children grow to understand that writing is an iterative process and are provided with a range of writing activities that support the organisation and development of their ideas. Children are encouraged to be reflective learners and to challenge themselves to improve and develop their work independently through guidance and a clear understanding of how to edit and improve their work.

Reading:

Our approach to reading, as well as literacy and humanities, is complemented by texts rich in vocabulary often drawing on both our literacy heritage and diverse community. To foster a love and enthusiasm for reading, carefully chosen texts both inspire and ignite sparks of interest to find out more and cover a range of genres; fiction, non-fiction, poetry and playscripts. These texts, set out in our book spine and curriculum maps, are explored in our timetabled reading lessons, literacy lessons or shared as class books.

Nursery

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Lucy and Tom go to school.
What I like about me!
Marvellous me 
It’s ok to be different
Elmer 
The feelings book 
Goldilocks 
Owl Babies
WOW say the Owl

We’re going to the doctor.
People who help us: At the hospital 
I’m Afraid Your Teddy Is in Trouble Today
Busy fire station.
Three little pigs 
Construction site 
Jolly Postman
Celebrations and festivals books  
Winter animals stories 
Spring 1 Spring 2
How to grow a dinosaur
Dinosaur roar
Dinosaurs love underpants 
How do dinosaurs go to school?
Dinosaur time 
Dinosaurumpus!
Ten terrible dinosaurs.
The dinosaur who pooped a planet
Aliens love underpants 
Wanda
There’s no place like space
Whatever next
I want to be an astronaut
Roaring rockets
How to catch a star
The way back home
Summer 1 Summer 2
The very hungry caterpillar
Jack and the beanstalk
The bad-tempered ladybird
The very quiet cricket
Farmer duck
Gardening books
Supertato
Dear Zoo 
Topsy and tim go on an aeroplane. 
Handa’s surprise 
I want to be
Multi-cultural books
Maps books 
The rainbow fish
Smiley Shark

All Reception subjects Next Reception Subject - Science

Reception

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
So much Harry and the Dinosaurs go to school
So Much
Julian is Mermaid
Giraffes Can’t Dance
Ruby’s Worry
Non-fiction books about People Who Help Us
Funny Bones
Jolly Postman
Books about Mary Seacole
Rebel Girls
Little People- Marie Curie
Jolly Postman
Spring 1 Spring 2
Superworm
Supertato
Room on the Broom 
The Gruffalo
Whatever Next
Aliens Love Underpants
Little Red Riding Hood
Three Little Pigs
Gingerbread Man
Elves and the Shoemaker
The Princess and the Pea
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Rapunsel
Summer 1 Summer 2
Non-fiction books
Harry and the Dinosaurs
Dinosaur who Pooped a planet
Dinosaurs who love underpants
Lifesize Dinosaurs
Dinosaur Stomp
Dear Zoo
Handa’s Surprise
Mixed Up Chameleon
Hungry Caterpillar
Mr. Wolf’s Pancakes
Fish who could wish
Lost and Found
Non-fiction texts about animals
Lifesize Animals

All Reception subjects Next Reception Subject - Science

Year 1

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Reading:

Payton goes to London
Mr Men in London
Elmer
Cops and Robbers
Room on the Broom

Writing:

Recount about Mr Men in London

Information leaflet on New London
 

 

Reading:

Snow White
The Gingerbread Man
Father Christmas
The Three Little Pigs
Big Bad Pig
Selection of traditional fairy tales
Dogger

Writing:

Instructions on how to make gingerbread stars

Recount of the fairy-tales of Snow White and Hansel and Gretel
 

Spring 1 Spring 2

Reading:

Lost and Found
Mr Grumpy’s Motor Car
All Aboard for the Bobo Road
Mrs Armitage on Wheels
Journey

Writing:

Recount of our transport journey and trip to the transport museum.

Diary on how it would have felt to have driven the first car.

Acrostic Poetry
 

Reading:

Avocado Baby
The Runaway Train
Emma Jane’s Aeroplane

Writing:

Imitation and innovation of the story Mrs Armitage on wheels.

Diary entry from the Wright Brothers

Newspaper report on the moon landing

Instructions on road safety

Create timeline and poster on transport and present to class.
 

Summer 1 Summer 2

Reading:

The Lonely Beast
Beegu
Where the Wild Things Are 
Tiger Who Came to Tea
Can’t You Sleep Little Bear?
Peace At Last
Katie in Scotland
No such thing as Nessie

Writing:

Poem on the Loch Ness monster

Mount Snowdon setting description

Sequence a story on a story mountain on the Giant’s Causeway

Descriptive letter to the Queen
 

Reading:

Rainbow Fish
Tiddler
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch
The Mousehole Cat
Sally and the Limpet
The Storm Whale
Sharing a Shell

Writing:

Agony aunt letter on The Lighthouse keeper

Describing a seaside setting

Persuasive poster on the seaside.

Postcard from the perspective of a Victorian child.
 

All Year 1 subjects Next Year 1 Subject - Science

Year 2

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Reading:

Ruby’s Wish - Shirin Yim Bridges
Caribbean Dream - Rachel Isadora
The Queen’s Hat - Steve Anthony
The Twits – Roald Dahl

Kings and Queens - Tony Robinson

On the Ning Nang Nong - Spike Milligan
Thank you - Benjamin Zephaniah

Writing:

Description of Barbados 

First person diary entry

Letter to the Queen

Pamphlet on the Kings and Queens of Britain
 

Reading:

Great Fire of London - Emma Adams
Puffin Book of Fantastic First Poems l
The Owl who was afraid of the dark - Jill Tomlinson
The Great fire – A city Flames- Ann Turnbull

The Great Fire of London – Emma Adams and James Weston Lewis

Michael Rosen - Don’t

Writing:

Instructions on using sparklers safely

Review of Pantomime 

Diary entry based on Samuel Pepys

Poetry describing Bonfire Night
 

Spring 1 Spring 2

Reading:

The Tunnel and Changes - Anthony Browne
Gorilla and Hide and Seek – Anthony Brown

The Great Barrier Reef – Helen Scales
Wonders of the World – Atlas of Adventures

Perfectly Peculiar Pets – Elli Woolard

Writing:

The Great Barrier Reef information text

Northern lights poem

Taj Mahal 5-part story 

Diary entry for Machu Picchu 
 

Reading:

Lion in Paris
The Hodgeheg - Dick King Smith

Wonders of the World – Atlas of Adventures

Poetry: The Owl and the Pussycat - Edward Lear

Writing: 

The Great Barrier Reef information text

Northern lights poem

Taj Mahal 5-part story 

Diary entry for Machu Picchu 

Summer 1 Summer 2

Reading:

Traction Man

Amazing Grace – Mary Hoffman

Malala’s Magic Pencil - Malala Yousafzi
Little people, Big Dreams - Maria Isabel Sanchez
Vegara – Rosa Parks, David Attenborough, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Marcus Rashford, Greta Thunburg

Poems Aloud – Joseph Coelho

Writing:

Diary linked to ACP

Report linked to ACP

First person description linked to ACP

Report linked to ACP
 

Reading:

Wangari Tree’s of Peace
The Adventures of Spider: West African Folktales
Handa's Surprise – Eileen Browne
The Iron Man - Ted Hughes

Journey through Kenya

Beneath the Rainbow: A collection of stories and poems from Kenya

Writing:

Stories from other cultures (Focus: Africa) - 5-part story 

Setting description of Malindi in Kenya 

Persuasive leaflet to visit Kenya 
 

All Year 2 subjects Next Year 2 Subject - Science

Year 3

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Reading:

Stone Age Boy - Satoshi Kitamura
The Pebble in my Pocket - Meredith Hooper
Stig of the Dump - Clive King

The Secrets of Stonehenge - Mick Manning and Britta Gran-Strong

Poetry: Stonehenge - Susan Hayasaki

Writing:

How to catch a Mammoth. 

Five-part story set in the Stone Age 
 
Poem inspired by Pebble in my pocket
 

Reading:

Coming to England - Floella Benjamin

Little Leaders - Vashdi Harrison

Poetry: We are Britain - Benjamin Zephaniah

Writing:

Report on HMT Windrush
 
Diary entry from perspective of passenger on HMT Windrush
 
Letter from a migrant to family in Caribbean
 

Spring 1 Spring 2

Reading:

Who Let the Gods Out? - Maz Evans

Irish fairy tales, myths and legends - Kieran Fanning 

Writing:

Persuasive leaflet about Greece
 
Myth inspired by Greek mythology 
 

​​​​​​​Reading:

Who Let the Gods Out? - ​​​​​​​Maz Evans

Journey - Aaron Becker

Writing:

Retelling a traditional tale

Writing a detailed character profile for a main character - posters
 

Summer 1 Summer 2

​​​​​​​Reading:

Stories From Around The World - Maisie Chan

Tales from Old Ireland - Maisie Chan

Writing:

A diary entry as an animal of Farthing Wood

A report comparing the changes to our local environment over time

A redraft of a sonnet to describe Farthing Wood
 

​​​​​​​Reading:

The Wild Robot - Peter Brown
Journey to the River Sea – Eva Ibbotson
Animal frog diaries – Steve Parker

Writing:

A newspaper report on the local girl wonder (based on Firework Maker’s Daughter)
 
A short blurb of a mysterious event to hook a reader (edit and redraft focus)
 

All Year 3 subjects Next Year 3 Subject - Science

Year 4

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Reading:

A British Boy, AD84 -
Jim Eldridge
Boudicca’s Army – Hilary McKay
Anisha, Accidental Detective – Serena Patel
Roman Diary: The Journal of Iliona - Richard Platt
Empire’s End: A Roman Story – Leila Rasheed

So You Think You’ve Got it Bad: A Kid’s Life in Ancient Rome – Chae Strathie & Marisa Morea

Olympic Poems: 100% Unofficial! – Brian Moses & Roger Stevens

Writing:

Description of a battlefield from a character’s perspective

How to survive as a Roman Legionary
 

Reading:

The Orchards Book of Roman Myths - Geraldine McCaughrean

The Romans: Gods, Emperors and Dormice – Marcia Williams

Poetry: Revolting Rhymes

Writing:

Roman inspired myth

Spring 1 Spring 2

Reading:

The Great Kapok Tree - Lynne Cherry
The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh
The Explorer – Katherine Rundell

Amazon Adventure: Unfolding Journeys – Stewart Ross & Jenny Sparks
Non-fiction texts on the rainforest and endangered animals

Poetry: We’re Roaming in the Rainforest

Writing:

Report on an endangered animal

Description of the Amazon from a character’s perspective
 

Reading:

The Explorer – Katherine Rundell

Tree of Wonder – Kate Messner

Poetry: Where Zebras Go – Sue Hardy-Dawson

Writing:

A letter persuading action on deforestation

A letter persuading local action on environmental issues
 

Summer 1 Summer 2

Reading:

The Hero Twins – Jolley Dan & Witt David
The Boy at the Back of the Class -
Onjali Rauf

A range of fiction and non-fiction texts depicting Maya life

Playscript - Starring Monkeys

Writing:

Diary writing

Reading:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl

Living in North and South America: The USA – Jen Green

Poetry: Overheard in a Tower Block – Joseph Coelho & Kate Milner

Writing:

A newspaper report on Charlie winning the golden ticket

All Year 4 subjects Next Year 4 Subject - Science

Year 5

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Reading:

The Riddle of the Runes & The Way of the Waves - Janina Ramirez
Beowulf – Michael Morpurgo

Texts on Anglo-Saxons and Vikings

Poetry: Monster Poem

Writing:

Story opening set in a Viking village

Narrative on board a Viking longship with a flashback to an event prior to the voyage

A biography of Alfred the Great
 

Reading:

Street Child – Berlie Doherty
Cogheart – Peter Bunzi

You Wouldn't Want to be in a Victorian Mill! – John Mallam

Happy Here - Theresa Lola
Poems Aloud -Joseph Coelho

Writing:

Persuasive advert selling a ‘mechanimal’ inspired by Cogheart

Diary entry from the perspective of Jim Jarvis in Street Child
 

Spring 1 Spring 2

Reading:

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Grace Lin

Non-chronological reports on Asian Countries
Encyclopaedia extracts linked to Asia

Writing:

Report exploring a chosen country in Asia

Children to retell a traditional Chinese folktale
 

Reading:

 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Grace Lin

Newspaper articles on a natural disaster
Encyclopaedia extracts linked to natural disasters

Writing:

Newspaper report on an earthquake in Tonga​​​​​​​

Summer 1 Summer 2

Reading:

The Thousand and One Nights – David Walser and Jan Pienkowski
Once upon an Eid – S.K Ali and Aisha Saeed

Amazing Muslims Who Changed the World – Burhana Islam

Poetry: Ramadan Moon– Na’ima B. Robert

​​​​​​​Writing:

Fiction pieces based on Ancient Islamic folktales from 1001 Nights

Discussion text answering the question ‘Was the Islamic Golden Age really ‘golden’?’
 

Reading:

The Tempest

Biomes

​​​​​​​Writing:

Explanation text linked to biomes

 

All Year 5 subjects Next Year 5 Subject - Science

Year 6

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Reading:

Clockwork - Philip Pullman Egyptology: Search for the Tomb of Osiris - Emily Sands
Dracula – Bram Stoker (extracts)
Scary Tales – James Preller (extracts)

Egyptians / River Nile

Poetry: Caribbean Dreams

Writing:

Describing settings based on 'Clockwork'

Horror Story based on an Egyptian tomb
 

Reading:

The Hobbit – JRR Tolkein
Blackberry Blue - Jamila Gavin

Saving Wildlife: Mountain Animals

Poetry: The Raven - Edgar Allen Poe

Writing:

Report on Gollum

Story based on the ‘Riddles in the Dark’ chapter of ‘The Hobbit’
 

Spring 1 Spring 2

Reading:

War Horse - 
Michael Morpurgo

A day in the trench

Writing:

A descriptive piece about ‘Going over the top’

Report on the Trenches
 

Reading:

Blitz – Vince
Cross (extracts)
Goodnight Mister Tom - 
Michelle Magorian
The Kingdom by the Sea – Robert Westall (extracts)

Home Again: Stories About Coming Home From War

Holocaust poetry

Writing:

A descriptive piece about an air-raid

Diary entry from an evacuee
Diary entry about the first night of the Blitz

Letter describing life in the Blitz
 

Summer 1 Summer 2

Reading:

 

Wonder - RJ Palacio
Rising Stars

Poetry: Matilda - Hilaire Belloc

Writing:

A letter to the Headteacher on a topic of children’s choice

An essay analysing the greatest global challenge facing the world today
 

Reading:

Wonder - RJ Palacio
The Keymaster

Planet Earth trailer

Caribbean Dozen – Poems from Thirteen Caribbean Poets

Writing:

Children to re-draft pieces from earlier in the year.

All Year 6 subjects Next Year 6 Subject - Science

  • Computing
  • Geography
Footer
  • About
    • Welcome
    • Culture and wellbeing
    • Team
    • Policies and reports
  • Curriculum
    • Our approach
    • Subjects
    • Extended curriculum
  • Admissions
    • Nursery
    • Primary
    • In Year

Ark Atwood Primary Academy,  Amberley Rd, London W9 2JY

© Ark Schools