Lancashire Professional Development Service helps educational settings like schools and academies to realise the full potential of their children and young people, by providing professional training, bespoke consultancies and inspiring resources. All of our curriculum resources are designed by highly experienced teaching and learning consultants.
Lancashire Professional Development Service helps educational settings like schools and academies to realise the full potential of their children and young people, by providing professional training, bespoke consultancies and inspiring resources. All of our curriculum resources are designed by highly experienced teaching and learning consultants.
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
Year 2 and Year 3 reading and writing skills are interwoven throughout both narrative and non-fiction units in this publication, all themed around one of our favourite bears from children’s literature – Paddington!
The first unit explores Michael Bond’s classic text, alongside the use of more recent film material. Regular short and long writing opportunities are embedded throughout the sequence as the children work towards an extended narrative of their own Paddington adventure.
This is followed by a non-fiction unit, in which children will explore a range of non- fiction sources, websites and clips, before writing their own tourist guide to either London or your local area. Be prepared for your classroom to be transformed to a tourist destination, complete with regular tours!
Year 5 Autumn 1 English Planning Unit : A Kingdom United
This half term block, based around a theme of A Kingdom United, consists of two English units:
Legends
Persuasion
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside Geography and History work on UK cities, counties and key features and Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots. The unit on legends has been chosen to fulfil the National Curriculum requirement that children in upper Key Stage 2 will increase their
familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Intent, Implementation and Impact of your curriculum!
These documents will support subject leaders and senior leaders in reflecting on the provision for the different subjects within your school curriculum and how these meet the specific needs of your children. This reflects the emphasis on the whole curriculum in the Ofsted inspection framework from September 2019.
The aim of the Examining Teaching and Learning in… documents is to provide subject leaders with a precise evaluation of the provision for their subject. Once conducted, the information can then be used as a basis for:
the subject improvement plan;
a discussion during an Ofsted inspection;
a position statement report to the governing body; and
general discussions about the subject with senior leaders and teachers in school.
The questions and prompts within the resources have been carefully designed to ensure consistency in a school’s approach to evaluation by the subject leader whilst also focusing on the individual characteristics of each subject area. They can be independently used by schools or be provided as part of a subject specific ‘Health Check’ provided by one of the Lancashire Teaching and Learning Consultants.
Year 4 Summer 1 English Planning Unit : Water, Water Everywhere
This half term block, based around a theme of Water, Water Everywhere, consists of three English units:
Stories with a Theme
Poems with a Structure
Information Booklets
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside work on rivers and the water cycle in geography and science. The children’s learning about rivers and the water cycle might be in the context of a local river study (fieldwork) and/or key aspects of a local river e.g. River Lostock. This work could then feed into
their welcome brochure in English. Alternatively, the children’s leaflets could include facts about rivers that run through Cornwall. In addition, their poetry could feature elements of the water cycle.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Skills, knowledge, Concepts – what children can do, know and understand.
This document has been updated to support the EYFS Statutory Framework in light of the forthcoming changes to the Early Learning Goals in 2021-2022. The document now includes the Educational Programmes and Early Learning Goals.
The purpose of this publication is to support practitioners in EYFS (nursery and reception) with planning a curriculum to meet the learning needs of the children in their school or setting. The document identifies an overview of the key learning (skills, knowledge and concepts) across all seven areas of learning and development to support learning within the EYFS phase to prepare children for their next stage of education.
Schools can reflect on the key learning outlined in this document and identify those which are appropriate for the needs of their children and, if necessary add additional skills, knowledge and concepts specific to the context of the school or a particular cohort.
As the Early Learning Goals are used to assess a child’s attainment at the end of EYFS, this document will support practitioners in planning and providing a curriculum which goes beyond that which is assessed.
The Red Rose Letters and Sounds Learning and Progression Steps for Reading in Reception Group Grids are designed to support progression, planning and assessment for the teaching of reading in the Reception year.
They outline the Red Rose Letters and Sounds phonic progression for word reading, including grapheme, phoneme corrsepondences, tricky words and high frequency words, alongside comprehension development.
The comprehension statements have been derived from the Early Years Foundation Stage Stautory Framework, and are designed to support teachers to plan appropriate learning opportunities for the whole class, groups, and individual children, in order to meet end of year expectations in reading.
The document is organised into half termly easy to use group grids which support planning for reading, and formative and summative assessment of Reading using Red Rose Letters and Sounds Progression, across Reception towards the Early Learning Goals.
The Loch Ness Monster
Reading and writing skills for Year 3 and Year 4 are interwoven throughout these two units of work lasting 3-4 weeks for narrative and 2-3 weeks for non-fiction, all based around the theme of the Loch Ness Monster.
The first unit focuses on exploring and researching the infamous legend using film clips, websites, texts and news sources, before children write their own non-fiction article for a children’s magazine.
Following this, a narrative unit is provided which includes developing a new Loch Ness monster character based on a plot pattern inspired by the classic cartoon, The Family-Ness! Enjoy singing along to the theme tune with your class!
The Key Learning in Spoken Language document is based upon the expectations outlined in the National Curriculum 2014. It will support teachers to plan spoken language opportunities in English and across the curriculum.
The key learning statements have been identified primarily from the National Curriculum 2014 (pg 17) - spoken lanaguage, years 1 to 6. In addition, EYFS Early Learning Goals 2021, and expertise from the Primary English and Literacy team at the LPDS, around speaking and listening, has informed the expectations for all years groups.
Applying skills from both Year 1 and Year 2, this publication is based around the theme of wolves and integrates both narrative and non-fiction in a 5-6 week sequence.
Children will share in the delights of The Way Home for Wolf by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, before taking on the role of researchers to find out more about wolves and other animals.
Using their newly found facts, children will produce an information leaflet to inform an audience. The unit concludes with a return to fiction, where children will create an innovation based on the original story.
Themed around magic, mystery and much more, both the narrative and non-fiction units within this publication, interweave reading and writing skills from Year 5 and Year 6.
Children will be taken on a magical journey whilst reading Ross MacKenzie’s award-winning The Nowhere Emporium. Regular short and long writing opportunities are embedded throughout the sequence - with opportunities for further challenge and independent writing also signposted – whilst the final written outcome is an extended narrative based around the plot of The Nowhere Emporium.
This is followed by a non-fiction unit, flexibly themed around magic or the circus – it’s your choice! Following research, children will work towards producing a hybrid information text in the form of a magazine page. This includes a mini biography, a discussion text and a non-chronological report. The children could be finding out about the history of magic, researching a famous magician or discussing whether animals should be allowed to perform in a circus. Lots of interesting facts to find and discussions to have!
Year 4 Autumn 1 English Planning Unit : Sparks Might Fly!
This half term block, based around a theme of Sparks Might Fly, consists of three English units:
Explanations
Stories with fantasy settings
Film and playscripts
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside Science work on electricity (series circuits, switches, conductors, insulators). Further links could be made to ICT and electrical systems (control and electrical components) through Design and Technology. The unit on film and playscripts has been chosen to fulfil the National Curriculum requirement that children in lower Key Stage 2 should be developing their understanding and enjoyment of stories, poetry, plays and nonfiction.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 5 Spring 1 English Planning Unit : Earthlings
This half term block, based around a theme of Earthlings, consists of three English units:
Science fiction narrative
Information booklets
Poems with a structure
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside science, music and art and design work linked to space. Short science fiction stories or a class novel can be linked to the theme, and space can also be the focus for poetry and an information booklet. Linked to music, children could create a book or film trailer
using a suitable application such as iMovie.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Year 4 Summer 2 English Planning Unit : Hunted
This half term block, based around a theme of Hunted, consists of three English units:
Narrative – Folk Tales
Non Fiction – Debate
Poem on a theme.
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside a Science focus linked to Living things and their Habitats. Debates can be based upon any focus, either linked to the theme or other relevant contexts, depending upon the curriculum focus.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
Intent, Implementation and Impact of your curriculum!
These documents will support subject leaders and senior leaders in reflecting on the provision for the different subjects within your school curriculum and how these meet the specific needs of your children. This reflects the emphasis on the whole curriculum in the Ofsted inspection framework from September 2019.
The aim of the Examining Teaching and Learning in… documents is to provide subject leaders with a precise evaluation of the provision for their subject. Once conducted, the information can then be used as a basis for:
the subject improvement plan;
a discussion during an Ofsted inspection;
a position statement report to the governing body; and
general discussions about the subject with senior leaders and teachers in school.
The questions and prompts within the resources have been carefully designed to ensure consistency in a school’s approach to evaluation by the subject leader whilst also focusing on the individual characteristics of each subject area. They can be independently used by schools or be provided as part of a subject specific ‘Health Check’ provided by one of the Lancashire Teaching and Learning Consultants.
Year 5 Summer 1 English Planning Unit : Amazon Adventure
This half term block, based around a theme of Amazon Adventure, consists of two English units:
Narrative – Stories from other cultures
Non Fiction – Debate – a persuasive speech
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside a Geography unit linked to the Amazon Rainforest and a Science unit on Life cycles in a different environment. A debate can be based upon any focus, either linked to the theme or other relevant contexts, depending upon the curriculum focus.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
This supplementary unit is specifically designed to help Year 6 teachers in the summer term to generate quality writing outcomes in order to inform their end of year teacher assessments. It comprises four mini-units and is complemented by several shorter independent writing outcomes. Teachers can select which mini-units to cover, or can cover them all dependent on gaps in learning.
The unit focuses on using a quality text (Wonder by R.J. Palacio) to plan a wealth of writing opportunities in a wide range of genres (fiction, non-fiction and poetry). It also provides guidance on how to aim for the higher standard in writing.
Year 6 Spring 1 English Planning Unit : Heroes and Villains
This half term block, based around a theme of Heroes and Villains consists of three English units:
Older Literature
Non-fiction hybrid
Poems with imagery
Cross curricular links
Although the units will stand alone, they can be planned to run alongside science and design technology, linking to the theme of health and food. Opportunities for cross-curricular writing of a non-fiction hybrid text unit could be based on research of Health Heroes such as:
James Lind (1716-1794): Carried out experiments to discover the cause of scurvy.
Elsie Widdowson (1906-2000): A British chemist who was a pioneer of the scientific study of nutrition and one of the creators of the state-recommended diet during the Second World War.
Lord Boyd Orr (1880-1971): A Scottish nutritional physiologist who devoted nearly four decades to the field of nutrition. For his efforts to promote lasting peace by wiping out hunger, he was awarded the 1949 Nobel Peace Prize.
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Skills have been specifically identified for each unit from Key Learning in Writing. The full set of units include all skills for the year group. However, if these units and/or skills are rearranged from the planned order, modifications to the identified grammar skills may be necessary. When planning, consider if the suggested skills are the most appropriate for the class or if different skills are needed based on assessments of children’s outcomes. This may involve the revisiting of skills from previous year groups. Refer to Key Learning in Writing for the year group to ensure full coverage over the year.
Our English Planning Units have all recently been updated to include:
new ideas and approaches for planning through the teaching sequence phases with more detailed guidance on reading and gathering content phases;
updated suggestions of texts, direct links to specific film clips and resources within every unit;
a tighter focus on grammar skills via warm-up sessions and integration within units;
increased emphasis on vocabulary for reading and writing;
further short and longer writing opportunities built into each unit; and
updated outcome suggestions for scaffolded writing whilst highlighting the need for independent writing for assessment purposes.
History Unit Planning Guidance.
Year 2 Summer Term - Buckets and Spades.
Events beyond living memory or places in their locality – the seaside then and now.
In this theme, children learn about holidays in the past compared with holidays now. They will consider events and places within their own living memory compared with events and places beyond their own memory. They may also consider other significant historical events in their own locality.
Embedding historical enquiry, chronology and communication within a sequence of learning Skills have been specifically identified for this unit from Key Learning in history.
This updated, expanded unit contains new ideas and approaches for planning history through a sequence of lesson ideas with more detailed guidance on historical enquiry, chronology, knowledge, understanding, vocabulary and communicating findings.
Comprehensive lists of suggested texts and direct links to specific film clips and
resources are contained within the unit.
This unit will help provide teachers with a wealth of creative strategies that reinforce, enhance and transform learning within an effective teaching sequence.
Cross curricular links
Although this unit will stand alone, it can be planned to run alongside a Science unit based on materials where children investigate suitable properties for making buckets, hats and helmets, trampolines and sandcastles, and it could provide a focus for writing explanation texts to explore why and how materials are suitable, or not. In English, poems could be linked to the history context of seaside holidays in the past where children include details about objects or ideas such as ice cream, the promenade or souvenirs. In Art and Design, children could work independently or in groups to create small or large scale collages, using materials collected and chosen to suit the theme. Many contemporary artists use the seaside to inspire their works of art including Abigail Mill, Jayne Huskisson and Serena Hall.
‘Read and Respond’ unit to support home learning in English and Literacy, Year 3 - Week 1: The Twits
This resource includes an electronic set of plans for parents for English and Literacy for Year 3.
These newly created exciting ‘Read and Respond’ units will support home learning in English and Literacy. The ‘mini units’, available for Years 1-6 inclusive, provide daily English lesson plans and have been designed for you to send home to parents on a weekly basis. (Reception guidance for Literacy is also available, though in a slightly different format).
All the plans use text extracts freely downloadable from LoveReading4Kids, Oxford Owl or websites with free audio recordings.
Week 1 topic for Year 3: The Twits.
It is suggested that each unit is sent to parents with an accompanying letter as a way of the class teacher personally introducing the unit of work. This will provide the teacher with the opportunity to address any particular sections of the plan, provide supporting materials (e.g. a writing frame) where appropriate and/or make reference to any prior learning. An editable example of how this might look is also included.
New plans will be released on a weekly basis every Thursday after Easter. Please check back for week 2 on Thursday 23rd April.
These on–entry assessment materials will support practitioners to set up relevant and appropriate provision, including resources, within the nursery classroom, to enable them to make relevant observations of what children know, understand and can do on entry to nursery. The materials offer prompts across all seven areas of learning and development and the characteristics of effective learning.
Sample activities are provided across ten areas of provision to support practitioners to choose from and engage children in open-ended but purposeful activities.
These materials can be used alongside other baseline assessment activities and will support practitioners in making an accurate judgement of a child’s skills, knowledge and understanding on entry to nursery. For five term Nursey children you could focus on the prime areas and three term Nursery children both the Prime and Specific areas.