International School of Lausanne

Language Arts

Philosophy

The programme seeks to develop our students’ language and literacy skills, to foster interest and enjoyment of the spoken and written word. It aims to provide them with a range of experiences that lead to the development of rich and varied language skills. The ISL Language Arts programme is literature based and integrates speaking, listening, reading and writing. These skills facilitate learning in all areas of the curriculum.

Aims

The Curriculum will enable students to:

speak confidently and appropriately in different situations and for different audiences
develop critical listening skills
become confident and independent readers of a wide range of genres
use a variety of reading strategies to understand, engage and respond to texts
reflect, analyse and discuss the meaning of texts
encourage use of the school library to pursue personal interests
develop their knowledge of punctuation, spelling and grammatical structures of written English
experiment with a wide variety of written genres
develop the writing process of planning, drafting, editing and revising strategies
develop, legible handwriting, working towards using a continuous, fully joined, cursive script in the schools agreed handwriting style.

	Reception 3	Reception 4	Year 1	Year 2
Oral	Students should be able to:
	identify common sounds with an object and remember simple rhymes be aware of spatial relationships *sit and listen in a group activity and know how to take turns when contributing in a group discussion	respond to a spoken word listen through circle time activities develop conprehension skills through listening retell the main events of a story express needs and ideas orally state first name and family name name objects common to home/sch participate in an oral discussions *take part in roleplay, sing songs, listen to and understand stories	participate as speakers and listeners in group activities, including imaginative play listen attentively and respond to stories and poems follow and give simple instructions describe an event, real or imagined, to the teacher or another student *talk with the teacher, listen and ask and answer questions	listen and respond appropriately as listeners in a range of activities listen attentively and respond to a range of genres follow and give simple instructions describe an event, real or imaginary

	Reception 3	Reception 4	Year 1	Year 2
Reading visual	Students should be able to:
	do an eight to ten piece tray jigsaw copy and continue simple sequences with beads, cubes and other manipulatives name familiar objects match simple symbols, shapes and objects spot the difference between major shapes and objects recognise their own name	become familiar with letter sounds and forms distinguish between a letter and a word be exposed to concepts of print through morning message activities use the letterland programme use 'big' books for shared reading use journal to develop reading skills	describe what has happened in a story and predict what will happen next listen and respond to a range of genres, read aloud, expressing opinions use picture and context clues, words recognised on sight and phonic cues in reading demonstrate knowledge of the alphabet in using word books and simple dictionaries show signs of a developing interest in reading recognise that print is used to carry meaning, in books and in other forms in the everyday world	read a range of genres with enjoyment and some independence comprehend what has happened in a sentence, paragraph, story read on sight, high frequency and other familiar words recognise words with common spelling patterns understand how word order affects meaning decipher new words and confirm or check meaning work out the sense of a sentence by re-reading or reading ahead focus on meaning derived from the text as a whole identify and describe characters, events and settings in fiction express preferences, giving reasons *learn, recite and act out stories and poems

	Reception 3	Reception 4	Year 1	Year 2
Writing	Students should be able to:
	hold a pencil correctly trace simple pencil play patterns copy simple patterns trace and/or copy their own name	trace simple shapes and designs trace a path from left to right trace and write name in manuscript form trace and write lower/upper case use journal to develop writing skills use Letterland programme	use pictures, symbols or isolated letters, words or phrases to communicate meaning use at least single letters or groups of letters to represent whole words or parts of words produce recognisable spelling in a range of common words spell correctly, in the course of their own writing, simple monosyllabic words which they use regularly and which observe common patterns use correct pencil grip, letter formation and word spacing in writing practise continuous handwriting patterns *encounter a variety of written genres	demonstrate knowledge of alphabet use produce pieces of writing using complete sentences spell correctly monosyllabic words used regularly recognise patterns in spelling produce recognisable spelling in a variety of high frequency words understand the use of full stops, capital letters and question marks write from own experience, including details such as where, when, who, what and why write stories establishing a beginning middle and end encounter a wide variety of written genres produce handwriting with correct letter formation and appropriate letter size, working towards a continuous, fully joined, cursive script

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	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
Oral	Students should be able to:
	tell own stories and news in a shaped and coherent way listen and respond appropriately as speakers and listeners take part in group discussions follow and give instructions	present ideas, experiences and understandings orally present factually information in a clear, logical way listen and respond appropriately begin to assess and interpret arguments and opinions *orally summarise main ideas	present ideas, experiences and understandings orally give a well-organised and sustained account of an event orally summarise main ideas respond constructively in discussion listen and respond appropriately justify a point of view contribute to and participate in a group presentation brainstorm and display subject-specific information	speak audibly, spontaneously and articulately in front of a familiar audience justify a point of view enjoy discussing their work and the work of other students in a supportive way give a well-organised and sustained account of an event, personal experience etc. *use a rich and varied vocabulary

	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
Reading	Students should be able to:
	read fluently and audibly aloud and at the appropriate level with concentration silently read and enjoy a wide range of genres scan appraise and predict use semantic clues/analyse words phonetically use context clues without help *use index, glossary and make use of the library	show an ability to construct meaning by integrating knowledege of the text structure, text organisation and subject specific language improve efficiency in the following strategies for constructing meaning self-correct, re-read to clarify meaning, make meaningful substitutions, use knowledge of print conventions become more efficient using word identification strategies make inferences and predictions based on information which is both explicit and implicit in the text share personal responses and reactions to a wide range of genres select appropriate material and adjust reading strategies depending on the purpose read orally with increased fluency and expression display a postive attitude towards reading	read silently and with sustained concentration read aloud with expression and confidence from a range of literature show, in talking and writing about a range of stories and poems, that they can explain their preferences show a sense of the structure of stories and of character, plot etc. use the library and reference books in an organised way read and respond to a wide variety of genres *extend their vocabulary with the use of dictionaries	read silently and with sustained concentration read aloud, audibly, confidently and with a variety of expression decode new vocabulary independently using phonetic and structural analogies identify the main ideas in stories and respond to characterisation, creation of atmosphere etc. predict events and developments in stories describe and explain what they have read orally and in writing use reference books and the library independently and in an informed and systematic way read and respond to a wide range of genres

	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
Writing	Students should be able to:
	shape writing chronologically use a range of sentence connectives other than 'and' and 'then' write more complex stories with details beyond simple events e.g. character study produce a wide variety of written genres begin to edit own work using class made checklists write using complete sentences with capital letters, full stops and question marks edit spelllings using word banks recognise common spelling patterns *work towards a continuous, fully joined, cursive handwriting script in the agreed school style	brainstorm and display subject-specific vocabulary build up oral and written word banks use frameworks as a starting point for writing in a wide variety of genres talk about own writing and take responsibility for improving it publish and share selected pieces or writing use organisational markers such as a topic sentence, paragraph and heading use proof-reading checklist to revise and edit own writing apply the age-appropriate conventions of language (punctuation grammar and spelling) look for visual pattern and common letter sequences in words discuss and actively problem solve spelling rules use individual spelling journals to increase and extend personal word lists work towards a continuous, fully joined, cursive script in the agreed school style with improved legibility	give a well-organised and sustained account of an event, personal experience produce writing that is clearly structured with clarity of meaning take responsibility for accuracy in punctuation and spelling respond to group and individual poetry writing write in a wide variety of genres, which attempt to engage the interest of the reader use organisational devices and sentence punctuation discuss their own written work and revise and re-draft independently as a result of discussion spell correctly the words which display the main patterns of English spelling write notes and letters, instructions stories, and poems use layout devices, headings, paragraphing, verse structure etc. produce own spelling lists from spelling errors practise an acceptable style of writing revise use of punctuation and parts or speech recognise spelling rules *use pen to produce a continuous, fully joined, cursive handwriting script, in the agreed school style, for speed and legibility	recognise and produce a variety of writing genres in order to engage the interest of the reader read their own work critically and judge the accuracy of its content, organisation and style respond to the ideas in poetry and be able to convey their own feelings and ideas as poetry identify and use correct punctuation with increasing sophistication analyse spelling patterns independently revise and edit their own writing *use pen to produce a continuous, fully joined, cursive handwriting script, in the agreed school style with improved legibility and speed

Students in Language Arts