Inspired by: The Disgusting Sandwich - Curriculum Objectives

In the Year 1 curriculum, pupils are encouraged to develop their reading skills through a variety of phonics-focused activities. They are taught to apply their phonetic knowledge to decode words, quickly associating sounds with graphemes for over 40 phonemes and alternative sounds where applicable. The curriculum emphasizes reading accuracy through blending sounds in unfamiliar words, recognizing common exception words, and understanding the correspondence between spelling and sound. Children also learn to read words with common suffixes, contractions, and multisyllabic words that contain taught graphemes. To build fluency and confidence, pupils are expected to read books aligned with their phonic knowledge and to revisit these texts to enhance their reading proficiency. The curriculum fosters a love for reading by involving pupils in listening to and discussing a variety of texts, linking stories to personal experiences, and engaging with traditional tales, rhymes, and poems.

Writing skills are equally prioritized, with pupils learning to spell words containing the 40+ phonemes they've been taught, as well as common exception words and days of the week. They are introduced to the alphabet, prefixes, suffixes, and simple spelling rules. The curriculum guides them in writing sentences and short narratives, emphasizing the importance of oral composition before writing, sequencing sentences, and self-review to ensure coherence. Handwriting instruction focuses on correct pencil grip and letter formation, including lower-case and capital letters, digits, and understanding handwriting 'families'. The 'Disgusting Sandwich' module provides a thematic approach to learning, where pupils engage with comprehension questions about the story, role-play, sequencing events, and writing tasks that integrate grammar, punctuation, and spelling concepts, all aimed at reinforcing their understanding and application of the English language.