In English at Merdon, we teach children to be thinkers, listeners, speakers, readers and writers.  Our lessons are driven by rich questions, leading to dialogic discussion where children listen, give reasoned opinions, and build and critique each other’s ideas around texts.   Our curriculum is driven by high quality literature, enabling children to develop intellectually, emotionally and culturally through a love of reading books together. 

Children will leave Merdon as fluent readers who understand what they read and think critically about what they read.  They will gain a love of reading, developing a wide vocabulary, and a knowledge of genres and themes in literature.  Through our social constructivist approach, including our Let’s Think in English curriculum, children will interrogate texts, ask and answers question stimulate by what they read, and discuss key concepts in depth.  Through our ‘floating questions’ approach, children reflect on their deeper comprehension of ideas and themes in texts.  Using our ‘reading skills’ they learn to select and retrieve information from texts, to make reasoned inferences, and to explain how language effects meaning in both fiction and non-fiction.  Children will use their reading to inspire their creative ideas in writing. 

Writing at Merdon is inspired by literature, using the ideas and forms they read to guide their writing.   Children learn the craft of writing: through our ‘craft questions’ they examine the intent of authors, how they achieve that intent, and then use those skills themselves. They learn to write accurately and coherently, as well selecting vocabulary and grammar to achieve specific effects for a range of purposes and effects.   They will develop excellent strategies for spelling and knowledge of the spelling rules at KS2.  They will develop habits of editing, drafting and evaluating their own writing, and be invested in the ‘craft’ of the writer.

When children leave Merdon, they will have a love of English, of literature and of writing.  They will think hard about difficult questions, listen to ideas, share theirs with reasons, read for pleasure and for learning, and write accurately and creatively with ideas inspired by rich texts.  We aim to build minds capable of communicating effectively in the future, and that can think hard about what they hear, say, read and write.