Key Stage 1
preďŹ x
base word
suďŹƒx
, Resources CD
The road to a better understanding
Let’s go! Written by Lucy Marcovitch and Lisa Holt
Letterland Grammar Introduction
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Published by Letterland International Ltd, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 9AD, UK © Letterland International 2016 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN: 978-1-78248-163-8 Product Code: TH84 LETTERLAND® is a registered trademark of Lyn Wendon. Written by: Lucy Marcovitch & Lisa Holt Designers: Lisa Holt & Laura Bittles Originator of Letterland: Lyn Wendon
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. Any educational institution that has purchased one copy of this book may make duplicate copies of the pages on the Grammar Resources CD for use exclusively within that institution. Permission does not extend to reproduction, storage within a retrieval system, or transmittal in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or duplicate copies for loaning, renting or selling to any other institution without the prior written permission of the Publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise be lent, hired out, sold, or otherwise circulated without the Publisher’s written consent. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
The authors
Lucy Marcovitch has worked in education for 20 years as a teacher, resource writer and national curriculum and government policy d adviser. She has worked for Letterlan on a number of projects, including their Learn to Read & Write parents guide. She is passionate about children’s literacy and reading, and has two published picture books.
Lisa Holt has also worked in education for 20 years as a teacher, writer, editor and designer. She has written over 80 phonics titles, including the well received Letterland Fix-it Phonics programme. She has won Primary Teacher Awards for My First Dictionary, Practical Pre -School Awards for the titles: Living ABC software, Far Beyond ABC, Phonics Touch and Trace, Phonics Touch and Spell and My Alphabet Storybooks which also fully meet the DfE core criteria for high quality synthetic phonics resources.
Letterland Grammar
Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 5-7 Unit 1 - Sentence punctuation ......................................................................................................8-25 1.1 Capital letters and full stops .............................................................................................................9 1.2 Question marks ................................................................................................................................ 10 1.3 Exclamation marks ........................................................................................................................... 12 1.4 Commas for lists .............................................................................................................................. 13 1.5a Apostrophes - possessive .............................................................................................................. 15 1.5b Apostrophes - contractions .......................................................................................................... 16 Examples............................................................................................................................................. 18-25 Unit 2 - Writing sentences ............................................................................................................ 26-40 2.1 Joining words and clauses using the conjunction and.............................................................. 27 2.2 Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions ........................................................................... 28 2.3 Expanded noun phrases .................................................................................................................. 29 2.4 Statements, questions, exclamations, commands ...................................................................... 31 Examples............................................................................................................................................. 33-40 Unit 3 - Prefixes and suffixes ....................................................................................................... 41-71 3.1 Plural noun suffixes (-s and -es) ..................................................................................................... 42 3.2 Suffixes added to verbs.................................................................................................................... 44 3.3 Prefix un- ............................................................................................................................................ 45 3.4 Suffixes to form nouns: -er; -ness ................................................................................................ 46 3.5 Compound nouns ............................................................................................................................. 48 3.6 Suffixes to form adjectives: -ful; -less .......................................................................................... 50 3.7 Suffixes to form adjectives: -er; -est ............................................................................................ 52 3.8 Suffixes to form adverbs: -ly .......................................................................................................... 54 Examples............................................................................................................................................. 56-71 Unit 4 - Tenses .................................................................................................................................... 72-83 4.1 Present and past .............................................................................................................................. 73 4.2 Progressive present and past tenses ............................................................................................ 76 Examples............................................................................................................................................. 78-83 Appendix ........................................................................................................................................... 85-116 Appendix Contents / Grammar Resources CD Contents................................................ 85 Quick Key to Letterland Grammar ............................................................................................................ 86 ‘I can do’ Certificates ............................................................................................................................. 88 Letterland Phonics Teaching Scope ................................................................................................. 92 Uppercase Tricks ..................................................................................................................................... 94 Letterland lessons for prefix al-, suffixes -ful; -en; -est; -le; -ible; -able; -ly; -tion; -ture ........... 96 Index...........................................................................................................................................................116 4
Introduction
Introduction to Letterland Grammar Letterland Grammar’s approach The emphasis of Letterland Grammar is on how knowing and using simple grammatical concepts can improve children’s writing. It is not about learning ‘rules’ of grammar, but about discovering ways that they can make their own writing more interesting and exciting to read. Children are encouraged to recognise and use their understanding from this resource in their own writing, and spot things they have learned in their everyday reading. Letterland Grammar is a journey of exploration. Giving a child an analogy they can relate to has always been the key to Letterland’s success. You may already be familiar with the Letterland characters that help children to learn their letter shapes and sounds. In Letterland Grammar a new analogy is introduced. Most children have travelled in cars or buses, travelled down different types of streets and seen lots of different types of buildings. They will have noticed road signs and may know that they tell the driver something about the road. Now if we relate this analogy to reading we describe stories as towns. Within those towns there are streets which we call sentences. The words we see are the buildings and just as buildings are modified, extended or developed, so words change with the addition of prefixes, suffixes and tenses. Punctuation is the road signs. In Letterland Grammar as a child is reading, they are encouraged to think of their little finger as a car going along a street looking out for ‘reading’ signs along the way. Boys and girls become thouroughly engaged in zooming down sentence ‘streets’. As a result, reading and learning about grammar is very child-friendly.
Introduction
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Unit structure & resources Letterland Grammar can be used with any curriculum however the aspects that it covers are the statutory requirements for ‘Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation’ in the National Curriculum for English at Key Stage 1 (England only). Key terminology for each Unit is the terminology given within Appendix 2 of the curriculum for both Year 1 and Year 2. Each Unit in Letterland Grammar covers an aspect of the National Curriculum requirements. The structure of the guide is based on concepts rather than year group. This enables you to teach the concepts in a flexible way, and at the pace best suited to individual children and classes. For example, you may want to teach just the basics of each Unit in Year 1 and revisit it again in Year 2 when your class are ready to explore the concepts in more detail.
Units: approach and structure Each Unit contains a number of chapters. Within each chapter is a whole-class teaching activity based around the approaches outlined above. Each activity begins with a reminder to relate the concept being taught to the introductory analogies, and a recap on previous learning where relevant. The Unit activity outline offers an introduction to teaching the grammatical concept without going into too much detail, so that you can use the outlines flexibly with individual classes. There are additional notes against some of the teaching points – for example, suggestions for additional or reinforcement activities which can be done in pairs or small groups, or potential ways to differentiate the teaching. Each activity outline includes specific Examples to introduce and reinforce the concept.
Grey box = See appendix Objective Resources
Letterland analogy Scripted information which you may wish to read to the class is in blue. Whole-class teaching activity
Next steps
Note: Some lessons reference Letterland teaching material in the Appendix. This extra teaching material is optional as it relies upon some prior knowledge of Letterland phonics and characters. If you would like to know more about the Letterland teaching range, please visit our website: letterland.com Additional notes
Practice and extension activities
After each introductory activity outline, there are suggested ways for children to practise and extend their learning using other resources, such as specific pages in the Letterland Grammar Copymasters which are also matched to the relevant Reading requirements of the National Curriculum for English. 6
Introduction
Finally, each Unit includes suggestions for next steps, whether to more challenging Units within the Letterland Grammar Teacher’s Guide, or to other types of activities to extend and develop learning.
Letterland Grammar Copymasters
‘I can do’ Certificate
Learning objectives Each Unit contains general learning objectives, which can be translated into simple ‘I can do’ statements for pupils. Photocopiable ‘I can do’ Certificates are included within the resource, so each child can have a record of what they have achieved. ‘I can do’ Certificates for each Unit objective can be found in the Appendix and on the GRCD.
Supporting resources Letterland Grammar Resources CD contains: • • • • • •
Resources CD
Examples to print out or project on a whiteboard for every lesson Letterland Grammar Flashcards - to demonstrate concepts in each lesson ‘I can do’ Certificates ‘Little car’ finger puppet templates - to make reading fun! A free Artwork Store - so you can create your own grammar wall displays Songs to accompany Letterland lessons in the Appendix
Grammar Resources CD (GRCD)
‘to be’
Examples
Flashcards
Certificates
Finger puppets
Artwork Store
Songs
Other useful resources to accompany the guide include the Letterland Grammar Posters - featuring all the key concepts to display at A3 size and the Letter Sound Cards - a comprehensive set of 173 educational flashcards featuring a-z uppercase and lowercase and all the major spelling patterns of the English language with Letterland story aids.
Letter Sound Cards Letterland Grammar Posters
Introduction
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Unit 1 - Sentence punctuation Overview Unit 1 introduces children to sentence-building, and how to make sense in their writing. They are introduced to basic punctuation, from full stops and capital letters to question and exclamation marks. They then progress to the more complex punctuation concepts of using commas within lists, and apostrophes with contractions and for the possessive.
Key terminology: capital letter; full stop; question mark; exclamation mark; punctuation; apostrophe, comma
Letterland Grammar’s approach to learning in Unit 1 In Unit 1, Letterland Grammar uses the analogy of sentences being like a journey along a road: words work together to form sentences, which take you somewhere interesting or exciting. Punctuation is like the road signs on our sentence journey. Punctuation signs show the reader how to behave and how best to understand the meaning of the words as they move along. So, just as a road signs tell car drivers how to behave on the roads, punctuation tells the reader what to do.
,
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Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
Unit 1.1 Capital letters and full stops Objective To help children understand that sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, and to start to punctuate their own sentences in this way.
Resources • • • •
Examples 1.1 from the Letterland Grammar Resources CD (GRCD) or see page 19 ‘Full stop’ Flashcard GRCD Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.1 Letterland Grammar Posters - Sentence Punctuation
Key terminology Capital letter; full stop; punctuation; sentence Letterland Uppercase Tricks If your class are already familiar with Letterland they will know the Uppercase Tricks which help describe how the lowercase letters change shape in the uppercase form. (See appendix p. 94 for further details.) If necessary, review the Uppercase Tricks using the Letter Sound Cards. If your class is not familiar with the Letterland characters, you could introduce them using the resources detailed above. If, however, uppercase letter shapes are not posing any problems for your class, simply recap on which important words require a capital letter (child’s names, city names, street names, etc.)
Activity outline
Notes and resources
Introduce the analogy of writing taking a reader on a journey, as outlined in the introduction.
Display the Grammar Poster to demonstrate the idea of the ‘Grammar Land’ analogy.
Just as buildings sit in rows to make a street, words work together to make sentences. These sentences must make sense when we read them.
Read out the Examples 1.1 and ask: How do we know where to start reading?
Examples 1.1 should be clearly visible to the whole class by projecting them on a whiteboard from the GRCD or writing them on a board at a large size.
Using the journey analogy, ask children to imagine the very first building in a street. That first building is special. It is often ‘Number 1’. In just the same way the first word of a sentence is special and requires a capital letter to draw attention to itself and show how special it is. Using the pre-prepared sentences, ask children where each sentence begins. What needs to change so we can see this clearly?
Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
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Activity outline
Notes and resources
Looking at the Examples again, ask: How do we know where to stop? Introduce full stops as marking the end of a sentence. Use the analogy that full stops are like a ‘stop’ sign preventing us from reading any further until we have paused a little. If appropriate, introduce the word ‘punctuation’. Using the pre-prepared sentences, ask children where the sentences end. Use the ‘full stop’ road sign flashcard to help them visualise it from the GRCD. Ask the children to correct the pre-prepared sentences on the board. Use a different colour for the capital letters and full stops. Ask children for their own sentence suggestions to write on the board. Read and punctuate the sentences together as above.
Children could also use their hands as a ‘stop’ sign to help them grasp the concept of a sentence ending. You could also do this orally as a class.
Children could also do this in small groups or with partners, depending on ability or how the class is organised.
Further practice Use Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.1 to correct sentences using full stops and capital letters.
Next steps If children have grasped full stops, introduce question marks and exclamation marks as punctuation that helps tell us what kind of sentence we are reading (see Unit 1, Chapters 2 & 3).
Unit 1.2 Question marks Objectives • As a progression from Unit 1, to help children understand that punctuation marks can be used to show us the purpose of a sentence. • To help children recognise question marks, and start to use them in their own writing.
Resources • • • • •
Examples 1.2 from the GRCD (or see page 20) ‘Question Mark’ Flashcard GRCD Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.2 Letterland Grammar Posters - Sentence Punctuation Optional - ‘Car’ finger puppets from the GRCD
Key terminology Question mark; question; sentence; punctuation
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Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
Activity outline
Notes and resources
Re-cap on learning from Unit 1 – why we use capital letters and full stops in our writing, and how they help with our understanding of what we’re reading.
Reinforce the journey analogy and the comparison of punctuation marks with the signs that we need to help us on our way.
Introduce the concept of signs/punctuation marks that not only show us where a sentence ends, but tell us what type of sentence we are reading. Ask children in the class some questions e.g. ‘Is your jumper red?’ ‘What day is it today?’, etc. What kinds of sentences are these? How do we know? Show children the Examples 1.2. We need to add a special sign in the same way that we used a full stop, to show that these are questions. Introduce the analogy. Sometimes when we travel down streets we see signs for interesting things, places to visit and investigate. When we read, we sometimes we see question marks at the end of the sentence. This sign shows us both where the sentence stops (the dot) and that the sentence is a question. Use the ‘question mark’ road sign flashcard to help them visualise it from the GRCD. Ask children to correct the pre-prepared sentences by adding question marks. Ask children for their own question suggestions to write on the board. Read and punctuate the sentences together as above. Make it fun by pretending your finger is a little car going down a street as you read each sentence. What road signs do you need? Draw them in place. You could even use the ‘Little car’ finger puppets . Templates available on the GRCD.
Introduce the word ‘punctuation’ if you haven’t already done so, or reinforce its use if already used. Help children if necessary by emphasising the upward inflexion at the end of each question. Sentences should be clearly visible to the whole class. Introduce/reinforce the word ‘question’ and clarify its meaning. Draw attention to the full stop element of the question mark. If children are unfamiliar with writing question marks practise drawing them in the air. Making sure you turn around so you are modelling the shape in the correct direction. Display the Grammar Poster Punctuation Signs, to give a daily visual reminder of the shape. Children could also do this in small groups or with partners, depending on ability or how the class is organised. Children could draw question marks in the air with their partners if reinforcement is required. Finger puppet cars face in the reading direction.
Reading Direction
Further practice • Examples 1.2 from the Letterland Grammar Resources CD (or see page 20) • Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.2a to correct sentences using question marks, and 1.2b for children to practise writing their own questions punctuated by question marks.
Next steps If children have grasped question marks, introduce exclamation marks as another type of punctuation that tells us what kind of sentence we are reading (Unit 1.3). Later, Unit 2.4 helps children identify the grammatical patterns that indicate the function of a sentence as a statement, question, exclamation or command.
Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
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Unit 1.3 Exclamation marks Objectives • As a progression from Units 1.1 and 1.2, to help children understand that punctuation marks can be used to show us the purpose of a sentence. To help children recognise exclamation marks, and start to use them in their own writing.
Resources • • • •
Examples 1.3 from the GRCD (or see page 21) ‘Exclamation Mark’ Flashcard GRCD Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.3 Letterland Grammar Posters - Sentence Punctuation
Key terminology exclamation mark; sentence; punctuation
Activity outline
Notes
Re-cap on learning from previous chapters – how signs/punctuation marks help us to understand what we’re reading.
Reinforce the journey analogy and the comparison of punctuation marks with the signs that we need to help us on our way.
Reinforce the concept of the types of signs that tell us what type of sentence we are reading. A known example is a question. Introduce the analogy. Sometimes there are things on the roads that drivers must look out for. There could be dangers ahead, things that are shocking or surprising. There could be a hole in the road and they must stop. Introduce exclamations as the type of sentences which help to show feelings – for example, surprise, or anger, or when something is said with emphasis. Show children the Examples 1.3 from the GRCD. We need to add a special sign in the same way that we used a full stop, to show that these are exclamations.
Introduce the word ‘punctuation’ if you haven’t already done so, or reinforce its use if already used. Although children aren’t required by the National Curriculum to know how the grammatical patterns in a sentence form its function until Year 2, it is still useful to introduce the word ‘exclamation’ if appropriate.
Introduce exclamation marks. This sign shows us both where the sentence stops and that the sentence is an exclamation.
Sentences should be clearly visible to the whole class. Asking children to read the exclamations aloud with expression will help them better understand the concept of an exclamation as a sentence or phrase which expresses feeling. Draw attention to the full stop element of the exclamation mark. If children are unfamiliar with writing exclamation marks practise drawing them in the air.
Use the ‘exclamation’ road sign flashcard to help them visualise it from the GRCD.
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Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
Let children know that the mark also shows us how to use our voice if we are reading the sentence out loud.
Activity outline
Notes
Ask children for their own exclamation suggestions to write on the board. Read and punctuate the sentences together as above. Remind children that the exclamation is also a signal to anyone reading the sentence out loud to use lots of expression.
Children could also do this in small groups or with partners, depending on ability or how the class is organised. For more challenge, ask children to punctuate a mixture of questions and sentences to help them see the difference between the types of sentence and their correct punctuation.
Further practice • Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.3a Correcting sentences using exclamation marks and practising writing their own questions punctuated by question marks. • For more challenge, use Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.3b to help children practise recognising the difference between questions and exclamations, and how to punctuate them correctly.
Next steps Unit 2.4 helps children identify the grammatical patterns that indicate the function of a sentence as a statement, question, exclamation or command.
, Unit 1.4 Using commas in a list Objectives • To help children recognise and understand how to use commas in a list • To start to apply this understanding in their own writing
Resources • • • •
Examples 1.4 from the GRCD (or see page 22) ‘Comma’ Flashcard GRCD Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.4 Letterland Grammar Posters - Sentence Punctuation
Key terminology comma
Activity outline
Notes
Re-cap on learning from previous chapters: how signs/punctuation marks help us to understand what we’re reading. Review the punctuation marks learned so far and reinforce their use if necessary.
Reinforce the sentence journey analogy and the comparison of punctuation marks with road signs. Remind children that punctuation helps sentences make sense, so that we understand what the writer is trying to say.
Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
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Activity outline
Notes
Introduce the analogy. Imagine that your finger is a little car going along a street. Sometimes your car whizzes past buildings so fast that you don’t time to look where you are going properly - the street becomes confusing - you get lost.
Try to draw out any alternative meanings for the sentences to help children see that without punctuation it is difficult to know what the writer is really trying to say.
A Serial comma (also called Oxford or Harvard comma) is a comma placed immediately before Look at the Examples 1.4 together and try reading the coordinating conjunction (usually and, or, them as if you are a car zooming along the street. or nor) in a series of three or more terms. Most You can see the problem particularly clearly in commonly British English publications do not use lists. Demonstrate the problem. Ask children to the Serial comma, whereas US publications do. read the sentences aloud. On a street, sometimes there are speed bumps to You may find that children reading aloud make the cars slow down a bit and pay attention. automatically ‘put in’ a comma using intonation. In just the same way, in sentences there are If this happens, you could use it to illustrate the commas. Commas are the signs that ‘tells’ the ‘breath in’ teaching point. reader not to hurry, to take a pause, or a quick breath before reading the next word. Forming a comma. One way to help with the Use the ‘comma’ road sign formation is to describe them as like a full stop flashcard to help them visualise it with a tail, which tells the reader to pause, but not from the GRCD. stop completely.
,
Add commas to the Examples 1.4 and ask the children to read them again. Do the commas make a difference to their understanding? Write some lists together as a class or in small groups. You could turn this into a game; for example: I went on holiday and I packed… I went to the shops and I bought… At break time we played…
Play around with taking the commas out and putting them back in to the sentences and asking children to read them. You could also deliberately put commas in the wrong place to demonstrate how that can alter the meaning of a sentence.
Ask children to write or tell you where the commas should go in each list. Have fun pretending your finger is a little car going down the street slowing down for all the speed bumps (commas).
Further practice • Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.4 Practicing writing commas, correcting lists with commas. • For more challenge, children can practise writing their own lists punctuated by commas.
Next steps • Encourage children to spot commas in their everyday reading. Some will notice that commas are used in other places as well as for lists, and you may want to use these opportunities to discuss other ways to use commas, if appropriate.
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Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
Unit 1.5a Apostrophes - possessive Unit 1.5 is in two parts: 1.5a apostrophes for the possessive, and 1.5b apostrophes for contractions.
1.5a Objectives • To enable children to understand how and where to use an apostrophe with the possessive • For children to begin to use apostrophes with the possessive correctly in their own writing Note: Previous editions of Letterland Teacher’s Guides referred to apostrophes of possession as ‘Sammy’s Side Signals’ or ‘Belonging pegs’. Feel free to continue to use those lessons if you wish, however you may find it more effective to fully embrace the analogy of a ‘Grammar Town’ and introduce the concept as detailed below.
Resources • • • •
Examples 1.5a from the GRCD (or see page 23) ‘Apostrophe - possession’ Flashcard GRCD Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.5a Letterland Grammar Posters - Sentence Punctuation
Key terminology apostrophe; possessive
Activity outline
Notes
Re-cap on learning from previous chapters. Review the punctuation marks learned so far and reinforce their use if necessary.
Reinforce the sentence journey analogy and the comparison of punctuation marks with road signs.
Introduce the analogy for apostrophes. Imagine the buildings on a street are words. Now imagine a little person popping out on to the roof top balcony, pointing to something and shouting out, “Mine!” We see the little speech bubble. It looks a bit like a comma in the sky. It shows us when one thing belongs to another.
Remind children that punctuation helps sentences make sense, so that we fully understand what the writer is trying to say. Children will see the similarity between the apostrophe and the comma, but emphasise that the different position for the signs (up in the air, down on the ground) shows that they have a different role.
The boy’s dog.
Use the ‘apostrophe of possession’ flashcard to help them visualise it from the GRCD. As a class, look at the Examples 1.5a. Emphasise that an apostrophe is the sign for belongs to, the sign for ownership, and ask children to indicate who the owner is and what belongs to them, e.g. the boy’s own dog. Add apostrophes to the sentences and phrases.
Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
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Activity outline
Notes
Write some possessive phrases together as a class. Ask children to write or tell you where the apostrophes should go in each phrase.
As a simple way to begin, each child could use themselves as their example – e.g. Lily’s bed; Theo’s bag. Then move on to using other subjects e.g. the boy’s head; the cat’s food. As children get more confident, they may give ‘its’ as an example (e.g. its front door). If appropriate, you could explain that ‘its’ is an exception to the rule when it comes to apostrophes for possession. Alternatively, you could link it to your teaching of apostrophes for contractions (i.e. it is -> it’s).
Further practice • Use Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.5a to practise placing apostrophes for possessives in different phrases and sentences. Children could make notices for the classroom to indicate belonging – for example, ‘Mrs Robinson’s chair’; ‘Hadi’s tray’; ‘Red table’s pencils’; ‘Primary 2 class’s register’, etc. • During conversations, ask children to listen out for any ‘belonging’ phrases, such as ‘Those are Ella’s shoes’ and write them on the board if appropriate.
Next steps • When children first learn how to use apostrophes for possession, some have a tendency to put apostrophes before or after every ‘s’ in their writing. Encourage them to read their work back, and draw their attention to the fact that not every ‘s’ requires an apostrophe, only those that indicate possession.
Unit 1.5b Apostrophes - contractions 1.5b Objectives • To enable children to understand how and where to use apostrophes for contractions • For children to begin to use the apostrophe for contractions correctly in their own writing
Resources • • • •
Examples 1.5b from the GRCD (or see page 24) ‘Apostrophe - contraction’ Flashcard GRCD Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.5b Letterland Grammar Posters - Sentence Punctuation
Key terminology apostrophe; contraction
Note: Previous editions of Letterland Teacher’s Guides referred to apostrophes for contractions as ‘exploding letters’. Feel free to continue to use those lessons if you wish, however you may find it more effective to fully embrace the analogy of a ‘Grammar Town’ and introduce this new concept as follows.
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Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
Activity outline
Notes
Explain that apostrophes also have another use, with the analogy: Have you ever seen a demolition ball? Use the ‘apostrophe of contraction’ flashcard to help them visualise it from the GRCD. Sometimes parts of buildings are knocked down as they are not needed anymore. An apostrophe in a word may be indicating that some letters are missing. An apostrophe can be a bit like a demolition ball. It shows that letters (and their sounds) are missing and you can zoom on to the end of the word as there are fewer letters to read! Use the Examples 1.5b to show this visually.
You might want to highlight that while commas and apostrophes are the same shape, they are placed differently – up in the air vs. down on the ground. It will be easy to remember for children to visualise that a comma is down on the ground (a little speed bump to go over which will make them pause a little, whereas an apostrophe (demolition ball) hangs up in the air. You will need to emphasise that the demolition ball always appears in the space where the letters were, not the space between the two contracted words (i.e. don’t, not do’nt).
Introduce the word contraction. Explain that ‘contract’ means ‘get shorter’.
As a class or in groups, list more examples.
Further practice • Use Letterland Grammar Copymasters 1.5b to practise using apostrophes in contractions, and to help children see how the apostrophe marks the spot where a letter is missing, rather than occurring where there is a space between two words. • Ask children to listen out for any contractions that they recognise when speaking. They could report them to you to collect as a list on the board. The list could be used in a whole class session to spot which words have ‘had bits bashed out’, or to make other related teaching points. • Use the Letter Sound Cards to demonstrate letters being bashed away - all you can see is the trail of the demolition ball in the sky.
Next steps It often takes a long time for children (and, indeed, adults) to completely understand how to use apostrophes correctly. Encourage them to spot apostrophes in their everyday reading, and think about what the apostrophe is showing, whether it is possession or contraction. You may want to use these opportunities to reinforce teaching points about apostrophe use.
Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
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Making best use of the Examples This Teacher’s Guide contains simply designed Examples which can be written up on a whiteboard or photocopied for your class. The GRCD allows you to project the Examples on a white board. It is a good idea to work through the first few Examples together as a class to ensure every child knows exactly what they are doing. You may want to underline the areas requiring attention with a different coloured marker. You could also hold up the Flashcards provided on the GRCD to remind children of the analogies they have learned, or draw little reminder symbols. You do not have to look at all the Examples. Complete as many as you think necessary to ensure a good level of understanding before moving on to the Letterland Grammar Copymasters for further consolidation.
he had a red bag on his back He had a red bag on his back.
The Grammar Resources CD allows you to project the Examples onto a whiteboard so you do not have to write each one. Simply click through the pages to see them before/ after completion so you can check your answers as a class. What’s more, the first Example in section is shown in more detail, linking to the Resources analogy teaching in each CD Unit.
Certificates At the end of each section, you may like to issue the ‘I can do’ certificates found both in the Appendix and the GRCD. These give students a real sense of accomplishment and act as a useful tool to inform parents/carers of the progress their child is making in school.
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Unit 1: Sentence punctuation
Grammar
Examples 1.1
Capital letters and full stops
he had a red bag on his back
that is a kite up in the air
it was dark when the lights went out
we went for a run on the sand
the children had lots of bats and balls
Š Letterland International 2016. May be photocopied for use only within purchasing school.
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Grammar
Examples 1.2
Question marks
Where did Ben go
Can you see Harry
What is in the box
Why did the red robot break
Did you put the ball there
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Š Letterland International 2016. May be photocopied for use only within purchasing school.
Grammar
Examples 1.3
Exclamation marks
Look at that monster
Stop doing that
Be quiet
You gave me a fright
Š Letterland International 2016. May be photocopied for use only within purchasing school.
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Examples 1.4
Grammar
Commas
She likes to eat chocolate carrots custard scrambled eggs and pasta. For my art I need paper scissors brushes paint water and glue. In the park you can see people walking dogs barking ducks swimming trees and green grass. Vicky Violet grows fruit flowers trees and vegetables in her garden. At his party we had balloons games jelly ice cream cake and crisps.
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Š Letterland International 2016. May be photocopied for use only within purchasing school.
Grammar
Examples 1.5a
Apostrophes - Possession - Phrases
the boys hair
the babys dad
the dogs lead
the ducks bread
Š Letterland International 2016. May be photocopied for use only within purchasing school.
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Grammar
Examples 1.5a
Apostrophes - Possession - Sentences
I have Bens ball.
Grapes grow in that girls garden.
The robots body is red.
Harrys hat is green.
My cats eyes gleam in the dark.
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Š Letterland International 2016. May be photocopied for use only within purchasing school.
Examples 1.5b
Grammar
Apostrophes - Contractions Letters bashed away
I am
I’m
Do not
don’t
I have
I’ve
She will
She’ll
We are
We’re
Let us
Let’s
I would
I’d
© Letterland International 2016. May be photocopied for use only within purchasing school.
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Unit 2 - Writing sentences Overview Unit 2 focuses on helping children to both combine words into sentences, and to develop and extend their writing by starting to learn ways of sequencing sentences to eventually form short narratives. They are introduced to particular grammatical constructs such as using conjunctions and recognising noun phrases, and progress to understanding how to recognise the grammatical patterns within a statement, question, exclamation and command.
Key terminology: word; sentence; (clause); statement; question; exclamation; command; noun; noun phrase
Letterland Grammar’s approach to learning in Unit 2 Unit 2 extends the analogy of words as buildings sitting together to create streets. It introduces the metaphor of words as building structures, with certain words (conjunctions) acting as bridges that join different phrases together to form full sentences. Just as there are different types of street (main road, residential, shopping, etc) there are different types of sentences, which children learn to recognise by their particular features.
conjunction
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Unit 2: Writing sentences
Joining words and clauses Unit 2.1 using the conjunction and Objective To help children understand how to join words and clauses using the conjunction and.
Resources • • • •
Examples 2.1 from the GRCD (or see page 34) ‘Conjunction - and’ Flashcard GRCD Letterland Grammar Copymasters 2.1 Letterland Grammar Posters - Writing Sentences
Key terminology
Grammar Poster
Conjunction; joining word; clause
Activity outline
Notes
Introduce the analogy. People like to live together. Houses, or little avenues, like to be joined together to form communities. We need a way of joining those little groups of houses together. A little bridge would do the trick! There are words that act as little bridges. These words are called ‘conjunctions’. Use the ‘conjunction - and’ flashcard to help children visualise it from the GRCD.
Introduce the word clause here to describe a group of words, if appropriate. However, ‘group of words’ works just as well, as long as children understand that these don’t make a complete sentence.
Discuss the Examples 2.1. Look at the words and clauses standing alone. They need to be joined with other words and phrases to become full sentences. Demonstrate how and can make a difference by joining appropriate examples together. Show how the words or clauses work better together as they create a full sentence. Ask children to do the same with other examples. Working in small groups or pairs, they could come up with other sentences using and, then feed back to the rest of the class.
Children must also add the appropriate capital letters and punctuation.
and
You can also refer to and as a ‘joining word’ if that is easier for children to grasp than ‘conjunction’ at this stage.
As you are creating full sentences, use this as an opportunity to recap on children’s learning about full stops and capital letters.
Further practice • Use Letterland Grammar Copymasters 2.1 to practise joining clauses using and to create sentences. • If appropriate, ask children to complete their own sentences, with and as the conjunction. • Encourage children to look out for where and is used as a conjunction when they are reading.
Next steps When a child feels confident in using and as a conjunction, they can progress to using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions (Unit 2.2).
Unit 2: Writing sentences
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Coordinating and Unit 2.2 subordinating conjunctions Objectives • To recognise and understand how to use coordinating conjunctions in addition to and • To recognise and understand how to use subordinating conjunctions
Resources • Examples 2.2 from the GRCD (or see page 35-36) • ‘Conjunctions’ Flashcards GRCD • Letterland Grammar Copymasters 2.2
Key terminology conjunction; joining
coordinating conjunction
subordinating conjunction
Activity outline
Notes
Recap on using and as a way to join words and groups of words together to create sentences. Just as there are lots of different types of bridges, there are lots of different types of words that work as conjunctions / joining words. Some bridges join groups of houses that are the same value together. Introduce two other words which do the same job as and; but; or Using the Examples 2.2a, ask children to join the two halves of the sentences using the appropriate coordinating conjunctions.
Show some different types of bridges. Use the ‘conjunctions’ flashcards from the GRCD.
There are also words that join words and phrases to add extra information to a sentence: when; if; that; because Some bridges join groups of houses that are the less value together. Using the Examples 2.2b, ask children to join the two halves of the sentences using the appropriate subordinating conjunctions. This is best achieved by photocopying and cutting up the Examples 2.2b so children can create the sentences on their desks in pairs or in groups.
Introduce the phrase coordinating conjunctions if you think this is appropriate. These join words and phrases that are of equal importance in a sentence. However, this may be a difficult concept to grasp, and this level of detail is not required at this stage. Use the phrase subordinating conjunction if you think it is appropriate. These join words and groups of words which add extra meaning but are less important (subordinate) to the rest of the sentence. Some children may recognise that either when or if could be used to join some of the same phrases. If they do, you could use the opportunity to discuss how the meaning of a sentence can change, depending on the conjunction used.
Further practice • Use Letterland Grammar Copymasters 2.2 for different ways to recognise and practise using conjunctions. There are three photocopiable pages of exercises to complete. • As children become more confident in using conjunctions of all kinds, encourage them to read their writing back and spot any conjunctions that they might have included, either intentionally or unintentionally. They could underline any conjunctions in a different colour.
Next steps Some children may start to recognise other, or more complex conjunctions in their reading before they can use them in their own writing – examples could be: so; nor; yet; since; while; although; even though; unless; whenever. They may also start to use such conjunctions in their own writing without realising initially that these are conjunctions. If they do, encourage them to recognise them as such.
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Unit 2: Writing sentences
Unit 2.3 Expanded noun phrases Objectives • To understand what a noun is • To recognise an expanded noun phrase • To be able to write their own noun phrases
Resources • • • •
Examples 2.3 from the GRCD (or see page 37) ‘Noun phrase’ Flashcards GRCD Letterland Grammar Copymasters 2.3 Letterland Grammar Posters - Writing Sentences
Key terminology noun; noun phrase
Activity outline
Notes
Individual words also have special names to describe the type of word they are. Introduce the word noun, and explain that nouns name a person, place or thing. For example: The bird built a nest. Ella rode on her bike. Annie Apple lives in Letterland.
Children may already have an understanding of nouns and other parts of speech. If this is the case, you can use this as an opportunity to reinforce their understanding.
Ask for examples of nouns that children can see around them in the classroom. Pick out four or five of the suggestions (not names of individual children) and write them on the whiteboard e.g. chair; carpet; girl; door; picture. Look at the words you have written (alternatively, use the words on the Examples 2.3a) Introduce the analogy. Think of a building on it’s own - without steps or a pathway leading up to it, or a bit of a garden around it. Some buildings have just a little bit of land around them and some have lots. That’s the same as nouns. Some ‘noun phrases’ are short and others are long. Use the ‘noun phrase’ flashcards from the GRCD. Introduce the term noun phrase. A phrase is a group of words that work together. In addition, a simple noun phrase describes the noun: ‘the white house’; ‘her bike’. An expanded noun phrase gives us more information about the noun: ‘the white house with the lovely garden’; ‘the green bike’.
If this is the first time that children have been introduced to nouns, you may want to do some reinforcement work to establish their understanding before moving on to noun phrases. You may want to introduce the term word class or parts of speech here if you haven’t done so already. noun noun phrase house the white house
If children are already familiar with adjectives, you can use the introduction of expanded noun phrases to reinforce their understanding and practise their knowledge. They may identify themselves that an adjective is required, or present, in an expanded noun phrase.
Show children the Examples 2.3b noun phrase examples, showing how nouns can become noun phrases, and demonstrating the difference between simple and expanded noun phrases. Unit 2: Writing sentences
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Activity outline
Notes
In pairs or in groups, ask the children to turn the nouns you have written on the whiteboard into simple, and then expanded noun phrases. Encourage them to be as imaginative as they can be.
This is a good opportunity for children to use their own creativity and imagination to come up with different expanded noun phrases, which will help them understand how they can develop their own writing and make it more interesting. It is also a good way to demonstrate to children that everyone’s imagination is different.
Emphasise that even expanded noun phrases only need to be a few words long. Ask groups or pairs to share their noun phrases with the rest of the class – see how many different phrases you get for each noun.
If children have difficulty in using their imagination or coming up with adjectives, you could substitute words for pictures of specific nouns which they can describe.
Further practice • Letterland Grammar Copymasters 2.3a enables children to practise their recognition of nouns. • Use Letterland Grammar Copymasters 2.3b to help children practise their recognition of simple noun phrases. • Use Letterland Grammar Copymasters 2.3c to help children recognise of expanded noun phrases, and where they occur in sentences and longer narratives. • Encourage children to recognise and discuss noun phrases in their own reading, guided or individual.
Next steps • In pairs or small groups, play a game where each person adds another level of detail to a simple noun phrase, for example: dog
the dog the curious dog the curious dog with a bent tail The curious dog with a bent tail sniffed at the tree. Reverse the meaning or feeling of a noun phrase, either taken from a familiar book (for example, used in guided reading), or that a child has made up. For example: The sleek black cat slunk into the room. becomes: The clumsy fat cat crashed through the cat flap. Use activities like the ones above to extend children’s vocabulary and understanding of how language can create images and atmosphere. For example:
the house the old house the old house where no-one lives The spooky, old house where no-one lives. • Further work using nouns can be found in Unit 3 - Prefixes and Suffixes, which looks at plural noun suffixes and forming nouns using suffixes and compounding.
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Unit 2: Writing sentences