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Subject-verb agreement
Grammar & Punctuation
Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in sentences, maintaining subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'He hops' vs 'We hop')
Subordinate clauses
Grammar & Punctuation
Use subordination (when, if, that, because) and co-ordination (or, and, but) to join clauses and create compound and complex sentences
Suffixes
Spelling & Word Study
Apply suffix spelling rules that require changes to the root word: dropping final -e before vowel suffixes, changing -y to -i, doubling final consonants in short-vowel words; use suffixes -ment, -ness, -ful, -less, -ly
Syllables (age 6+)
Phonics & Word Reading
Decode words of two or more syllables by breaking them into syllable chunks, applying knowledge that every syllable must contain a vowel sound, and blending the parts together
Writing Poetry
Writing Composition
Write poetry, exploring patterns of language, rhyme and rhythm, and learning poems by heart for recitation with appropriate intonation
Adjectives vs adverbs
Grammar & Punctuation
Use adjectives and adverbs correctly, choosing between them depending on whether a noun or verb/adjective is being modified (e.g., 'She ran quickly' vs 'She is quick')
Apostrophes for possession (age 7+)
Spelling & Word Study
Use the possessive apostrophe accurately with both regular and irregular plural nouns (e.g., the girls' bags, the children's toys), distinguishing singular from plural possession
Author's word choices
English Thinking
Recognise how an author's deliberate choices — of words, structure, tone, and perspective — create particular effects on you as a reader
Choosing A or An
Grammar & Punctuation
Use the correct form of the indefinite article — 'a' before words beginning with a consonant sound and 'an' before words beginning with a vowel sound (e.g., a rock, an open box, an hour, a unicorn)
Decoding unfamiliar words
Phonics & Word Reading
Read Y3-4 exception words with unusual spelling-sound correspondences, applying growing knowledge of morphology and etymology to decode unfamiliar exception words
Engaging Listeners and Valuing Viewpoints
Speaking & Listening
Gain, maintain and monitor the interest of listeners when speaking; consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on others' contributions; begin to select appropriate language for different situations
Expressing Time, Place and Cause
Grammar & Punctuation
Use conjunctions (when, before, after, while, so, because), adverbs (then, next, soon, therefore) and prepositions (before, after, during, in, because of) to express time, place and cause within and across sentences
Formal and Informal English
Vocabulary
Recognise and compare formal and informal uses of English, understanding that language choices vary based on audience, purpose and context
Forms of Poetry and Performance
Reading Comprehension
Recognise different forms of poetry (free verse, narrative poetry, haiku) and discuss their features; prepare poems and play scripts to read aloud and perform with understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action
Grammar Terms: Clauses and Conjunctions
Grammar & Punctuation
Use and understand Year 3 grammatical terminology accurately when discussing reading and writing: preposition, conjunction, word family, prefix, clause, subordinate clause, direct speech, consonant letter, vowel letter, inverted commas/speech marks
Homophones
Spelling & Word Study
Distinguish and correctly spell common homophones and near-homophones encountered at Y3-4 level (e.g., accept/except, affect/effect, brake/break, grate/great), including using the /eɪ/ sound spelt ei, eigh, or ey
Inference vs Explicit Meaning
English Thinking
Distinguish between what a text explicitly says and what you have inferred, assumed, or read in — knowing which is which is fundamental to honest comprehension
Inferring Characters' Feelings and Motives
Reading Comprehension
Draw inferences from independently-read texts, such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence from the text
Irregular past tense verbs
Grammar & Punctuation
Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs correctly (e.g., sat, hid, told, went, came, ran), recognising that these do not follow the regular -ed pattern
Irregular Plural Nouns
Grammar & Punctuation
Form and use irregular plural nouns (e.g., children, teeth, mice, geese) in addition to regular plurals, recognising that some nouns have irregular plural forms that do not follow the -s/-es pattern
Main Ideas & Note-Taking
Reading Comprehension
Identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarise them; retrieve and record information from non-fiction texts using notes, tables or other methods
Narrative Writing
Writing Composition
Write narratives with developed settings, characters and plot, using dialogue and description to develop experiences and show character responses to situations
Organising Writing into Paragraphs
Writing Composition
Organise writing into paragraphs, grouping related material around a theme, and use simple organisational devices such as headings and sub-headings in non-narrative writing
Prefixes (age 7+)
Spelling & Word Study
Spell words with a range of prefixes (dis-, mis-, un-, re-, pre-, anti-, auto-, super-) understanding how each prefix modifies the root word's meaning without changing its spelling