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How to learn Key stage 1: English

The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document, Key stage 1

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1. Spelling

  1. Knowing all letters: Recognise and name all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet; name the letters in order and use letter names to distinguish between alternative spellings
  2. Single Letter Sounds: Know the primary sound for each consonant and the short and long sounds for the five major vowels; respond speedily to single-letter graphemes
  3. Consonant Digraphs: Read and spell words containing consonant digraphs and less common consonant spellings (ch, sh, th, ck, tch, ng, ph, wh, k for /k/)
  4. Vowel Digraphs: Read and spell words containing common vowel digraphs (ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, oe, oo, oi, oy) including where a digraph can represent more than one sound
  5. Onsets & Rimes: Blend and segment onsets and rimes in single-syllable words; isolate and pronounce individual phonemes (initial, medial, final) in CVC words; add or substitute phonemes to make new words
  6. Segmenting words into sounds: Segment spoken words into phonemes and spell CVC and simple phonetically regular words by writing a letter or letters for each sound
  7. Blending Sounds to Read Words: Apply phonic knowledge to blend sounds in unfamiliar words containing taught grapheme-phoneme correspondences; respond speedily to graphemes for all 40+ phonemes
  8. Syllables: Count, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words; divide written words into syllables as an aid to reading and spelling
  9. Spelling Verb Endings: Spell words with common suffixes (-s/-es for plurals and third person verbs, -ing, -ed, -er, -est) where no change to the root word is needed
  10. Split Digraphs and Magic E: Read and spell words containing split digraphs (a-e, e-e, i-e, o-e, u-e) where a final 'e' makes the preceding vowel long
  11. R-Controlled Vowel Sounds: Read and spell words containing r-controlled vowels (ar, er, ir, ur, or, ore) and vowel-r patterns where 'r' modifies the vowel sound
  12. Diphthongs and complex vowels: Read and spell words containing diphthongs and complex vowel patterns (ow, ou, ew, ue, ie, aw, au) and words ending in -y as a vowel sound
  13. Trigraphs: Read and spell words containing trigraphs — three-letter graphemes representing a single sound (igh, air, ear, are)
  14. The Prefix un-: Spell words using the prefix un- to change meaning; understand that un- creates opposites or reverses actions
  15. Compound Words: Recognise and spell compound words by identifying the two component words that combine to form a single word
  16. Alternative Spellings for Known Sounds: Recognise alternative grapheme-phoneme correspondences for known phonemes (e.g., /dʒ/ as ge/dge/g, /s/ as c, /n/ as kn/gn, /r/ as wr, /ʒ/ as s), reading words with less common spellings for familiar sounds
  17. Suffixes: 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
  18. Alternative Spellings for Sounds: Spell words using alternative grapheme choices for known phonemes, learning new spellings for sounds already encountered (e.g., /ɔ:/ as 'a' before ll, /ʌ/ as 'o', words ending -tion), including distinguishing common homophones
  19. Spelling Contracted Forms: Spell contracted forms correctly by placing the apostrophe where letters are omitted (can't, didn't, I'll, it's, etc.)
  20. Tricky words: Spell common exception words from memory that do not follow regular phonic patterns, including the days of the week

2. Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation

  1. Building sentences: Understand that words combine to make sentences — a sentence expresses a complete thought; produce and expand complete sentences in speech and writing
  2. Spaces Between Words: Separate words with spaces in writing; understand that spaces mark word boundaries in print
  3. Starting and Ending Sentences: Begin sentences with a capital letter and end them with the appropriate mark (full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark); recognise and name end punctuation
  4. Capitals for Names, Days and I: Use capital letters for proper nouns (names of people, places) the days of the week, and the personal pronoun 'I'
  5. Joining Words with 'And': Join words and clauses using the conjunction 'and' to create longer sentences
  6. Grammar words: letter, word, sentence: Use basic grammatical terminology when discussing reading and writing: letter, capital letter, word, singular, plural, sentence, punctuation, full stop, question mark, exclamation mark
  7. Regular Plural Nouns: Form and use regular plural nouns orally and in writing by adding -s or -es; understand that plural means more than one
  8. Word Parts as Clues: Use knowledge of common inflections and affixes (-ed, -s, un-, -er) as clues to the meaning of unknown words; understand how the prefix un- changes meaning
  9. Commas in lists: Use commas to separate items in a list within a sentence (e.g., 'I bought apples, bananas, and oranges')
  10. Subordinate clauses: Use subordination (when, if, that, because) and co-ordination (or, and, but) to join clauses and create compound and complex sentences
  11. Four Types of Sentences: Understand and use the four sentence types — statement, question, exclamation, and command — recognising how grammatical patterns indicate sentence function
  12. Grammar Terms: Nouns, Verbs and Tense: Use and understand Year 2 grammatical terminology in discussion: noun, noun phrase, statement, question, exclamation, command, compound, suffix, adjective, adverb, verb, tense (past/present), apostrophe, comma
  13. Root Words & Inflections: Identify frequently occurring root words and their inflectional forms (e.g., look/looks/looked/looking), using affixes as clues to word meaning and understanding how suffixes create nouns and adjectives

3. Reading – comprehension

  1. Listening to Texts Read Aloud: Listen to and discuss poems, stories, and non-fiction at a level beyond independent reading; confirm understanding of texts read aloud by asking and answering questions about key details
  2. Characters, settings, and events: Identify characters, settings, and major events in stories; become familiar with key stories, fairy tales, and traditional tales and retell them with key details in sequence
  3. Story Sequence and Central Message: Discuss the sequence of events in narrative texts and how items of information are related in non-fiction, retelling stories including key details and demonstrating understanding of central message or lesson
  4. Retelling Stories with Structure: Retell stories including key details in sequence, describe characters, settings, and major events using evidence from the text, and describe the overall structure of a story (beginning, middle, ending)
  5. Non-Fiction Text Features: Recognise different non-fiction text structures and features (headings, contents, glossary, index), understanding how texts are organised to present information
  6. Expressive and Sensory Language: Recognise recurring literary language in stories and poetry, identify words and phrases that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses, and discuss favourite words and phrases
  7. Discussing and Questioning New Words: Ask and answer questions about unknown words in texts; discuss word meanings and link new vocabulary to words already known
  8. Defining Words: Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., 'a duck is a bird that swims'), making real-life connections between words and their use
  9. Reciting Poetry: Learn poems by heart and recite with appropriate intonation, adding visual displays to descriptions when appropriate, and producing complete sentences in spoken presentations
  10. Rhyming words: Recognise and produce rhyming words; join in with predictable phrases and rhymes in stories and poems; learn to appreciate and recite poems by heart
  11. Writing Poetry: Write poetry, exploring patterns of language, rhyme and rhythm, and learning poems by heart for recitation with appropriate intonation
  12. Connecting reading to experience: Link what is read or heard to own experiences; draw on background knowledge and vocabulary to support understanding of texts
  13. Self-Correcting While Reading: Check that text makes sense while reading and self-correct inaccurate reading by re-reading or using context
  14. Discussing Texts as a Group: Participate in discussions about what is read, taking turns and listening to others; explain understanding clearly; actively engage in group reading activities
  15. Predicting what happens next: Predict what might happen next in a story based on what has been read so far; discuss the significance of titles and events

4. Writing – transcription

  1. Joining Letters: Begin to join letters using diagonal and horizontal strokes, understanding which letter pairs are best left unjoined, forming letters of correct size relative to one another
  2. Spelling from Dictation: Write simple sentences from memory when dictated by the teacher, applying taught GPCs, spelling rules, and common exception words

5. Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

  1. Basic Nouns & Verbs: Use frequently occurring nouns (people, places, things) and verbs (action words) appropriately in speech and writing
  2. Subject-verb agreement: Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in sentences, maintaining subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'He hops' vs 'We hop')

6. Writing – composition

  1. Building Writing Stamina: Write about real events and for different purposes, developing stamina for sustained writing across genres beyond narrative (e.g., recounts, letters, instructions)
  2. Planning Ideas Before Writing: Plan before writing by saying aloud or noting down what will be written, writing down ideas and key words, and encapsulating ideas sentence by sentence before composing
  3. Responding to Writing Feedback: With teacher guidance, re-read own writing aloud to check it sounds right; listen and respond to questions and suggestions from teacher or peers to add detail, clarify meaning, and strengthen writing — this is the scaffolded beginning of writing self-evaluation, not an independent skill
  4. Sharing and Publishing Your Writing: Read own writing aloud clearly enough to be heard by peers and the teacher; use digital tools to produce and publish writing

7. Reading – word reading

  1. Reading fluently: Read aloud books matched to phonic ability accurately and with growing fluency; reread familiar texts to build confidence, speed, and expression
  2. Syllables (age 6+): 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
  3. Reading with Expression and Accuracy: Read aloud with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression (prosody), re-reading familiar texts to build fluency and confidence, and using context to self-correct
  4. Reading Contractions: Read and understand contractions with apostrophes, knowing the apostrophe represents omitted letters

8. Writing – handwriting

  1. Sitting and holding a pencil: Sit correctly at a table holding a pencil comfortably and correctly; form lower-case letters in the correct direction starting and finishing in the right place
  2. Forming Capital Letters: Form capital letters correctly; print many upper- and lowercase letters legibly
  3. Writing digits 0-9: Form digits 0-9 correctly and legibly
  4. Letter Formation Families: Understand which letters belong to which handwriting families based on similar formation patterns and practise letters in groups