We have been working really hard in class writing simple sentences. Please use the attached picture to help your child to write some sentences. They can do this on the first page of their writing book which was in their Home Learning Pack. Please take a photo of their work and upload it on to Tapestry.

When children are writing, a few things are important at this stage: 

• Get your child to tell you the first sentence verbally. Then practice saying the sentence together to help them to remember what they are going to write. Do this with each sentence.
• There is a 100 High Frequency Word mat on the Class 1 page. These words are also in your child's reading booklets. When your child is writing if they need to write a High Frequency Word and they don't know how to spell it encourage them to find it on the word mat and copy it, this helps them learn to spell these frequently used words.
• Your child has a Phase 2 and 3 Sounds mat in their Home learning pack. They will need this to help them with other spellings. If they hear a sound in a word and can't remember how to write it they can find it on here to help them. It doesn't matter at this stage if they spell all words correctly. An example of this would be kite. They wouldn't learn the i-e sound until Phase 5 so for now spelling kite as kight or cight is fine. They may ask you which c sound to use which is fine. 
• This may seem strange but pleased be assured it is the best way to help children start to write.

An example of a child written sentence. If you read the sentence using phonics you can work out what it says.

I sor a boat on the worter.

The writing expectation at the end of the year for Class 1 is:

Children use their phonic knowledge to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds. They also write some irregular common words. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others. Some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible.

Children who reach the exceeding expectation will achieve the above and also:

Children can spell phonically regular words of more than one syllable as well as many irregular but high frequency words. They use key features of narrative in their own writing.

This is what we are working towards.