Developed Informational and Explanatory Writing

PROCEDURAL

English›Writing Composition|Ages 11—14|ID: mt_zCUIJLdK_s

Write informative and explanatory texts that examine a topic and convey ideas clearly — organising information logically with headings and formatting, developing the topic with relevant facts, definitions, details, and quotations, and using precise vocabulary

Mastery Evidence

Organise an explanatory essay with a clear introduction, logical body paragraphs, and a conclusion
Develop a topic using well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, and quotations from sources
Use domain-specific vocabulary and formatting (headings, graphics) to aid the reader's comprehension

Assessment Prompt

“Can [child] write a clear explanation of how something works — like how a volcano erupts or how bread is made — so that someone who's never learned about it would understand?”

Curriculum Standards9 alignments

W.6.2Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

W.6.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

English Language Arts

W.7.2Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

W.7.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

English Language Arts

W.8.2Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

W.8.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

English Language Arts

W.8.2.aCommon Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

W.8.2.a

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

English Language Arts

W.8.2.bCommon Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

W.8.2.b

Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

English Language Arts

W.8.2.dCommon Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

W.8.2.d

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

English Language Arts

W.8.2.fCommon Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

W.8.2.f

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

English Language Arts

KS3-ENG-W-1aThe national curriculum in England

Write for a wide range of purposes and audiences

writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences, including: well-structured formal expository and narrative essays; stories, scripts, poetry and other imaginative writing; notes and polished scripts for talks and presentations and a range of other narrative and non-narrative texts, including arguments, and personal and formal letters

· Key Stage 3

KS3-ENG-W-1bThe national curriculum in England

Summarise and organise material

summarising and organising material, and supporting ideas and arguments with any necessary factual detail

· Key Stage 3

Prerequisites4

Layout and Formatting in Informational Writing
hardAges 10—11
Writing for an audience
hardAges 9—11
Cohesion and Transitions Across Writing
hardAges 11—14
Choosing Form and Tone for Your Audience
hardAges 9—10

Show full prerequisite tree

Layout and Formatting in Informational Writing hard
Informative writing extends KS2 use of layout devices (headings, columns, bullets)
- Writing Craft Vocabulary soft
  Layout devices guide readers through structure; 'structure', 'coherence', and 'form' vocabulary is helpful
- Organising Writing into Paragraphs hard
  Layout devices build on paragraph organisation
  - Building Writing Stamina hard
    Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
    - Joining Letters soft
      Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
      - Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
      - Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
    - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
      Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
      - Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
      - Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
    - Writing to inform soft
      Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
      Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
      - Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
      - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
  - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
    Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
    - Rote counting to 100 soft
      Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
      - One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
    - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
      Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
      - Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
      - Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Characters, settings, and events soft
      Story elements from reading inform writing
      - Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
    - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
      Handwriting needed for written narrative
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts
Writing for an audience hard
Writing well-structured informative/explanatory texts that examine a topic clearly requires the foundational ability to produce coherent, task/purpose-appropriate writing
- Writing Craft Vocabulary hard
  Producing coherent writing for task/purpose/audience requires these as precise, understood concepts
- Planning Ideas Before Writing hard
  Producing coherent writing matched to task/purpose/audience builds on planning skills; learners must know how to plan before they can match organisation to purpose
  - Describing Aloud soft
    Oral expression supports saying aloud what you'll write
    - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
      Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
    - Group discussions soft
      Conversational skills support oral description
      - Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
      - Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
  - Organising Writing into Paragraphs soft
    Planning skills build on earlier oral skills
    - Building Writing Stamina hard
      Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
      - Joining Letters soft
        Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
        
        Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
      - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
        Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
        
        Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
        
        Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
      - Writing to inform soft
        Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
        Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
        
        Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
    - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
      Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
      - Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
      - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts
  - Building Writing Stamina soft
    Planning before writing builds on earlier compositional skills
    - Joining Letters soft
      Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
      - Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
      - Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
    - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
      Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
      - Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
      - Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
    - Writing to inform soft
      Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
      Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
      - Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
      - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
  - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending soft
    Experience with narrative writing supports planning narratives
    - Rote counting to 100 soft
      Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
      - One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
    - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
      Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
      - Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
      - Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Characters, settings, and events soft
      Story elements from reading inform writing
      - Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
    - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
      Handwriting needed for written narrative
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Planning before writing requires 'plan', 'draft', 'compose', 'sequence', and 'key words' as working vocabulary
  - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
    Planning writing builds on Y1 oral rehearsal
    - Describing Aloud soft
      Oral description supports oral rehearsal
      - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
      - Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
    - Building sentences hard
      Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
- Organising Writing into Paragraphs soft
  Coherent organisation requires facility with paragraphs and structural devices like headings
  - Building Writing Stamina hard
    Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
    - Joining Letters soft
      Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
      - Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
      - Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
    - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
      Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
      - Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
      - Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
    - Writing to inform soft
      Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
      Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
      - Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
      - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
  - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
    Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
    - Rote counting to 100 soft
      Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
      - One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
    - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
      Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
      - Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
      - Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Characters, settings, and events soft
      Story elements from reading inform writing
      - Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
    - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
      Handwriting needed for written narrative
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts
Cohesion and Transitions Across Writing hard
Writing informative/explanatory texts with logical organisation and clear development of ideas across sections requires the ability to use cohesive devices and transitions to create coherence at whole-text level
- Cohesion within paragraphs hard
  Text-level cohesion extends KS2 cohesive devices within paragraphs
  - Pronouns for clarity soft
    Pronoun cohesion is a key cohesive device; prior work on choosing pronouns for clarity feeds directly into paragraph-level cohesion
    - Pronouns hard
      Pronoun cohesion and reflexive pronouns build on basic pronoun usage
      - Building sentences soft
        Sentence concept supports understanding pronoun function
      - Basic Nouns & Verbs hard
        Must know what nouns are before replacing them with pronouns
  - Organising Writing into Paragraphs hard
    Cohesion within paragraphs requires paragraphing knowledge; learners must organise text into paragraphs before learning to build cohesion within them
    - Building Writing Stamina hard
      Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
      - Joining Letters soft
        Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
        
        Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
      - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
        Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
        
        Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
        
        Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
      - Writing to inform soft
        Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
        Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
        
        Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
    - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
      Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
      - Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
      - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts
- Paragraph Cohesion hard
  KS3 transitions build on KS2 cohesive devices across paragraphs with ellipsis
  - Cohesion within paragraphs hard
    Extended cohesive devices builds on cohesion within paragraphs
    - Pronouns for clarity soft
      Pronoun cohesion is a key cohesive device; prior work on choosing pronouns for clarity feeds directly into paragraph-level cohesion
      - Pronouns hard
        Pronoun cohesion and reflexive pronouns build on basic pronoun usage
        
        Building sentences soft
        Sentence concept supports understanding pronoun function
        
        Basic Nouns & Verbs hard
        Must know what nouns are before replacing them with pronouns
    - Organising Writing into Paragraphs hard
      Cohesion within paragraphs requires paragraphing knowledge; learners must organise text into paragraphs before learning to build cohesion within them
      - Building Writing Stamina hard
        Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
        
        Joining Letters soft
        Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
        
        Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
        
        Expressing Feelings with Words soft
        Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
        
        Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
        
        Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
        
        Writing to inform soft
        Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
        Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
        
        Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
      - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
        Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
        
        Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts
  - Linking paragraphs with adverbials hard
    Extended cohesive devices builds on basic paragraph linking
    - Fronted Adverbials and Commas soft
      Fronted adverbials are one of the key mechanisms for linking paragraphs (e.g. Meanwhile, Later that day)
      - Commas in lists soft
        Comma after fronted adverbial extends comma usage introduced for lists
        
        Building sentences soft
        Understanding sentences supports knowing where to place commas
        
        Starting and Ending Sentences hard
        Must know basic punctuation before learning comma usage
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand sentences before punctuating them
      - Expressing Time, Place and Cause hard
        Fronted adverbials build on understanding conjunctions, adverbs, and prepositions to express time and cause
        
        Prepositions hard
        Using prepositions for time/cause builds on Y1 prepositions
        
        Listening and responding soft
        Listening and responding supports learning prepositions
        
        Subordinate clauses hard
        Time/cause conjunctions extend Y2 subordination/co-ordination
        
        Listening and responding soft
        Listening skills support understanding complex sentence structures
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand sentences before combining clauses
        
        Four Types of Sentences soft
        Understanding sentence types supports creating complex sentences
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand what a sentence is before learning sentence types
        
        Starting and Ending Sentences hard
        Must know basic sentence punctuation before varying it by type
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand sentences before punctuating them
        
        Joining Words with 'And' hard
        Must be able to join with 'and' before learning subordination and other co-ordinating conjunctions
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand sentences before joining them
    - Cohesion within paragraphs hard
      Linking across paragraphs builds on within-paragraph cohesion; learners must achieve cohesion within paragraphs before linking between them
      - Pronouns for clarity soft
        Pronoun cohesion is a key cohesive device; prior work on choosing pronouns for clarity feeds directly into paragraph-level cohesion
        
        Pronouns hard
        Pronoun cohesion and reflexive pronouns build on basic pronoun usage
        
        Building sentences soft
        Sentence concept supports understanding pronoun function
        
        Basic Nouns & Verbs hard
        Must know what nouns are before replacing them with pronouns
      - Organising Writing into Paragraphs hard
        Cohesion within paragraphs requires paragraphing knowledge; learners must organise text into paragraphs before learning to build cohesion within them
        
        Building Writing Stamina hard
        Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
        
        Joining Letters soft
        Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
        
        Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
        
        Expressing Feelings with Words soft
        Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
        
        Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
        
        Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
        
        Writing to inform soft
        Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
        Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
        
        Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
        
        Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
        Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
        
        Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts
- Linking paragraphs with adverbials hard
  Cross-paragraph linking extends KS2 linking ideas across paragraphs with adverbials
  - Fronted Adverbials and Commas soft
    Fronted adverbials are one of the key mechanisms for linking paragraphs (e.g. Meanwhile, Later that day)
    - Commas in lists soft
      Comma after fronted adverbial extends comma usage introduced for lists
      - Building sentences soft
        Understanding sentences supports knowing where to place commas
      - Starting and Ending Sentences hard
        Must know basic punctuation before learning comma usage
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand sentences before punctuating them
    - Expressing Time, Place and Cause hard
      Fronted adverbials build on understanding conjunctions, adverbs, and prepositions to express time and cause
      - Prepositions hard
        Using prepositions for time/cause builds on Y1 prepositions
        
        Listening and responding soft
        Listening and responding supports learning prepositions
      - Subordinate clauses hard
        Time/cause conjunctions extend Y2 subordination/co-ordination
        
        Listening and responding soft
        Listening skills support understanding complex sentence structures
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand sentences before combining clauses
        
        Four Types of Sentences soft
        Understanding sentence types supports creating complex sentences
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand what a sentence is before learning sentence types
        
        Starting and Ending Sentences hard
        Must know basic sentence punctuation before varying it by type
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand sentences before punctuating them
        
        Joining Words with 'And' hard
        Must be able to join with 'and' before learning subordination and other co-ordinating conjunctions
        
        Building sentences hard
        Must understand sentences before joining them
  - Cohesion within paragraphs hard
    Linking across paragraphs builds on within-paragraph cohesion; learners must achieve cohesion within paragraphs before linking between them
    - Pronouns for clarity soft
      Pronoun cohesion is a key cohesive device; prior work on choosing pronouns for clarity feeds directly into paragraph-level cohesion
      - Pronouns hard
        Pronoun cohesion and reflexive pronouns build on basic pronoun usage
        
        Building sentences soft
        Sentence concept supports understanding pronoun function
        
        Basic Nouns & Verbs hard
        Must know what nouns are before replacing them with pronouns
    - Organising Writing into Paragraphs hard
      Cohesion within paragraphs requires paragraphing knowledge; learners must organise text into paragraphs before learning to build cohesion within them
      - Building Writing Stamina hard
        Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
        
        Joining Letters soft
        Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
        
        Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
        
        Expressing Feelings with Words soft
        Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
        
        Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
        
        Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
        
        Writing to inform soft
        Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
        Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
        
        Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
      - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
        Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
        
        Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts
Choosing Form and Tone for Your Audience hard
Writing to explain requires understanding audience and purpose from KS2
- Writing Craft Vocabulary hard
  Identifying audience, purpose, form, tone, and register before writing requires all these as named vocabulary
- Formal and Informal English soft
  Formal/informal register awareness supports matching tone to audience and purpose
  - Describing Aloud soft
    Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
    - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
      Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
    - Group discussions soft
      Conversational skills support oral description
      - Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
      - Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
  - Using New Vocabulary soft
    Using acquired vocabulary supports recognising register differences
    - Discussing and Questioning New Words soft
      Need to understand words before using them
- Planning Ideas Before Writing hard
  Identifying audience and purpose before writing builds on general planning skills; the step up is from planning content to strategically matching form and tone to audience
  - Describing Aloud soft
    Oral expression supports saying aloud what you'll write
    - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
      Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
    - Group discussions soft
      Conversational skills support oral description
      - Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
      - Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
  - Organising Writing into Paragraphs soft
    Planning skills build on earlier oral skills
    - Building Writing Stamina hard
      Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
      - Joining Letters soft
        Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
        
        Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
      - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
        Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
        
        Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
        
        Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
      - Writing to inform soft
        Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
        Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
        
        Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
        
        Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
        
        Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
    - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
      Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
      - Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
      - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts
  - Building Writing Stamina soft
    Planning before writing builds on earlier compositional skills
    - Joining Letters soft
      Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
      - Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
      - Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
    - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
      Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
      - Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
      - Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
    - Writing to inform soft
      Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
      Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
      - Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
      - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
  - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending soft
    Experience with narrative writing supports planning narratives
    - Rote counting to 100 soft
      Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
      - One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
    - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
      Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
      - Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
      - Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Characters, settings, and events soft
      Story elements from reading inform writing
      - Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
    - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
      Handwriting needed for written narrative
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Planning before writing requires 'plan', 'draft', 'compose', 'sequence', and 'key words' as working vocabulary
  - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
    Planning writing builds on Y1 oral rehearsal
    - Describing Aloud soft
      Oral description supports oral rehearsal
      - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
      - Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
    - Building sentences hard
      Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
- Author's word choices soft
  Identifying audience and purpose before writing requires understanding how authorial choices shape reader experience — you are now making those choices deliberately
  - Connecting New & Old Ideas soft
    Recognising how authorial choices create effects requires connecting your reading experience to existing knowledge of how language and texts work
    - Thinking Before Starting hard
      Making connections between new and old ideas requires the habit of activating prior knowledge first
      - Persisting When It's Hard hard
        Activating prior knowledge requires the foundational habit of persistent engagement with new material
  - Monitoring Comprehension hard
    Recognising authorial effects requires reading for meaning rather than just decoding — you can only notice the effect of a word choice if you are genuinely engaging with meaning
    - Feeling of not understanding soft
      Noticing the decoding/understanding gap is the English-specific form of the universal comprehension-monitoring habit
      - Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
    - Reading for Meaning hard
      Noticing the gap between decoding and understanding requires first having the foundational idea that reading means making meaning
      - Feeling of not understanding soft
        Understanding that reading means making meaning is the English-domain grounding of the universal habit of noticing when you don't understand
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
- Planning a Task soft
  Identifying audience and purpose before writing is the writing-domain form of the universal planning habit
  - Checking Your Own Work hard
    Planning before a task grows from the habit of checking back after finishing — both are self-regulatory bookends

Unlocks2

Research & Source Evaluation
hardAges 11—14
Writing Science Reports
softAges 13—14