Please use the links to find information about texts studied at Overdale Junior School in each of the three terms.
Our English leads are Mrs Perryman & Miss Green
This area of our website is in development, please check back soon for further information on our English curriculum.
AUTUMN TERM
Please find details below of the core texts studied this year during the Autumn term.
Autumn term 1 core texts:
Year 3 – After the Fall by Dan Santat
Year 4 – Leon and the Place Between by Angela McAllister
Year 5 – The Promise by Nicola Davies
Year 6 – Can I Build Another Me? by Shinsuke Yoshitake
Units planned on the above texts enabled us to have a whole school focus on sentence structures. Careful planning for progression meant class teachers were able to revisit and recap on sentence building work carried out in previous year groups, ensuring precision and understanding underpins pupils’ writing as we move forward.
Autumn term 2 core and supplementary texts:
Year 3:
Core – Into the Forest by Anthony Browne
Supplementary – The Book of Trees (non-fiction); The Lost Spells (poetry); extracts from well known fairy tales
Year 4:
Core – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Supplementary – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson; The Ice Bear by Jackie Morris; The Last Bear by Hannah Gold
Year 5:
Core – Herakles (classic text)
Supplementary – Mythologica (non-fiction); Leon and the Gorgon’s Curse (graphic novel); Who Let the Gods Out by Maz Evans; Percy Jackson and the Demigod Files by Rick Riordan
Year 6:
Core – Over the Line by Michael Morpurgo
Building on their sentence work, in Autumn term 2, children write setting descriptions. They also write a character description, complete a short poetry unit and have a cross-curricular writing opportunity. More detailed information on this term’s English to follow.
In Spring term, pupils in all year groups explore a range of books in their English lessons, which are detailed in the text maps below.
Linking with their year group specific non-fiction texts, children write non-chronological reports, with a focus on cohesion.
Narrative writing linked to one of the books in the text bundle gives children an opportunity to re-apply writing foci from the Autumn term to a new context.
Poetry is based on the year group text/poem and children are asked to create their own verse or in a specific structure.
Children are also asked to write a simple recount which could be an informal letter/blog post based on their text bundle OR a short piece of cross-curricular writing.
In the Summer term, children focus on the following texts in their English lessons:
Year 3
Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson
This book tells the inspiring true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, who cycled an incredible four hundred miles across Ghana – with only one strong leg – to spread his powerful message: disability does not mean inability.
The bold collage illustrations with their stylish, expressive figures tell his inspirational story in an engaging and accessible way. Filled with layers of rich, warm colour on pale, thickly painted backgrounds, Qualls’s illustrations and Thompson’s engaging narrative offer a powerful celebration of triumph over adversity.
Children will also be reading examples of persuasive writing and creating persuasive letters in the character of Emmanuel.
Year 4
Varmints by Helen Ward and Mark Craste
The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
The Wild Way Home by Sophie Kirtley
Varmints is a book that explores topics about the environment and conservation. With dramatically lit artwork and a spare, intriguing text, Varmints tells of a pastoral world in need of protection and of the souls who love it enough to ensure its regeneration.
The Lost Words is a very special illustrated collection of spell-poems to re-wild the language of children. All over the country, there are words disappearing from children’s lives. These are the words of the natural world – Dandelion, Otter, Bramble and Acorn, all gone. The rich landscape of wild imagination and wild play is rapidly fading from our children’s minds.
The Wild Way Home is a story about a wild, big-hearted adventure. This multi-layered time-slip adventure is both thrilling and moving. In the midst of life-threatening danger from wild beasts and environmental hazards, Charlie unexpectedly learns about his fears, his courage, his compassion and the importance of family and love. A perfect story to show how, when bad things happen, it’s OK to be scared but that most storms can be weathered with support from those who care about you.
Year 5
The Nowhere Emporium by Ross Mackenzie
Orphaned as a toddler and growing up in a children’s home, Daniel is constantly picked on by Spud Harper and his gang of bullies. However, his life changes forever when he stumbles upon The Nowhere Emporium, which has mysteriously arrived in Glasgow.
Its owner and creator, Lucien Silver, quickly spots something special about Daniel. He invites him to come and work at the Emporium, which can inexplicably travel anywhere in the world and at any time. It doesn’t take long for Silver to realise the true extent of Daniel’s talent – and so begins an exciting adventure to save the Emporium from his lifelong arch-nemesis, Vindictus Sharpe.
A dazzling and quirky tale, full of imagination and wonder.
Year 6
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
Short by Kevin Crossley-Holland
The 500-word book by our 2022 short listed children from the Oak Academy Trust
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas links with Year 6’s history learning about WW2. There will be themes of a sensitive nature covered in the book as well as the Holocaust.
Parents may wish to speak to their children more about this, prior to reading the book.