EYFS

 Our littlest writers have been reading the story 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. They were immersed in the story and then began to create a story map where they wrote keywords that linked to the text. The children then used this map to help them write sentences that retold the story.

 

Reception also spent time writing letters to a fairy. Here were some examples that their teachers were super proud of ...

 

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Year 1

Last term, our Year 1 children completed a unit on the Three Little Pigs using Talk 4 Writing. In the imitation stage, the children spent time orally rehearsing the story and mimicking the writing style used in the text. Once they had learnt this by heart, they moved on to writing their own stories. The Year 1 teachers were so impressed by the work that the children were able to complete. Their sentence structure and use of punctuation have shown lots of improvement.

Here are a few that their teachers were particularly proud of: 

The children also completed some non-fiction report writing last term. They wrote about spring and informed their audience of what weather, plants and animals you can expect to see during the season. Here are a few examples of their incredible work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Year 2

Last term, our Year 2 writers amazed us with their fantastic diary entries about the Great Fire of London. Stepping into the shoes of 17th-century Londoners, the children used powerful descriptions, emotive language and exciting details to bring this historic event to life.

We were so impressed with how they structured their diaries, remembering to include dates, feelings, and vivid observations — just like real eyewitnesses. 

Well done, Year 2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The children then continued on to write some incredible poetry about the fire. They focused on the senses and imagining what it would have been like to be there.

 

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Year 3

Last term, Year 3 were learning about the Romans and their impact on Britain. During this topic, they learnt about the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. As a year group, the children read the story 'Escape from Pompeii' by Christina Balit which introduced them to the tragic story. The children then researched facts about the event and decided to write a report. 

We were so proud of how well the children were able to weave together facts and technical language alongside descriptive phrases.

After learning about the events of Pompeii, Year 3 decided to write poems about the story. Their poems were inspired by 'Slowly' by James Reeves and they explored how the people of Pompeii would have acted and what the city would have looked like during the eruption. 

We are so proud of these poems!

 

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Year 4

Our Year 4 children were busy writing brilliant recounts of their exciting trip to Hooke Court! Their recounts captured their experience perfectly, using clear sequencing, lively details and fantastic vocabulary to bring their experiences to life.

We were so impressed by how well they organised their ideas and how they included personal reflections. Each recount was full of enthusiasm and showed just how much they learnt and enjoyed themselves.

Well done, Year 4 — your writing truly transported us to Hooke Court with you!

 

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Year 5

Last term, Year 5 read a colourful picture book called ‘Rain player’ by David Wisniewksi. Rain Player uses a rich variety of language features to bring the story (based on a Mayan legend) vividly to life. Wisniewski uses vivid adjectives and detailed descriptions to create strong images of the characters, settings and action.

The children wrote their own stories inspired by Pik’s adventure and tried to incorporate all the fantastic language features from the original text. 

 

 

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Year 6

Our Year 6 writers learnt all about the ancient Shang Dynasty last term. 

Within this topic, the children spent time looking at the legends and myths surrounding the dynasty and decided to create their own. 

You may notice some extra strips of paper that have been stuck in the children's books. These are 'Editing Tabs' and are a way that our children improve upon any editing they do. The children will edit the work beneath the tab in purple pen and then re-write this section to an even higher standard.

Here are some particularly fantastic examples of Chinese myths created by our wonderful Year 6 children.

We are so proud of all our extraordinary writers at St James'