Literacy Key Skills
Class 3
Autumn 1
Must: I can recognise when speech marks have been used in direct speech.
Should: I can use speech marks correctly in a sentence.
Could: I can use speech marks with punctuation consistently in my writing.
Autumn 2
Must: I can recognise conjunctions, time adverbs and prepositions in a sentence.
conjunctions [e.g. when, before, after, while], adverbs [e.g. then, next, soon, therefore], prepositions [e.g., before, after].
Should: I can show time and cause by using conjunctions, time adverbs and prepositions in a sentence.
Could: I can use conjunctions, time adverbs and prepositions consistently in my writing.
Spring 1
Must: I can recognise when a verb has been used in a sentence.
Should: I can choose the best powerful verb to use in a sentence and can choose the best tense.
Could: I can use powerful descriptive verbs, including the perfect form, consistently in my writing.
Spring 2
Must: I can recognise fronted adverbials (e.g. Later that day,… In the Summer,…)
Should: I can use fronted adverbials correctly in a sentence
Could: I can use fronted adverbials with commas consistently in my writing.
Summer 1
Must: I can recognise noun phrases which have been expanded by adjectives and prepositions to give
more detail (e.g. ‘the teacher’ expanded to ‘the strict teacher with the curly hair’)
Should: I can use an expanded noun phrase in a sentence to describe something
Could: I can use expanded noun phrases to describe things consistently in my writing.
Summer 2
Must: I can recognise the apostrophe of possession in a sentence and know the difference between the
plural and possessive ‘s’.
Should: I can use the apostrophe of possession correctly in a sentence.
Could: I can use the apostrophe of possession consistently in my writing.
Literacy Key Skills
Class 4
Autumn 1
Must: I can recognise when brackets, dashes or commas are used to indicate a subordinate clause
(parenthesis).
Should: I can use brackets, dashes or commas to indicate a subordinate clause correctly in my sentence.
Could: I can use brackets, dashes or commas to indicate a subordinate clause appropriately and
consistently in my writing.
Autumn 2
Must: I can recognise when to use a semi-colon or colon.
Should: I can use a semi-colon or colon in a sentence.
Could: I can use a semi-colon or colon appropriately and consistently in my writing.
Spring 1
Must: I can recognise when ideas have been linked across paragraphs using adverbials of time [for
example, later], place [for example, nearby] and number [for example, secondly] or tense choices
Should: I can link ideas across paragraphs by using the adverbials of time, place and number in my
writing.
Could: I can link ideas across paragraphs by using the adverbials of time, place and number,
appropriately and consistently in my writing
Spring 2
Must: I can recognise how to convert nouns or adjectives into verbs using suffixes [for example,
–ate; –ise; –ify].
Verb prefixes [for example, dis–, de–, mis–, over– and re–]
Should: I can use converted nouns or adjectives in a sentence.
Could: I can use converted nouns or adjectives appropriately and consistently in my writing
Summer 1
Must: I can recognise layout devices, such as headings, sub-headings, columns, bullets, or tables, that
structure text.
Should: I can use headings, sub-headings, columns, bullets, or tables to structure text.
Could: I can use headings, sub-headings, columns, bullets, or tables appropriately and consistently in my
writing.
Summer 2
Must: I can recognise the difference between informal speech and formal speech and writing.
Should: I can use informal speech or formal speech and/or writing correctly in a sentence.
Could: I can use informal speech or formal speech and/or writing, appropriately and consistently in my
writing.