We have been learning about what makes a good sentence.  In Primary 1, we learned how to construct simple sentences with a noun and one verb,

I see a dog.

In Primary 2, we are learning how to construct more complex sentence that will create interest for our readers.  We do this by adding adjectives,

I see a black dog.

I see a big black dog.

To create longer more interesting sentences, rather than several short sentences, we use connectives.

I see a big black dog.  He is in the park.  He is holding a bone.

I see a big black dog running in the big park whilst holding a big bone.

Finally, we are learning to use WOW words in our writing to replace common words such as ‘big’.

I see a shaggy black dog running in the adventure park whist holding a gigantic bone.

Have a look at this document about VCOP to find out how children’s writing is being developed in St. Mark’s Primary.

Each Monday and Wednesday the children are given spelling homework made up of 8 to 10 words in total. These words are used in the Spelling assessment that is carried out in class every Friday, so it is very important that these words are practised at home.

There are lots of fun ways you can help your child with this. If you child is having difficult with the sounds of the letters, Jolly Phonics have a great free app that provides help with the sound and formation of letters, as well as the song and actions that go with them.  Jolly Phonics is the phonic scheme that your child has been using in school since Primary 1, so they will be very familiar with it.

This website, Reading Eggs,  provides lots of fun activities that can be used to help your child with spelling at home. As you can see from this website, spelling doesn’t need to be boring but practice is the key to confident spelling.