You may not want to use the exemplified teaching sequences and create your own from scratch. But even in that case, you may find them very helpful. They provide you with one set of ideas that model good practice. If there is not a planning exemplification for the unit you can still follow the model used as it helps to structure your planning.

Planning considerations

Outcomes
Components of the teaching sequence
The phases
The detail
The text
The environment

Planning considerations - Outcomes:

• What will the outcome be?
• Will the outcome be written or oral? Might it be a performance of some sort?
• Will the outcome be the same for all ability groups?
• Who is the audience?
• What is the purpose?

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Planning considerations - Components of the teaching sequence

With the identified objectives and initial thoughts in mind, you should brainstorm possible components of the teaching sequence and learning teaching strategies. This is the creative bit and you can really let your imagination run away with you. You can also refer to teaching sequences that are available and think about how these might be adapted to meet the needs of your children. Amongst other things, you can consider:

• texts, websites and other resources you know that might be useful
• drama strategies
• speaking and listening strategies
• writing opportunities
• modelled, shared and supported composition
• reading journal entries
• links to the assessment foci
• guided reading and writing
• sentence and word level links
• opportunities for ICT

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Planning considerations - The phases

Next you need to flesh out the creative ideas onto the bones of the teaching sequence. The order and length of time for each phase of the teaching sequence are made clear at this stage (particularly writing and the writing process).

Objectives are constantly returned to and the ideas are trimmed to focus on the learning outcomes for each phase. You have to decide which strategies and activities will be kept, and which are not necessary for the learning outcomes. For example: Where drama will come? How will this support the learning objectives?

Throughout this process you should keep in mind practical constraints:

• Access to resources - specially ICT
• TA support
• Timetable constrains

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Planning considerations - The detail

Next you can plot discrete teaching of certain aspects, for example:

• Will a spelling convention be taught and investigated in week one?
• Can independent strategies be taught within the writing process?
• Which aspects will require modelling?
• Which aspects will require shared or guided reading and writing?

You can return to the objectives to clarify your thinking at this point.

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Planning considerations - The text

An important part of the planning process is to unpick the text or texts you have identified, think of key questions, scaffolds, etc. You should return again to the objectives:

• What will they really be learning?
• What will my teaching ensure the pupils understand?

You will find that thinking about the learning you want to happen helps you to form key questions and plan plenaries which will allow you to assess learning and the children's understanding.

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Planning considerations - The environment

Finally, you should consider the learning environment:

• book boxes
• working wall
• role play areas
• possible educational visits

You may want to give as many opportunities for children to immerse and contextualise their literacy learning in its broadest sense.

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