Freemantle
Church of England Community Academy Trust
Curious Quests LS
The Curious Quests is an immersive adventure into story, poetry, make-believe and gives children a childhood that brims with endless possibilities to invent, imagine and story dream.
Children begin 'Curious Quests' in Year 1 after completion of Drawing Club in Year R.
The Curious Quests combines short carpet sessions, group work and children exploring open-ended resources such as junk modelling, construction, playdough, role play and being outside.
Curious Quests is embedded and transforms our English learning. The children use quests and key characters to provide joy in the learning of SPAG content as well as applying their phonic understanding too.
The Curious Quests wants to build on the liberation of Drawing Club that shows children that writing is for them and that the pen is a magic wand. They write for their own joy, not to meet the demands of the adults.
Our curious quests are organised into the following elements:
Word bathing | Introducing vocabulary linked to or featuring in the text. |
From the portal | Introducing the learning intention of the lesson and key messages from Professor Klunk. |
Book Snuggle | Sharing of our key text, which is featured on our Reading Spine. |
Gadabout | During this element of the lesson there is a comprehension focus in which children chant key probing questions before discussion and modelling unlocks comprehension and understanding. |
Model writing | Teacher-led modelling to demonstrate key learning intentions and foundations of writing. |
Supported groups | Children work with the support of a teacher/teaching assistant in writing-based activities with extensive support for 2 groups per session. |
Independent sound | Children work independently to practice their phonic ability in focused activities once a week. |
Independent writing | Children work independently to practice their writing application in focused activities once a week. |
Modelled drawing | Teacher-led modelling of drawing/creating, related to the book. Extensive vocabulary is modelled during this process.
Magic moments (creating a solution to a problem in the story) allow children be creative and innovative. |
Time together | Children have opportunities to be creative and innovative through drawing, dough, craft and drama, with 2 focus groups, led by adults. |