Year 4 Summer 1 English Skills – Crime and Punishment
Comprehension

Composition
I can show that I enjoy reading
by reading a wide range of
fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction
and reference books or
textbooks.

I can show that I enjoy reading
by reading lots of different types
of books and for different
reasons.

I can use a dictionary to check
the meaning of words.

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I can listen to and discuss a wide
range of fiction, poetry, plays, nonfiction and reference books or
textbooks.
I can prepare poems and play
scripts to read aloud and to
perform, showing understanding
through intonation, tone, volume
and action.
I can discuss words and
increasingly complex phrases that
capture the reader’s interest and
imagination.
I can plan and improve my writing by discussing examples from other writers that I like and
looking at their use of sentence structure, words and grammar.

I can plan my writing by talking about the important parts to have in a story, poem,
explanation or non-fiction piece, and I can redraft this work a number of times.

I can rewrite my work, making improvements by saying the work out loud, using the best
words I know and the best sentence structures I can.
Word Reading
Spelling


Spoken Language



I can use my understanding
of root words, prefixes
(including re- , sub-, inter-,
super-, anti-, auto-) and
suffixes (including -ation, ous) to help me understand
the meaning of new words.
I can read and decode
further exception words
accurately, including words
that do not follow spelling
patterns.

I can use the prefixes in-,
im-, il-, ir-, sub-, inter-,
super-, anti-, auto-.
I can understand and add
the suffixes -ation, -ous.
Vocabulary, Grammar
and Punctuation



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I can add endings which
sound like ‘shun’ spelt tion, -sion, -ssion, -cian
e.g. invention, tension,
discussion, magician.
I can explain the difference
between the plural and the
possessive -s.
I can use the correct form of
the verb inflection e.g. we
were instead of we was.
I can make my writing
interesting by using
adjectives and other
descriptive methods.
Handwriting


I can use some of the diagonal
and horizontal strokes I need to
join letters and know which
letters, when they are next to
one another, are best left
unjoined.
I can write so that my letters are
easy to read, all the same way
up and the same size; my
writing is spaced properly so
that my letters don’t overlap.
English TOPIC – Year 4 Summer 1
Crime and
Punishment
Sam’s Duck (Micheal Morpurgo)
Balaclava Boy
Reading Challenges

Read a selection of stories from Whodunit? Detective Stories by Philip Pullman, including stories about
Sherlock Holmes – compare the crimes and mysteries, and how they are solved.

Research and compare crime and punishment through the ages by reading information books for example,
The Daily Life of a Tudor Criminal by Alan Child and Cruel Crime and Painful Punishment by Terry Deary.

Read and enjoy The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes – talk about both the story of this highwayman, and
highwaymen in general.
Plays – based on ‘The Real Story of the Three
Little Pigs’
Speaking and Listening
Challenges

Hold a class debate – Did the
punishment fit the crime? Or which was
the worst punishment and why?

Interview a police person – find out
about the different aspects of their job,
crimes and the law.
Narrative Writing
Challenges

Write a new, modern detective
story involving Sherlock
Holmes and Doctor Watson.

Create a comic strip or
storyboard showing a new
episode of Scooby Doo, where
a crime is solved.

Write character descriptions of
the Highwayman, Bess and
other characters from the
poem.
Non-Narrative Writing
Challenges

Write information texts about
crime and punishment across the
ages, including Tudor and
Victorian times.

Write a recount about a day in
the life of a police person, based
on research and interviews.

Write a visitor’s guide to the
Tower of London, including
information about the buildings
and famous prisoners.
Poetry Writing
Challenges

Write your own version of the
Witches’ Spell from Macbeth,
keeping the rhythm and rhyme
patterns the same.

Write a poem to describe the
life of a famous criminal, for
example Guy Fawkes or Dick
Turpin.