A deep dive into the Bedrock Grammar curriculum

Grammar, with its complex rules and abstract concepts, is integral to mastering language - and that’s before we arrive at the tricky issue of instruction. From learner engagement and motivation to teacher preparedness and the integration of grammar with other language skills, the obstacles are multifaceted and deeply interwoven.

The requirements on learners deepen and become much more challenging as they transition from KS2 to KS3- time and time again, I’d catch myself assuming too much and thinking my year 7s had a sound grasp of concepts and applications that they clearly didn’t have.

Yet, the time we are given and the curriculum we must deliver do not support small, tangible steps needed for grammar instruction.

Not only this, but we often forget that our young learners are human and simply forget how to apply their knowledge of grammar concepts to their own work; a barrier we so commonly identify during the first term of Y7.

Bedrock’s grammar curriculum supports educationalists in overcoming these barriers we see in our classrooms. With ready-made classroom resources, explanation videos, and a foundation and advanced core curriculum, Bedrock Grammar will be a helping hand during SATs preparation, that difficult transition period, and those everyday misconceptions across all key stages within a learner’s education journey.

Bedrock Grammar is National Curriculum aligned and teaches all of the key grammatical skills learners need to know - from how to use full stops and capital letters to how to construct a compound-complex sentence to analysing the effect of grammar items in action! It provides the space for them to practise using these new structures in their own writing. Suitable for learners between the ages of 6 to 18, it offers an engaging, personalised approach to grammar teaching and learning. Bedrock Grammar enables schools to improve language and track progress in a consistent and coherent way.

Bedrock Grammar is a linear curriculum; with the rationale being that all grammar knowledge must be met at mastery level before progressing on to more complex, in-depth concepts. Our Grammar curriculum is structured into two units: Grammar Foundations and Advanced Grammar. Each unit covers around 30 skills.

Before embarking on their Bedrock grammar journey, learners will complete their first holistic assessment, which will provide teachers with insights into each individual learner’s current grammar knowledge.

This holistic assessment will give teachers granular-level data into the gaps in learners’ grammar knowledge (all of which can be addressed with our instructional videos via the Classroom Hub).

We begin by revisiting and consolidating core knowledge around Word Classes; as is always the case with Bedrock, learners meet these grammar items in the context of original fiction and non-fiction texts that are culturally enriching and hugely varied. 

Learners engage with each item in a variety of contexts via our research-based learning sequence. Following the teaching videos, learners embark on a learning sequence of 10-15 different activities. These develop earlier learning covered. Learners are then met with our ‘so what?’ videos which contextualise the grammar, in differing situations for primary and secondary learners. Each step in the learning sequence is progressively more complex as learners refine their nuanced understanding of each new skill.

Firstly, they work on basic understanding, building on their understanding. Then learners practise identifying the technique or structure independently before moving onto a series of scaffolded activities requiring them to fix errors or construct sentences for themselves. Finally, learners learn how to analyse the effect of grammatical choices, dynamically applying their new knowledge in context. Throughout the learning, students are encouraged to experiment with writing in both scaffolded and free-form writing activities.

Pupils must have mastered the Foundation curriculum and achieved 60% or above in order to progress onto the Advanced Grammar Curriculum.

The Advanced Grammar lesson sequence is slightly different because it deals with more complex grammatical concepts. We introduce these complex ideas step by step, allowing learners to practise what they’ve been taught before adding additional layers of knowledge in the next teaching video. So, for example, if we’re teaching apostrophes, we introduce apostrophes of omissions (e.g. can’t) in Teaching Video A, allow the learner to practise that skill, introduce apostrophes of possession in Teaching video B, allow them to practise, summarise learning in the So What video and then bring it all together in the Mastery Activities at the end of the lesson. An extensive bank of practice activities allows learners to independently practise these new skills.

Throughout the Advanced Grammar sequence, learners will be quizzed on their recap knowledge with the requirement of 80% pass rate before progressing.

For example, if learners do not achieve 80% on their ‘types of nouns’ recap activities, they must complete the recap video and activities again before progressing to the ‘singular and plural nouns’ lesson in the Advanced Grammar curriculum. This ensures that the learner has definitely mastered the foundation of nouns before progressing to more complex knowledge.

The curriculum continues to check learner understanding, with a requirement of 60%. Our research-based grammar sequence is vital, tracking the learner’s understanding throughout the curriculum to clarify for our teachers that learners have mastered their knowledge before introducing further complex elements.

The Grammar Foundations and Advanced Grammar Curriculum relieves the pressure on our classroom teachers yet allows them to feel confident in ensuring that our learners access crucial grammar knowledge to support their language. But how can we support this in the classroom? In our Classroom Hub, you will find our excellent ‘instructional’ and ‘so what’ videos that can be embedded in your everyday lessons.

Our Classroom Hub offers a resource bank for you to access ready-made videos, quizzes and activities to support teachers and learners to continue to master their grammar knowledge and writing ability.

Our grammar curriculum supports transforming learner outcomes across all subject areas. Through completing a variety of different activities, our ‘so what’ videos and the pre and post tests, learners are able to make significant progress that supports their grammar knowledge within all subjects.