SEN / Grade 4 Pathway
Small steps that actually get you there
EAL-friendly — Great for building English skills
This is a different route to the same skills — not an easier-looking version of the same page. Nothing is assumed: every idea is taught before you're asked to use it.
You'll never be asked to “analyse the semantic field” here. We start with the foundations: what a word class is, what a technique is, and how a text is organised. Turn on this pathway and the learning platform keeps your activities in small steps.
Start here · Foundations
Let's make sure you understand the foundations first
Every word below is explained before you are asked anything. Read the meaning, look at the example, then have a go. You can always try again.
Choose one thing to learn
Naming words: teacher, dog, school, book.
Step 0 · How well do you know nouns already?
Tell us honestly — nothing is locked, and the rule stays on screen either way.
Step 1 · Learn it
What does this mean?
Noun
A noun is a naming word.
Examples
- teacher
- dog
- school
- book
What to look for
Look for the words that name a person, an animal, a place or a thing.
Step 2 · Watch one first
The dog sat on the step.
The answer here is:
- dog
- step
'Dog' names an animal and 'step' names a thing. Both are nouns.
Step 3 · Your turn
The teacher opened the book.
Tap the nouns.
There are 2 nouns to find.
Use the meaning and the example on the left if you need them.
Once the foundations feel secure
The six steps below take one sentence and walk you from spotting a word to writing about it. Terms like cyclical structure, juxtaposition and pathetic fallacy come later, on the Developing, Secure, Strong and Mastery levels — they are not needed here.
Six small steps
Step 1 of 6The freezing rain hammered the cracked window.
Find the important word.
Read the sentence again. Which word stands out most?
Sentence scaffolds
Four levels of support. You keep the support until you don't need it — then it fades.
Ready for a full GCSE-style paragraph? The Paragraph Builder uses the same six steps with mark-scheme feedback.
Open Paragraph Builder