Writing

Drivers

Possibility

You can achieve!

Make a difference

We are all part of our community and valued

Adventure

Experiences help us grow

Writing

Expectation to write at length

Planning and work is differentiated to address varying needs so all can succeed.

A range of genres are covered to prepare children to be able to write in different ways and support their futures

Narratives and non-fiction chosen that reflect children’s own experiences. 

A shared learning environment is achieved through peer editing and marking. Talking the text with peers is integral to the writing process.

Hook experiences

Real life purpose for writing

Opportunities to present and publish

How do we teach? 

ASPIRATION- aspirational texts are used to enthuse and inspire. There are high expectations for all learners.

RESPECT- we value every child’s achievements and learn from each other. We challenge respectfully and support our peers to achieve their best.

RESILIENCE- the value of and opportunities for editing and improving writing is promoted at all stages of the writing journey

CO-OPERATION- Groups of children are encouraged to share ideas, sentences and whole texts with others. As well as a focus on peer editing as a move to independence.

We use an aspirational model text, high expectations of language development and the pedagogical approach of ‘Talk for Writing’ to inform the teaching & learning of writing to suit the needs of our pupils. We follow a learning journey using high quality model texts  to expose children to effective vocabulary and grammar in context, and use writing genres as a vehicle to practice these skills. Assessment, oracy and the use of modelled and shared writing to teach grammar in context are central to our teaching approach:

Learning journeys are ‘book-ended’ by a cold write and hot write. This allows for an  analysis of the children’s start and end points which help to inform our teaching and learning

If children cannot speak in grammatically accurate sentences, they will not be able to write them. High quality models of both spoken and written language are systematically repeated so that these language structures become internalised

The primary reason for writing anything is to communicate: to entertain, inform or persuade. Children therefore need to explicitly understand the purpose behind their writing, the audience that will be accessing the writing and how to craft vocabulary, sentence structures & grammar to have a deliberate, and specific, impact on the reader.

Learning journeys are text led and both fiction and non fiction genres are taught each half term. By studying fiction writing first, there will be the time for children to be exposed to the necessary information before needing to write about it factually. Non-fiction content can in itself be fictional (i.e. an instructional text on how to catch a dragon etc.) but there is a lot of knowledge that needs to be gathered through their exploration of fiction, or in wider curriculum lessons, in order to have the authorial knowledge to be able to write successfully.

Across each half term, children will follow the journey set out in the image below.

Cold Write 

All children undertake a writing task linked to the genre focus prior to any explicit teaching taking place. This is completed before teaching of the skills begins to provide a baseline for assessments.

Imitation

The model text is learned orally to provide children with the language models & vocabulary

needed for the text type. The text is learned while analysing the text through deconstructing text features and structures, before specific grammar skills are taught & developed. By the end of this phase, the children should be familiar with the model text and be able to articulate, how language, vocabulary & grammatical techniques are used for a particular effect.

Innovation

Through modelled and shared writing, children learn to plan a new text and apply skills/techniques developed in the ‘imitation’ phase in context. They adapt the model text as a class, and individually, to embed their writing skills. 

This is guided and scaffolded by the teacher so that all children experience success. Through this practice, children understand how they start to construct and develop whole texts.

Invention (hot write)

By this point in the learning journey, children will be familiar with the text structure and organisation of the particular text type and the skills  required. Children will be provided with a final context, or choice of contexts, to write. Children will need to be provided with time to go through the planning process which has been identified and modelled in the previous two stages. They then spend time constructing their text, being given an opportunity to revise and edit.  All previous work should be visible or accessible for all children to support their independent work. At the end of this learning journey, children are given time to publish or present a final piece of writing.

Throughout the learning journey there are clear themes of ‘talking the text’: orally rehearsing ideas before they are written and editing at every stage of writing. 

Why do we teach in this way? 

Successful writers:

enjoy writing and find the process creative, enriching and fulfilling;

read widely, recognise good writing, and understand what makes it good;

are aware of the key features of different genres and text types;

learn about the skills of writing from their reading and draw upon its models in their own work;

have considered the purpose and audience;

know how to develop their ideas;

know how to plan and prepare for writing;

make informed choices about what they are writing, as they write (for example,

about vocabulary, grammar, text structure);

understand how to reflect upon, refine and improve their own work;

can respond to the constructive criticism of others.

As these skills become more automatic, teachers ‘think aloud’ to model the writing process.

How is this adapted for vulnerable learners and high attainers?

Learning is planned explicitly from all starting points, ensuring the model text is well placed to move all children’s learning forwards

By learning the model text orally before seeing the text, we allow all children to access subsequent learning by reducing the decoding requirements. This significantly reduces the cognitive load of analysis of texts.

Learning journeys and model texts are adapted and individualised for lower achievers, whilst still exposing them to high quality language and grammar teaching.

Techniques are explicitly taught slowly and are deliberately repeated through all phases of writing to ensure secure learning is achieved.

Models and scaffolds ensure all children have the tools to access age related learning.

Writing is always focused on the intention and impact upon the reader. This allows for high attainers to demonstrate their ability to use their knowledge of texts to move away from the models and scaffold with ease.

All learning journeys follow the same structure so children become very familiar with the process. This allows the cognitive load to be reduced as children know what to expect and where all learning is headed.