Writing
Progression grids and overviews
How do we teach writing at St Anne's?
Writing is taught by means of the Talk for Writing approach (developed by Pie Corbett). This is a proven and powerful method that allows children to read a model text and analyse features of a genre and to imitate the language before writing their own version. The Talk for Writing approach has three stages:
Stage 1 – The imitation stage
Each term commences with an Engage event during which the new genre and context is introduced in a creative manner. Subsequent lessons focus on reading as a reader and, subsequently, on reading as a writer. Analysis of the structure, features and language of a model text is undertaken, in addition to activities that build on reading/comprehension skills. A text map for the model is drawn out and learnt by heart. Retelling with physical movements helps the children to recall a story or non-fiction piece and to internalise its language and structure. Drawing up a toolkit for the genre, enables pupils to identify – and later to remember – the elements needed in their own writing.
A selection of the following activities is used during Stage 1:
Echo/Choral Reading
Speaking and listening activities focused on understanding of the text
Comprehension
- Response to the text: likes/dislikes/what could be changed
- Comprehension questions based on skills of extraction, inference and analysis of language and structure
- Speech bubbles about what the character might be feeling (inference) or what they might say next (prediction)
- Role on the wall: mapping of a character’s appearance and personality with evidence from the text
- Story mountain/ story mapping in pictures/words: identifying different parts of a narrative
- Letter /diary entry or postcard to a character or in the voice of another character
- Response to a character
- Vocabulary/language games
- Hot seating
- Teacher in role
- Freeze frame
- Acting out a character’s movements/showing feelings
- Conscience alley
- Other drama activities.
Alongside these activities, children are introduced to the knowledge organiser for the model text. Children are encouraged to use - but also to remember - features and vocabulary from the knowledge organiser to aid their writing and understanding. Throughout this stage and the next, children question each other on the knowledge organiser and are given activities and quizzes to help them to remember the knowledge, including vocabulary/literary features.
Stage 2 - The skills stage
In all key stages, SPAG skills are delivered through starters to core literacy, through whole lessons in Stage 2 and through the modelling of specific objectives in Stages 1 and 3.
Stage 2 involves the identification, teaching and modelling of sentence structure, language/literary features and punctuation exemplified in the model text through short burst writing.
Stage 3 - The Innovation stage
Planning
Once the children have internalised and understood the text, they are ready to start innovating it; this is done initially at a whole-class level. It begins with innovating the knowledge organiser exemplar planning grid. Small changes to the story mountain/boxing up are discussed and a new plan agreed.
Oral rehearsal of the model text continues.
Modelling and guided writing
The key activity in Stage 3 is shared writing; this helps the children to write on their own by “doing one together” first. The SPAG skills developed through short burst writing are incorporated in this stage.
This second version is modelled paragraph by paragraph at two levels:
- Firstly, modelling is undertaken at whole class by the teacher (20 minutes max). During this time, the teacher should, in discussion with the class, model ideas for the opening sentences for the paragraph and build a brain box of ideas for the remainder of the paragraph being worked on.
- Modelling is then undertaken in small groups by the teacher and TA as a guided write (KS1 30 minutes, KS2 30 -40 minutes) whilst the rest of the class write independently using the innovated plan and brain box for support. Group guided writing is an opportunity to expand on the brain box of ideas and to discuss SPAG, literary features and language in more detail. Children should not copy the adults’ modelled writing word for word. For example, having built a brain box to describe the sky, children should work independently on their three descriptive sentences.
This phase allows the children to see how the exemplar text can be innovated and to select words and phrases that really work.
Sharing, evaluating and editing
Pupils are explicitly given time for editing and evaluating their work. This includes responding to marking on a daily level and before moving onto the next paragraph. This involves up-levelling vocabulary and description as well as correcting grammar and punctuation mistakes.
Evaluating and editing skills must also be taught explicitly as a part of Stage 3.
Teacher conferencing (sharing) happens during Stage 3 as well as daily adult marking and group and/or peer support.
Stage 4 – The inventation/ independent application stage
The final stage gives children the opportunity both to continue developing their skills and to apply what they have learnt in a different context.
In order to ensure success, this phase begins with a lot of talking and acting that, in turn, is used by the children to plan independently using a blank planning format (as per the knowledge organiser). Typically, throughout Stage 4, teachers emphasise word and sentence structure targets to which pupils need to attend as well as close use of features included on the knowledge organiser.
Children independently this time (without modelling) – one paragraph at a time. Critical review and editing is key. ‘The seven stages of the writing process’ are used throughout this stage.
- Planning: pupils plan their writing with consideration of the audience and purpose of their writing based on what they have learnt from the innovation stage and knowledge organiser.
- Drafting: pupils write the first draft of the writing based on their plan.
- Sharing: pupils discuss their work with an adult/peers.
- Evaluating: pupils use the goals set by the innovation stage and knowledge organiser.
- Revising: pupils make changes to the content of their writing in light of feedback and self- evaluation.
- Editing: pupils improve the technical accuracy of their writing, including spelling, grammar and punctuation. Does it say what was intended?
- Publishing: adults work with pupils to create an authentic context for writing by publishing what has been written in the public domain (3 times a year).
At the end of the unit, the children’s work is published or displayed.
The independent task is levelled by the teacher against age expectations (using Learning Ladders) and a gap analysis generated. The latter informs the targets (literary features, sentence structure and punctuation) that should be taught in the next unit.