In William Austin Infant School we use a ‘Talk for Writing’ approach to develop enthusiastic creative writers.
Every writing unit begins with a ‘cold task’. Teachers use the assessment outcomes of this piece of writing to inform planning and teaching for the rest of the writing unit. Children are given individual ‘Next Steps’ and children are supported throughout the unit to improve and work on their ‘Next Steps’.
To start the new unit and to spark children’s interest in the new model text and genre, children take part in exciting ‘hooks’. These provide children with real life experiences to help children connect and better understand the text themes or vocabulary.
Imitate
Each writing unit has a Model text that includes grammar and punctuation that is taught discreetly during the unit with opportunities given for children to master and review in quick lesson ‘warm ups’. Dictation is also used during warm ups and class writing as a tool to enable children to focus on their transcription skills. The model text is derived from exciting high quality children’s literature.
Children learn the model text, retelling this with prosody and actions for key vocabulary; such as sentence openers and conjunctions. At this stage the text map is introduced to support learners with their understanding of the text.
During the imitate part of the unit children learn to ‘Read as the Reader’ exploring and using new vocabulary and completing drama and comprehension activities all based around the core text.
This is followed by the ‘Reading as the Writer’ where children learn how to use the tools and techniques of the text genre. Children learn about text features and language features such as present and past tense. Children in Year 2 develop the use of boxed up plans which is introduced in Year 1.
Innovate
In this part of the unit children begin to innovate the model text. Examples of how children innovate are where children change characters or settings depending on the unit toolkit focus. Children are given plenty of time to plan and orally rehearse their new story or text. Sometimes children will plan in groups or pairs, working collaboratively, especially in EYFS.
The teacher then carefully models the process of writing. This includes following plans, saying sentences, breaking sentences into words and then words into sounds in the same approach that is used in daily discrete Phonics lessons. The teacher models how to read back through their writing polishing with a green pen against the success criteria and ‘writing rules’.
Guided writing in groups is then completed with an adult. Children say their sentence to an adult before writing it. Sound mats are used to support children in line with Little Wandle. Children are reminded of their cold task ‘Next Step’ target and teachers support children to achieve this. More feedback is provided during this stage of the writing unit. Teachers model how to edit and improve writing specifically modelling each step of CUPS and ARMS across KS1.
Independent application and invent
The final stage is where children plan and write a completely original text based on the text genre including all the grammar, language and punctuation that has been taught throughout the unit. Children finish by writing a 'hot task' that is not modelled by the teacher and this provides another assessment opportunity and a way of monitoring progress from the beginning to the end of the unit.
Handwriting
In EYFS children focus on the letter formation phrases taught in Little Wandle. Children in KS1 have weekly handwriting lessons. If necessary children may join additional handwriting interventions to ensure that letter formation is mastered to enable fluency in writing. Lessons follow the Penpals progression but the Little Wandle letter formation. Children are taught the letters in their letter families ‘Curly caterpillars’, ‘Long ladders’, ‘One armed robots’ and ‘ Zigzag monsters'. In Year 2 children are taught how to join letters.
Spelling
Spelling is taught in EYFS and Year 1 as part of daily phonics lessons and embedded and applied in writing lessons. In Year 2, once children have completed the Little Wandle Phonics programme, they follow daily Little Wandle Spelling lessons. In the Summer term Year 1 practise spellings each week that are sent home. In Year 2 this begins in September with additional dictation practise also sent home.