Writing

Week 1

Teach and practice retelling the story with actions each day.

Emersion and Language Development using Reciprocal Reading

Week 2

Retell the story each day using actions, using the class story map as visual support. When the children are confident to have a go encourage them to join in and gradually begin to tell the story without the adult.

Writing for a purpose

Setting the scene of the story – book preparation and vocabulary development. For Example if it is set in the woods, show pictures or video clips of the woods and start to name and label things. Build a woodland small play area and talk about lots of things that could happen there.

Prediction – Show the story and talk about what might happen – children to come up with their own ideas and continue to build up own vocabulary.

Retell - Retell the story as a class, using different techniques to bring to life, eg freeze frames, who am I? Hot seating, etc. Place props into CP for further emersion. Use role play/video etc to bring the scenario to life.

Story scribing / recordings of children performing the story.

Share the predictions.

Read -  Read the story to the class and bring it to life through puppets, role play, art, construction etc.

Enhance the CP areas both inside and out.

Set up a writing task – Use the story as inspiration for writing.

Letter/post card/recipe/instructions/spell/story/new characters/invitation for example. Pick out key vocabulary which links to the text. Model the key elements of writing in this way.

Types of writing should vary from pre-school- reception and throughout the year, can envolve from mark making with meaning eg. a group story map with labels to follow pathway of the story to recounts, letters, character descriptions, etc. Focus writing groups.

Clarify – Look at the book again and talk about any new words they haven’t heard before, talk about what they mean and then add them to your word wall. This will need to be adult led.

Set up CP writing tasks – a list, an invitation, prescription, a letter etc. They don’t all have to be writing/mark making activities as long as one of them is, they can be small world, construction, sand, water or any other area.

Celebrate and share work talking about positives and improvements to the writing.

Question inspired by the text - Provide children with a question from the story to discuss, write about and respond to in different ways. You could do a pole for closed answers and extend to write reasoning.

Story map - Create a story map with the children drawing and labelling the key parts of the story representing with simple images as you retell together. Adult to draw and model the process. Use to retell the story.

Provide copies of the map alongside puppets in CP, alongside opportunities to record own maps.

Share some of the writing or any other work done the previous day.

Question – Start to ask who, what, why, when, which and how questions based on what you know about the story, starting to get them to retrieve information and start to infer meaning. Continue or extend CP tasks in light of the questions.

Response - Respond to the focus writing task and create another scenario where they can write in the same form or using language from the story – a response to an invite or letter or instructions for something else in the story.

Model – model your response and then put tasks into CP for children to have a go.

Independent writing.

Playing with the story - You could play around with changing elements in your story to create an alternative version. Eg. Golidlocks and the three bears would become Sarah and the three rabbits. Use post it notes to cover over key elements of the text and retell.  

Story dice and maps/ post it notes to be provided in CP to support ideas children may have later.

Week 1

Emersion and Language Development

Week 2

Structured teaching of; Planàwriteàeditàredraft

Week 3

Assessed Write

Monday

Hook using a Text

Immersion into a text – use film and drama to prepare children for the book and then use reciprocal reading to read the book as a class.

Predictà ReadàClarifyàQuestionàSummarise

Evidence each part of this process in their books as part of the reading curriculum.

Grammar session

Build on areas of need from week 1 and refer to the progression in grammar chart.

After teaching that element find an example in their writing from last week which they can edit. Only use one element for editing purposes initially in Year 1 but start to build up so that basic punctuation becomes standard.

Structured Edit and Present

Children to read their writing allowed. Use some examples to model using the success criteria to edit. Continue with an episodic approach to model and guide editing at the appropriate level.

Y1 are not required to edit but introduce it at a simple level and working on it as a class.

Tuesday

Bringing the book to life

Continue with reading if necessary and then use role play/drama/hot-seating/freeze framing to get involved in the text and fully understand it. Children to write a note/bubble about some element of the text; character, structure, events etc.

Rehearsing Language - Hook

Revisit the text/genre and set the context for writing, hook them in to their new challenge. Model and write example phrases or sentences exploring the language focus of their writing. This might be descriptions and use of vocabulary.

Grammar Session

Grammar session focusing on the marking of the previous week. Address any issues and where possible add another grammar feature that could be added to their work – see progression in grammar chart.

Wednesday

Interrogation of text

Use a model of the genre (retelling of that particular story etc.) to look at the features and build success criteria for the unit. Look at;

Features of language, Vocabulary and grammar, Structure and organisation

Build up your working wall for the unit.

Rehearsing Structure and Organisation

Recap on the new challenge and the language developed previously. Focus now on structure and organisation. Model and write example paragraphs .Focus this time might be on; Character, Setting, Main events, Introduction, Ending.

Model the expected standard to the class but use shared/guided writing to model at different levels, through episodic teaching.

Assessed – Hook & Plan

Revisit the text/genre and set the context for writing, hook them in to their new challenge as you would in the beginning. Use Kagan activities, drama and role play to build ideas and create a plan. Keep plans simple – picture and key words and phrases. Review success criteria.

Children plan independently using success criteria.

Thursday

Grammar session

Link the grammar to the genre and teach the elements linked to the success criteria for this unit.

Add to your working wall.

Give the children opportunities to write examples using the text as stimulus.

Structured Plan

Revisit the text and remind them of the writing challenge. Using the success criteria model the planning of the writing. This could be done section at a time; beginning, middle and end. Use role play/drama/film clips to tease out one part at a time and then model how to record it on the planning sheet using the curriculum requirements. Add key words and phrases to the plans – keep them simple. As part of the episodic process set some higher ability children off on their writing so that they are able to write at length over the two days.

Assessed Write

Use the hook material again to remind and motivate the children and talk through the success criteria of the text, using the working wall and give reminders about grammar and punctuation.

Write independently using their plan, lightbulb books and working wall as a guide. Year 2 to edit independently.

Friday

Structured write

Use the success criteria and knowledge from the grammar session to write at length. Model the writing at the expected standard and then let the children write. Use episodic teaching to focus on the different parts of the writing.

Structured Write

Model and write an extended piece.

This session needs to be structured with a mixture of modelled, shared and guided writing. It is important to model how to use the plan. In Year 2 you might have the beginning written, model the middle and then bring in the end. They need to see the whole piece.

Use your episodic approach to model for children how to add in the next level of language or simply the next idea. Support each stage.

Cross Curricular Writing

Use this session to complete some writing inked to your topic. Although it is topic work use a writing lesson structure to ensure that you are getting high quality, genre specific writing.

Week 1

Emersion and Language Development

Week 2

Structured teaching of;

Planàwriteàeditàredraft

Week 3

Assessed Write

Monday

Hook

Immersion into a text via books, drama, film etc.

Write a reflection or summary.

Grammar & Spelling session

Build on areas of need from week 1 and refer to the progression in grammar chart.

Re-Draft and Present

Review the editing from last week and use it to re-draft work and present it. If appropriate this can be presented in their topic books.

Tuesday

Interrogation of text

Use a model of the genre to look at the features and build success criteria for the unit. Look at;

• Features
• Language structure 
• Audience and purpose
• Structure and organisation

Build up your working wall for the unit.

Add another Layer

Revisit the text/genre and set the context for writing.

Model and write example phrases, sentences, paragraphs exploring the language features of the genre and adding another feature or more detail.

Model the expected standard to the class but use shared writing to model at different levels, through episodic teaching.

Add this to your working wall.

Grammar & Spelling Session

Grammar session focusing on the marking of the previous week. Address any issues and where possible add another grammar feature that could be added to their work – see progression in grammar chart.

Wednesday

Long Write

Cold write of character/scene/event.

Use some of the structural features from the interrogation of text.

• Before writing ensure the children have had enough preparation and that they know enough about the subject they are writing about. It is not a test.
• Marking should be detailed enough to guide editing

Structured Plan

Using the success criteria and the original text, model the planning of the writing. Make sure that the style and detail of the planning matches the curriculum requirements.

Model how you would use the working wall, the model and ‘lightbulb’ book to add key words and phrases to your plan.

Following the episodic approach make a start on the writing with your higher ability children.

Assessed Plan - Hook

Revisit the text/genre and set the context for the assessed piece – hook them in as you would do in the beginning.

Use Kagan activities, drama and role play to build ideas and review success criteria.

Children plan independently and use the working wall to generate success criteria.

Thursday

Grammar & Spelling session

Link the grammar to the genre and teach the elements linked to the success criteria for this unit.

Add to your working wall.

Structured Write

Model and write an extended piece.

This session needs to be structured with a mixture of modelled, shared and guided writing. It is important to model how to use the plan.

Use your episodic approach to model for children how to add in the next level of language.

Assessed Write

Use the hook material again to remind and motivate the children and talk through the structure and organisation of the text using the working wall and give reminders about grammar and punctuation.

Write independently using their plan, lightbulb books and working wall as a guide.

Friday

Edit and Re-draft

Use the success criteria and knowledge from the grammar session to edit and re-draft the cold write.

Structured Edit and Improve

Model how to use the Success Criteria to edit writing.

Use an episodic approach to model and guide editing at the appropriate level.

Assessed Write and Edit

Allow children time to complete an extended piece of writing and then use their plan and success criteria to edit and re-draft independently, where appropriate.