What is Talk 4 Writing?

Talk for Writing enables children to imitate the key language they need for a particular type of text orally before they try reading and analysing it. Through fun activities that help them rehearse the tune of the language they need, followed by shared writing to show them how to craft their writing, children are helped to write in the same style.    Talk for Writing works with any genre of writing and each term children will work with a fiction (story) and non-fiction (instructions, diary, explanation etc) text.

A Talk for Writing unit is based on 3 key stages: The imitation stage – Each unit begins with the teacher sharing an engaging, text with the children. As a class, or in groups, children create actions to accompany the oral re-telling of the story. They also create story maps, using pictures and symbols, to depict actions and events from the text.  Children then explore the key ingredients and language that make the text work and build a tool kit of important features to use when writing their own versions of the text.   The innovation stage – This stage of the process is where children and teachers work together closely using the structure of the example text but changing certain aspects to make it different in some way. This process enables the children to write their own versions through developing their ability to generate good words and phrases. This stage begins with shared or modelled writing between teacher and pupils and develops into children working with peers to edit and review their work regularly as they re-write their own versions.   The invention stage – This stage is where children write their own text but based on the structure and genre of the example text and using the key features they picked out and placed into their toolkit.

For example in Year 3 the children learnt the narrative (myth) Perseus and Medusa in the Imitate stage. We went on to create a shared myth and Perseus and the Cyclops and then the children invented their own myths using characters and mythical creatures they invented. During the non-fiction work the children learnt the non-chronological report Medusa. As a class they created a report about a Cyclops and in the invent stage the children researched and wrote their own report about another mythical creature.

Handwriting End of Year expectations: Year 1 - begin to form lower-case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place - understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ (i.e. letters that are formed in similar ways) and to practise these.

Handwriting Year 2 - form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another - start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined - write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower case letters use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters.

Handwriting Year 3 and 4 - use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined - increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting [for example, by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant; that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch].

Why is joined handwriting important? Cursive writing develops motor skills, using hand muscles Supports knowledge of correct letter formation Helps children with special needs, particularly children with dyslexia, and letter confusion (b and d) Supports children’s spelling as taught spelling patterns can be remembered and muscle memory will help them to spell using these patterns

What do we do in school to support handwriting? Daily phonics sessions in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One where teachers model the joins Key Stage Two handwriting sessions taught Adults in the classrooms model using cursive writing Teachers will model in children’s books School script so that children can read and see the joins Classroom displays show how letters should look and the size in relation to each other Alphabet strips and resources in classrooms to support children