Writing Workshop M Grayson and C Cooper March 2015

Our Intentions  To explain how children develop their writing.  To explain what ‘Talk for Writing’ is all about.  To share how we teach children to write at Ashmead.  To explain what we look for in children’s writing.  To help you to support your child to develop their skills to ‘read for writing’.  To share ideas on how you can help your child with their writing.  To give you ideas of activities to do at home.

Who writes for pleasure?

What are your experiences of your child writing at home?  Does your child like to write?  Do you feel you can support them with sounding out words?  Do you find you have reasons for your child to write?

Why are reading and writing so closely linked and equally important?  The most proficient writers in any class are always the readers’  ‘We need to stimulate an interest in words and sentences because they lie at the root of all writing’  ‘If you want to be a writer then read, read, read.’’  ‘Meagre reading produces thin writing’ ‘Writers read deeply’  ‘We only write when it matters to us personally’  ‘Writing is about who we are. It is particular and personal and individual.’

The Writing Journey As soon as your child starts to make marks, they are writers. The different stages of this journey are:  Scribbling

The Writing Journey Continued  Letter-like symbols  Strings of letters

The Writing Journey Continued  Beginning sounds emerge  Consonants represent words

The Writing Journey Continued  Initial, middle and final sounds  Transitional Phase

Standard spelling

Background: Talk for Writing Developed in by Pie Corbett in response to a trend in achievement in writing – especially amongst boys. Defined as ‘the exploration, through talk, of the thinking and creative processes involved in becoming a writer’. Talk for writing is the process children go though in order to become good writers. We model the speaking, listening, vocab and sentence patterns that the children need.

Talk for Writing: Stories Hearing and telling stories is the most powerful way of acquiring language – talk surrounds the process of writing. Storytelling is a powerful way of internalising language patterns. Talk for Writing encourages the repetition of these patterns that we want children to learn so that they are memorable (actions and visual clues) and meaningful.

Text Map

Writing At Ashmead in Year 1 You can’t write a story unless you can tell a story. You can’t tell a story unless you have heard a story. On leaving EY Lists Captions Messages Sentences Labels By The end of Yr 1 Stories Recount Instructions Letters Non-Chronological Reports Experience and Reading is the key

Writing At Ashmead You can’t write a story unless you can tell a story. You can’t tell a story unless you have heard a story. Year 2: Explanation Newspaper reports Persuasion Writing across the curriculum Experience and Reading is the key

Sentence and Word Games

The cat went along the wall. We help the children develop their sentences to make them more interesting! Improving Sentences

The cat went along the wall. Adding Adjectives The fluffy ginger cat prowled along the red brick wall.

The fluffy ginger cat prowled along the red brick wall because he was spying on a juicy bird. Adding Connectives

The fluffy ginger cat prowled along the red brick wall because he was spying on a juicy bird. Whilst licking his lips, the fluffy ginger cat prowled along the red brick wall because he was spying on a juicy bird. Change the start of the sentence

Whilst licking his lips, the fluffy ginger cat prowled along the red brick wall because he was spying on a juicy bird. Whilst licking his lips, the fluffy ginger cat (who had sharp teeth) prowled along the red brick wall because he was spying on a juicy bird! Adding Punctuation for effect

The cat went along the wall. Whilst licking his lips, the fluffy ginger cat (who had sharp teeth) prowled along the red brick wall because he was spying on a juicy bird! We went from: To:

Handwriting Read Write Inc letter formation see hand-out.

How we Mark the Children’s Work

Assessing Writing What do we look for in Children’s Writing 1b (National Average Year 1) 2b (National Average Year 2) Simple sentences, beginning to use and. Varied sentences. Some complex sentences. At least 50% of sentences correctly punctuated with capital letters and full stops. Nearly all sentences demarcated with some attempt at using ! ? Clear indication of the type of writing. Some features of the genre of writing evident. 80% of letters correctly formed and orientated. Clear ascenders and descenders.

Assessing Writing What do we look for in Children’s Writing  Level 1  Pupils’ writing communicates meaning through simple words and phrases. In their reading or their writing, pupils begin to show awareness of how full stops are used. Letters are usually clearly shaped and correctly orientated.

Assessing Writing What do we look for in Children’s Writing  Level 2  writing communicates meaning in both narrative and non-narrative forms, using appropriate and interesting vocabulary, and showing some awareness of the reader. Ideas are developed in a sequence of sentences, sometimes demarcated by capital letters and full stops. Simple, monosyllabic words are usually spelt correctly, and where there are inaccuracies the alternative is phonetically plausible. In handwriting, letters are accurately formed and consistent in size.

New Grammar Test 2016

New Grammar Test 2016 Sample Questions

Helping with Writing at Home  READING!!! Listen to your child read everyday. Ask your child about what they have read. Be a role model – let your child see you reading and use interesting language when speaking! Make up your own stories together. Act out stories, use language your child has read/heard in books. Use puppets, dress up…

Helping with Writing at Home  Beginning to Write: Encourage and praise all mark making Ask questions like: Which sound does it begin with? Support your children in writing in lower case not CAPITAL LETTERS as this will help them identify the sounds. Model your writing with your child so that they can see its purpose; shopping lists, to do lists etc. Encourage correct pencil grip and correct letter formation. More Experienced Writers: Encourage and praise all effort when writing When talking with your child introduce new vocabulary and use it within context. Model use of adventurous vocab! Read stories to your child and explain new words which you come across.  Weekly Spellings: Tricky words and Phonics. Play with words: Rhyming

Writing Homework Activities  Handwriting  Write shopping lists  Write stories that they have heard  Writing diaries  Invitations  Thank you cards  Birthday cards  Spelling practice for weekly tests  HFW games / display

To become writers, children need something to say, the means to say it, and a reason to say it.