Why? Spoken language is a crucial element of children’s literacy learning and holistic education. Storytelling can be used to encourage social skills and thinking skills, to support the development of emotional literacy and to deliver curriculum content in a meaningful way. To be a great storytelling teacher is to know and hold true to this holistic view. 

The methods we advocate ensure that children LISTEN to great stories and from there to learn to tell them.

 For, carried within a great story is a treasury of words and ideas. With these words and ideas, our children can become fluent, articulate communicators. Furthermore, we cannot expect to improve READING comprehension and attainment in WRITING if we do not first deliver effective strategies for teaching our children to TALK. In giving each child an equal opportunity to learn their language, they can transcend socio-economic and political barriers and make their way confidently into adulthood.

Listed below are some additonal writing activites to help your child develop their writing skills

• Write a letter/email to your teacher or to a friend in your class/the syndicate about what you have done so far over the time that you have been at home.

• Write about what you are missed most about school while you away over the holidays.

• List the pros and cons of doing your learning from home rather than at school.

• Write a poem about your family. 

• Write a poem about your pet. 

• Write a review on a movie that you have watched recently (what did you like, not like or would/could change?)

• Write out and publish/upload to your blog the recipe for something that you have baked/cooked at home.

• Interview a family member about their job.  Include questions such as what they like or don't like about their job.  What does their job involve?  Alternatively, if you have a sibling who is doing their learning from home also, interview them about what they like/don't like about learning from home.

• Create a quiz using 'Google Forms' about something you are passionate about (Favourite sports team, favourite movie, favourite singer/song writer ect.

• Create a story that has multiple alternate body and endings using 'Google Forms'.

Here are some additional online tools to help your children produce good pieces of writing: