Embedded Files
As referenced in Pembrokeshire's Language Strategy, this is a summary of The Writing Revolution, adapted for implementation in Pembrokeshire. It is suggested as a core thread in developing writers, and thinking through writing, for pupils 3-16 but is not comprehensive, eg it does not refer to the essential physical development required.
The site also provides resources to exemplify how the approach aligns with Curriculum for Wales expectations.
The original source material is The Writing Revolution 2.0, by Judith C. Hochman and Natalie Wexler (2024).
For more information: (https://www.thewritingrevolution.org)
The Writing Revolution (TWR)
Teaching and learning how to write well is challenging for both pupils and teachers.
The TWR method emphasises the need for explicit teaching and deliberate practice through a systematic sequence of steps.
We also need to teach pupils how to become increasingly effective in their learning and expect them to successfully transfer their skills into new contexts by building on their previous best in cold tasks.
What? Advancing thinking through writing across the curriculum and across 3-16. Developing the skills and habits of writers.
How? Pupils are taught, practise, apply and recycle features of writing in a prescribed order, within planned current curriculum content (ie not in isolation), to develop writing habits and mastery.
Formative assessment informs the pace of progression onto the next step. Suggested pacing guides are available to inform planning, which are aligned to age-related milestones.
When? TWR can be introduced at most ages in stage appropriate ways, and then built upon in later year groups.
Why? As well as evidence indicating that this approach improves standards in writing, evidence also suggests that it improves oracy skills and reading comprehension, as well as organising and developing thinking, including critical thinking, and planning, reviewing, editing and improving skills.
The approach supports learning at the three layers needed to develop the habits of a writer, not just developing the knowledge and skills of writing, but also the motivation, resilience and personal accountability to write as well as we can whenever we write, especially when writing for another reader or audience.
We should expect to see pupils' writing improve between each cold task over time 3-16. Pupils should expect this of themselves and each other.
To be able to expect this, pupils need to be trained to plan, revise and edit their writing independently in cold tasks. After each cold task completion, formative assessment informs planning of subsequent learning experiences to improve writing skills and quality further before hot tasks are undertaken.
Assessing progress from cold task to cold task will give a more reliable indication of progress in learning. Assessing hot tasks will only give an indication of performance in the moment.
The TWR Principles (language adapted from American English)
1. Pupils need explicit, systematic teaching and reflective practice of writing skills, preferably starting in early years.
2. Sentences are the building blocks of all writing.
3. Teaching writing skills within our current curriculum content is powerful, as we are teaching and assessing, and pupils are learning, more than just writing skills.
4. The content of the curriculum drives the rigour (and purpose) of the writing exercises.
5. The two most important phases of the writing process are planning and revising.
The TWR Sequence
Regular interleaving, recycling and retrieval of the sequence below will be needed to embed learning, develop writing habits and lead to mastery.
What is a sentence?
How do we expand and improve sentences?
How do we learn to take notes in order to support our writing plans?
How do we introduce more variety and complexity into our writing?
How do we plan to produce our best writing? (Single Paragraph Outline)
How do we revise our work to improve the content, organisation, sentence structures, or word choice...
and then edit for accuracy?
How do we summarise the main ideas of a text?
How do we plan to produce our best extended writing? (Multiple Paragraph Outline)
How do we write Opinion, Pro/Con, and Argumentative texts?
The goal is that, over time, through the sequenced learning above, pupils develop the skills and habits to follow the process below independently during extended writing.
It is important that, from pupils' first experiences in school, this goal guides planning and interactions so that a culture of expectations and opportunities to develop their understanding and autonomy grows systematically and coherently.
Also, it would be useful to include the goal in ongoing conversations with families, reinforcing the essential role they play, especially with regards to attendance.
This is a good point at which to consider whether it is worth your time looking further into incorporating TWR approaches in your language strategy.
This approach will only be worthwhile implementing if your pupils can't yet answer the questions above and you don't yet see them put this understanding into practice consistently in their cold writes.
Please bear in mind the expectations for pupils to write extended pieces are delayed compared to expectations in Wales - it is strongly recommended that you use the pacing guides included as a reference only, adjusting your expectations inline with your school's expectations for extended writing.
If you are interested in further exploring TWR, each of the steps above is described in detail with examples within this site. As well as the sample pacing guides to introduce TWR over an academic year, there are examples of how pupils could track and lead their own learning and progress, either in an eBortffolio or on paper.
See the Contents page for an overview and links to specific resources.
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