Writing
“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.” — Annie Proulx
At OVPA we are passionate in our belief that children ‘can not write it until they can say it’ and for this reason we have adopted a Talk for Writing approach to the teaching of writing; this approach was developed by Pie Corbett. Through fun activities and oral rehearsal, children internalise the text structures and language patterns before putting pen to paper. Talk 4 Writing has 3 stages: Imitation, Innovation and Invention, with the aim of the whole process being to create independent, enthusiastic authors.
In EYFS writing begins with language rich classrooms, with poems and nursery rhymes taught alongside carefully selected rich texts. Children learn model texts by heart, these stories are retold in the roleplay area and then innovated on, changing main characters or settings as a class. They take part in shared writing crafting wonderful sentences around visual stimulus and then we build their writing confidence by asking them to write sentences carefully matched to their phonetic understanding.
From Year 1, we follow the Talk for Writing approach in both a fiction (covering a range of story types from ‘warning stories’ to ‘defeat the monster’ stories) and a non-fiction unit termly, using modelled texts appropriate to the year group and their ability. We follow the imitation, innovation and independent application process.
Imitation
A typical Talk 4 Writing unit begins with a creative context. Children then learn their model text, supported visually by a text map and physical movements. Children hear the text and say it for themselves before they see it written down.
Once the children know the text well they 'read it as a reader'. This involves in depth discussions around the text, focussing heavily on vocabulary and oral comprehension. They are encouraged to express opinions on their likes and dislikes regarding the text in order to improve their own writing and make links with other texts they may know.
The next stage is 'read as a writer' which involves identifying the underlying patterns of both the overall organisation, as well as how the writer creates different effects. The text is ‘boxed up’ (broken down into key sections) so that the structure becomes obvious and can be used as a basic planner. Writing toolkits are also created and these contain transferrable strategies and techniques. During this stage children are not just bathed in language but specifically notice, rehearse and learn language patterns needed to write powerfully.
Innovation
Once the children have internalised the text they are ready to start innovating. Younger children and less confident writers alter their text maps and orally rehearse what they want to say. More confident writers use the boxing up planning tool, then turn their plan into writing. At this stage the teaching is focussed on generating and crafting composition. This process enables children to write their own versions of the exemplar text and develop their ability to generate good words and phrases using their inner judge, where they start to decide whether one word or phrase is best. Washing lines are used to collect and display models, words and phrases to support independent writing.
Children can innovate the model text in a variety of ways including: substituting characters and settings, writing prequels and sequels, introducing flashbacks and writing from a different characters perspective. During this time children are expected to use their ‘purple polishing pens’ to edit their work carefully, considering their teacher’s feedback and the effect their word choice has on the reader.
Invention
Finally, children move into invention where they write the text type independently and apply what they have learnt across the curriculum.
The unit ends with a ‘hot task’ that is assessed by the teacher.
Grammar, spelling and punctuation are taught both through the Talk for Writing unit and in stand alone lessons.
Children learn spellings at home each week and these are tested in school. Additionally, spelling is taught daily in Key Stage 1, in RWI lessons, and weekly in Key Stage 2.