WRITING

Intent

At Carlton Miniott Primary Academy we recognise that writing is essential for effective communication. We want our children to develop a love of writing and to write with flair and imagination. We endeavour to ensure that our children develop the skills they need to write clearly, accurately and coherently for a range of purposes and audiences. We ensure that our pupils develop their compositional skills by exploring a wide range of different genres, closely linked to our wider curriculum themes. We aim for children to have a rich vocabulary, excellent knowledge of writing techniques, awareness of structure and organisational devices and deep understanding of grammar. We place a strong emphasis on developing the children’s ability to re-read, edit and improve their writing. We have high expectations regarding transcriptional skills and encourage our pupils to develop accurate spelling and punctuation, neat handwriting and excellent presentation.  We expect the highest standards of writing every time a child writes in any subject. We want our children to recognise that writing is a life-long skill.

Implementation

At Carlton Miniott Primary Academy our units of writing are driven by the wider curriculum themes.  As children become immersed in the theme, they develop relevant subject knowledge and build the vocabulary they need for writing.  They have opportunities to write in a variety of genres for many different purposes and a range of audiences. Over time, there is a balance of narrative, non-fiction and poetry. 

Teaching and Learning Sequence

Our teaching and learning sequence is based on the SOLO taxonomy. Children are led through four phases of inquiry in order to develop the knowledge and understanding they need to be able to write effectively for a wide variety of purposes and audiences. We call these Collect, Connect, Create, Evaluate. The three Cs and an E!

The 3 C’s and an E Approach

From Year 1, we follow the 3 C’s and an E  Approach- Collect, Connect, Create, Evaluate. This is where we build up to quality published pieces of writing with a clear audience, purpose and form. Over a writing cycle, children identify key features of a WAGOLL (what a good one looks like), identify and collect key vocabulary, learn grammatical skills and then plan, draft, edit and publish high quality writing. Finally, they reflect on their work and evaluate their success.

1. Collect- predict what might happen in the story or text, analyse WAGOLL’s for word sentence and organisational features as well as collect high quality vocabulary and ideas about the characters, setting and plot.
2. Connect- apply knowledge learnt from the ‘collect’ stage. Children will use the collected skills e.g. vocabulary and connect this to punctuation and grammar skills. Children spend time editing their work during this stage.
3. Create- opportunity for children to develop planning, drafting and editing skills before publishing a high-quality final piece.
4. Evaluate - children evaluate the quality of their writing and the success of their writing strategies.

Unit Checklists

At the beginning of each writing unit the children first explore the text type and develop a checklist of features specific to that genre of writing. Attention is also drawn to sentence and text level features which are not specific to the genre but which will be an area to develop and practise within the unit.

In order to help children understand the features that are specific to the genre, the checklist is split into two sections – genre features and SPAG.  These are also clearly displayed on the working wall. 

 Handwriting

We believe that neat, fluent handwriting with correctly formed letters and accurate joins is important to support the development of accurate spelling, ensure high standards of presentation and to foster a sense of pride. Click here to access  National Handwriting Association resources and guidance.

EYFS

The gross and fine motor control needed for writing, hand-eye co-ordination and vocabulary of movement are  promoted through many opportunities to make marks using a wide range of brushes, pens and pencils on both flat and vertical surfaces.  Correct letter formation is modelled from the start of phonics teaching. In the spring term all letters are taught and practised in handwriting ‘families.’ Details are shared with parents via the home-school link book. In the summer term all children are encouraged to develop an effective pencil grip, sit at a table and write on lined paper.

KS1

In Y1 and Y2 handwriting is taught daily. Correct letter formation is taught and practised in handwriting ‘families.’   Handwriting is linked closely to spelling practice and phonics. In Y2 the Pen Pals scheme is used to teach early joining.

KS2

Handwriting is taught using the Pen Pals scheme from Y3 to Y6.  Handwriting continues to be a priority in Y3 where there are two discreet 15 minute handwriting lessons per week. In Y3 children move from using pencils to pens. Further up the school, handwriting is taught as part of the graphology spelling session.  The Pen Pals scheme materials are used to support children who need extra practice to improve their handwriting.

Spelling

We value and promote accurate spelling. When children build a wide repertoire of known spellings it reduces cognitive overload and allows them to focus on other aspects of writing. Spelling skills build up systematically.  Little WaNdle Letters and Sounds Revised is our approved phonics scheme which starts in Reception and Y1 and then provides a bridge to spelling in Y2.  The Spelling Shed scheme, which follows the National Curriculum spelling progression, is used in Key Stage 2.  We ensure that children acquire a variety of spelling strategies through explicit teaching and extensive practice.  These include morphology, graphology, etymology, phonology and orthography.

EYFS

• In EYFS there is a daily phonics lesson.
• Phases 2, 3 and 4 of ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised’ provide the basis for systematic synthetic phonics.
• Children are taught to segment words by listening for sounds in order.
• Common exception words from Phase 2, 3 and 4 are taught as whole words.

Y1

• In Y1 there is a daily phonics lesson.
• Phases 4 and 5 of ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds’ provide the basis for systematic synthetic phonics.
• Common exception words from Phase 4 and Phase 5 are taught as whole words.
• A list of spellings is sent home each week and is made available on Spelling Shed for practice at home.

Y2-Y6

• In Y2 there is a daily discreet spelling lesson following the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.
• In KS2 there is a discreet spelling lesson five times per week, which includes a test and review session.
• The Spelling Shed scheme is used from Y3 to Y6.
• In KS2 flashbacks are used to revisit previous content, particularly Y2 spelling rules linked to morphology and the addition of suffixes to root words.
• Words from the National Curriculum English word list for Y3 and 4 are divided between the two year groups, linked, where possible, to the spelling patterns being studied and practised regularly.
• Words from the National Curriculum English word list for Y5 and 6 are divided between the two year groups, linked, where possible, to the spelling patterns being studied and practised regularly.
• A list of spellings is sent home each week and are made available on Spelling Shed for practice at home.

Punctuation and Grammar

Our English long term plan identifies the grammar, punctuation and terminology children should master in each year group.  Units of work identify the grammar to be taught. This enables grammar to be firmly embedded in the teaching of writing genres. Within the 'connect' phase of the writing sequence, children receive direct instruction and modelling of grammar and sentence construction and are given opportunities for extensive, deliberate practice.  English lessons begin with a grammar 'flashback' to help children remember previously learned grammar content.  In Y5 and Y6 there is also an additional discreet grammar lesson every week.

Writing Expectations

Expectations for writing presentation are displayed in the front of each child’s writing book.

All phases of the writing process are in the writing book. If a piece of work is chosen for display, then a photocopy must be placed in the book.

Each unit of work is usually no more than two to three weeks long.

All green marking is acted upon by the child. 

Non-negotiable spellings are picked up every single time. 

All children have a pen as soon as they are ready in Y3. Only school pens are used.

Date and WALT are underlined in pen with a ruler.

Impact

The impact of our writing approach is that children are confident, enthusiastic writers who can write for a wide variety of purposes and audiences.

Return to Curriculum Page.