Writing at Grampound Road
Intent:
Why is English important for pupils at Grampound Road?
We believe the teaching of English provides children with the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills to participate fully as a member of our school community and in the wider world.
At Grampound Road, we want children to become avid readers who engage in high quality reading opportunities that are both pleasurable and challenging. We aim to ensure all children have access to a broad range of high quality reading materials & opportunities, which will enable them to become lifelong, independent and confident readers who read for pleasure and for information. We want our children to be able to read fluently and widely and express preferences and opinions about the texts and authors that they read.
English is taught through a sequential journey that encourages children to read like a writer and write like a reader. It is our intention that children use their rich and varied reading experiences to inform their writing. We aim to expose our children to a wide range of ambitious vocabulary (through reading and writing) which they are expected to apply in their speaking, listening and writing. We want children to have opportunities to write for a range of audiences and purposes using the grammatical accuracy, application of their spelling and phonic knowledge and the use of a cursive handwriting style appropriate for their age.
Implementation:
RWI/Phonics
At GR the development of writing begins with the understanding and application of phonic knowledge to writing words as they sound. Alongside phonic knowledge, (taught in RWI sessions) a wide range of opportunities to apply their knowledge of phonemes and graphemes to writing for different purposes are provided in the EYFS.
Writing for a purpose:
In KS1 and KS2 the focus of written outcomes is based on four purposes – to entertain, to inform, to persuade and to discuss (and any appropriate combination) – which are addressed progressively across the school and focuses on making decisions as a writer based on the purpose and audience of the written outcome. The teaching sequence will generally include:
- a stimulus for writing, e.g. a short film, a real-life experience, an extract from the class book;
- an analysis of the written genre to identify the structure and language features required for the purpose and audience of the writing and create a ‘toolkit’ for writing;
- use of role-play, role on the wall, hot-seating, improvisation, discussion and vocabulary;
- organising ideas using planning templates or story maps;
- the writing phase, step-by –step using modelled writing and shared writing leading to guided and independent writing.
- Opportunities to assess own writing against the ‘toolkit’ or success criteria proof-read, edit and improve written outcomes.
Writing outcomes are generally linked to other areas of the curriculum to assist children with the writing content; children also have opportunities to write about a subject that interests them.
The grammar and punctuation elements of the National Curriculum are taught both discretely as part of an English lesson, identified in the text analysis and included in the toolkit, modelled explicitly during modelled and shared writing and used by children in their written outcomes: the correct terminology for grammar and punctuation is used by teachers, teaching assistants and children.
The transcription skills of handwriting are taught discretely following the Letter joins scheme. Letter formation is taught in the EYFS and year 1. A cursive script is taught from year 2 and this is modelled by teachers and used in the classroom environment; it is expected that children write using the cursive script from year 2. The exception is that children spell words correctly in their written work, use a dictionary, the learning environment or a spelling buddy to find the correct spelling or to make corrections to spellings.
Spoken Language
Drama activities such as hot seating, role play, provide children with opportunities to express themselves orally in preparation for written tasks and to explore the thoughts and feelings of people and events across the curriculum. Poetry and play performances and presentations across the curriculum to audiences give children the opportunity to practise speaking fluently, audibly, with intonation, expression and using the appropriate level of formality.
Impact:
What will this look like? By the time the children leave the school they will:
- To access the curriculum at KS3.
- To be able to use writing to communicate for a variety of purposes and audiences.
- To use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
- To present their writing neatly using a cursive style.