_20230726223816381.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&scale=LIMIT_MAXSIZE "Drama (2)")
"IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD, PICK UP YOUR PEN AND WRITE." -MARTIN LUTHER
INTENT
To support our teaching of writing and grammar, we follow the Jane Considine approach: a research informed and evidence-based system.
At St Finian’s, we believe that our writing curriculum should instil in children a life-long love of writing. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in and are celebrated for their writing, are fluent in handwriting and spelling and are able to adapt their language and style for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. Our aim is for children to acquire a wide and rich vocabulary, a solid understanding of sentence structure and grammar and be able to spell new words by effectively applying their knowledge of spelling rules and patterns.
iMPLEMENTATion
Our writing curriculum follows a pedagogical approach which is based on two guiding principles: Experience Days and Sentence Stacking Lessons.
- Experience Days immerse children in hands-on experiences related to texts studied so children can understand the context of the story/text, for example exploring the life of a young child in ancient rural China through images, sounds, props, drama and discussion. These lessons provide an opportunity for children to emphathise and engage with the content, for example characters and events and learn high-quality related vocabulary. Understanding the context of the text more fully supports children to produce high quality writing outcomes.
- Sentence Stacking lessons teach children the fundamental principles of sentence level writing through high quality teacher modelling and scaffolding. Children generate ambitious words and phrases in response to stimuli related to the text, for example film clips, music and images. Teachers use these words and phrases to generate sentences and explicity model ideas, grammar and techniques of writing. This is a dynamic process wherby teachers model thinking, drafting and editing aloud with the children.
Sentence Stacking lessons are broken into bite-sized chunks and taught under the structural framework of Jane Considine’s The Writing Rainbow.
Our writing curriculum equips children with a complete set of tools and structures that can be applied to their writing in all contexts. The system provides pupils with the knowledge and understanding of what to write and how to write. Grammar, writing techniques and ideas are embedded in every single lesson, and revisited again and again to embed this learning and ensure that pupils become confident and adept writers.
Our approach places an emphasis on regular opportunities for editing in response to teacher marking, whereby children are supported to spot errors in punctuation and sentence structure and build on and improve their writing. This teaches them the knowledge and skills to edit their independent writing (as appropriate to Key Stage).
Handwriting and spelling are crucial foundations for writing. Fluency in both underpins children’s success in writing, as it frees up their working memory to learn progressively more complex writing skills (vocabulary, grammar and punctuation) to become independent, cohesive and purposeful writers.
SPELLING
To support our teaching of spelling, we follow the Super Sonic Spelling Scheme.
HANDWRITING
To support our delivery of the handwriting curriculum, we use Super Sonic Handwriting in EYFS and Year 1, and Nelson Handwriting from Years 2 - 6.
In EYFS and Year 1, handwriting is linked to phonics and is taught using Supersonic Handwriting. From Years 2 - 6, the teaching of handwriting is based on the Nelson Handwriting Scheme. This scheme ensures the children begin learning to join their handwriting from Year 2 and have developed their own individual style by the time they leave school in Year 6.
IMPACT
Through inspirational visual and written texts, children are inspired to write creatively, accurately and purposefully. By the time that children leave primary school, our aims are as follows:
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Children will have a life long love of writing alongside the skills required to write for the many purposes that will be required of them as they journey into adulthood.
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Children will be able to clearly, accurately and coherently write for a range of purposes: entertain, inform, persuade and discuss.
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Children will use rich and varied vocabulary effectively that is chosen specifically with the audience and purpose of the text in mind.
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Children's stamina for writing will increase as they journey through primary school to keep up with the expectations of the National Curriculum.
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Children will be proud of their writing and confident to share it with others.
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Children will be well-prepared for the secondary curriculum.
Assessment
Children’s writing is quality marked after every Sentence Stacking lesson with a focus on punctuation, spellings, sentence structure and editing to improve. Through explicitly teaching responding to marking, children in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 have a clear understanding of the marking codes which are used and how they edit in response to them. This regular marking is also used to identify misconceptions, for example the spelling of homophones / use of apostrophes, which are addressed in subsequent lessons before the misconceptions become embedded.
Marking Codes
From Year 2 onwards, children produce an idependent piece of writing at the end of every unit of work. These independent pieces are used to inform planning of subsequent units and to identify targets. Additionally, at three formal assessment points throughout the year, these pieces of writing are used to assess children's progress against the objectives in the National Curriculum for writing. At St Finian's, we assess writing using the West Berkshire Assessment Grids. Regular moderation of writing within school, with other schools and on local authority moderation meetings ensures that teachers are making secure judgements against children’s independent writing.
Following the formal assessments, teachers identify targets for learners which inform planning and teaching and are communicated to children, and parents at parents' evenings and in end of year reports.