Substantive knowledge:
We aspire to develop creative writers who have the skills they need to have a successful future. Our aim is to motivate children; give them the basic skills they need as writers; provide them with rich experiences drawn from their cross-curricular work and immerse them in language so that they have something to say, the motivation to say it and the tools to do this skillfully. Children are taught key grammatical skills from the National Curriculum, which build upon prior learning and improve their composition year after year.
Disciplinary knowledge:
Our Writing curriculum is delivered through a systematic approach where children are able to develop their understanding of genre and composition whilst applying their transcription skills to contexts with a specific purpose.
- First, pupils are immersed in an activity which provides them with enthusiasm and a purpose for writing.
- Learners then analyse examples to find out how to be successful. Sometimes this will be deconstructing a WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like), locating specific features, using their year group target sheets or improving a WABOLL (What A Bad One Looks Like).
- From this, pupils create success criteria for their genre.
- During the immersion, analysis and planning process, children are exposed to, and encouraged to explore, key vocabulary.
- Pupils then learn how to use grammatical features and apply them to contexts.
- Children are supported to understand the writer’s process through adult modelling. We use the mantra “Think it, Say it, Write it, Check it” to encourage verbalisation of sentences before transcription.
- Pupils write independently using resources in, and around, the classroom to support them with their writing.
- To refine their work, pupils edit and uplevel their work throughout the writing process but with a greater focus at the end of a writing session.
- Promoting success is key for our children so they review their work, their partners work and have the opportunity to re-draft their work.
Useful Links
- Pobble – http://www.pobble365.com/
- Literacy Shed – https://www.literacyshed.com/home.html
- Once upon a picture – https://www.onceuponapicture.co.uk/
