Shaping our writing curriculum:
We follow the National Curriculum. English is both a subject in its own right, but is also essential across the curriculum to empower learners effectively to gain fluency in the English Language. Fluency in the English language is an essential foundation for success in all subjects. We know that spoken language, reading and writing are intricately linked and take every opportunity to make this known to our children. Across our writing curriculum we ensure that we sequence different genres of writing and keep returning to these. In teaching writing we follow a ‘talk for writing model.’ Our aim is for children to be taught to write, so they can use writing in their daily lives to communicate knowledge, ideas and emotions both orally and through their writing, an important adult life skill. We are always making links with reading ensuring that reading and writing are used effectively as a tool for thinking and learning throughout the curriculum. Our curriculum will ensure that spoken language is at the heart, our children will be taught to speak clearly and convey ideas confidently using Standard English. They are taught to learn to justify ideas with reasons; ask questions to check understanding; develop vocabulary and build knowledge; negotiate; evaluate and build on the ideas of others. They are taught to give well-structured descriptions and explanations and develop their understanding through speculating, hypothesizing and exploring ideas. This will enable them to clarify their thinking as well as organise their ideas for writing and comprehend successfully in their reading.
Writing Consist of a range of Complex dimensions:
Construction for meaning- refers to learners constructing (orally and when composing) a message that conveys meaning that is grammatically correct.
Compositional skills-is the ability to organise ideas and words to produce effect using appropriate spelling and punctuation. In addition, storytelling is a compositional skill.
Extending writing vocabulary- over a period of time, a learner accumulates a large writing vocabulary of high frequency words. The emphasis is on paying close attention to scanning all the details in the word and applying that pattern efficiently in a variety of contexts.
Hearing and Recording Sounds in Words- is one essential way to get to a new word in English by trying to hear the sequence of sounds within the word.
We teach so that we provide an appropriate balance of:
Spoken language
Reading
Grammar
Punctuation
spelling
Learners at Barlow Hall Primary are supported to ensure they have the problem solving skills required to work strategically when writing. They are taught to write by firstly, imitating the language and internalising the model text they need for a particular topic orally before reading about the topic, and analysing it. Finally, they innovate and write their own version. To support independent application, learners co-construct a toolkit for this type of text so that they can talk about the ingredients themselves, as writers.
We make sure that we build in knowledge of significant texts so that children have an awareness of different styles and language and can use this in their own writing, we want our children to be enfranchised for their adult lives.
We use concepts to give meaning to our writing:
In all subjects at Barlow Hall we use six Thinking Concepts:
Continuity and Change over Time
Inter-relationships
Perspectives
Similarities and Differences
Analysing and Interpreting
Cause and Effect
Our writing subject concepts are:
Articulation – ideas and structuring these in speech and writing
Vocabulary acquisition
Fluency and coherence
Concepts about print
Word reading linked to phonics
Our writing skills:
Oral retelling and performance
Transcription
Sentence contruction
Knowing features of genres and content knowledge
Planning, revising and editing writing
Self-regulation where children self-correct and self-correct
Our curriculum is designed so children are taught the knowledge and skills then use their knowledge. We build knowledge and skills from one year to another, moving from a basic understanding to an advanced model where understanding is applied to fluency and then a deep and automatic understanding. In our lessons we build on prior knowledge and link back and forwards to embed our knowledge. We return to key concepts so that are children know more and remember more.
