Big Talk

[Guest]

Hi Marion - read your reply under the monitoring writing post re: BIG TALK. Would you be able to give a bit more insoght into how the BIG TALK sessions 'look' in your Nursery/Reception please? Big Writing has been introduced in our school recently but we haven't been included - would like to go back to managment taem & suggest ways FS could begin laying the foundations for Big Writing as opposed to being left out in the cold so to say. Thanks.

[Marion]

Basically it closely follows the format for Big Writing but we work together as a class to compose our story (or other types of writing, letters instructions etc) An adult supports and another records. This can be by scribing videoing or recording with a cassette. We play mood music dim lights candles etc may use images on the IWB if appropriate. Usually through the week we have spent some time in role for the "writing". The children are encouraged to use the elements of Big Writing (VCOP) so we use "posh" words (we have a WOW word wall where we add really good words we might want to use) connectives to make better sentences, interesting openings and Kung Fu punctuation. For Halloween we dressed up in costume and wrote on bats which we placed into a cauldron and composed a class poem Ten Things Found in a Witch's Cauldron.

 

Have you seen the Andrell forum Ros Wilson posts there to help with ideas http://www.andrelleducation.co.uk/forum/index.php

[Guest]

Thanks for that Marion - very interesting & something that has fired up my thoughts for the next meeting i attend! Also thanks for the link to the Andrel forum - its almost as addictive as reading this site!!

[Susan]

Marion, I'd really like to know more about this but cant access any training, so which of the books is a good starter?

[Marion]

I would probably go for the Gold book Write on target but I haven't seen the new Write to the top. I'm going on the Creative Curriculum training but it's not until May.

[Susan]

Thanks.