Writing Development

[sarlaw]

Can any one offer any advice?!!

Apart from ELG's/Curriculum guidance and LEA curriculum we do not have a progressive writing scheme in place. As writing is an issue within our school I want to create such a scheme to fit our children's needs. Has anyone got any good starting points/ documents/ web sites/ schemes etc. I can draw from? Would be grateful for any ideas.

[Guest]

Look up on amazon 'emmergent writing' there is so much material available

 

'Before Writing' by Gunther Kress is an interesting read.

 

Have you got 'developing early writing' as that is quite a good place to start - it gives lots of advice on prehandwriting 'activities' such as fine motor play, making patterns in sand, foam etc BEFORE formal handwriting begins.

 

Hope these help

[Guest]

Only to echo ladybug's advice, all the pre-writing fine-motor practice is soooo important and shouldn't be overlooked.

 

Some other things we like to do are move cooked long spaghetti form one bowl to another using tongs, then moving onto moving dried peas between plates using tweezers, and making patterns on the playground with squeezy bottles full of water is great too!

[catma]

Is this for reception? Are you talking about writing as in different genres or handwriting? In terms of writing there is a "scheme" very clearly defined in the types of texts outlined in the NLS: narrative, rhymes,poetry,non fiction, stories with predictable patterns etc. Ensuring that you look at the features of these text types and show children what makes something a narrative text say or a list is the kind of experience they will build on in KS1 and some sense of where this goes later is sensible I think. If you are planning a "reading into writing model", whereby you demonstrate/model the features of text types and then develop this into shared writing modelling and demonstrating how to apply the features, which children can then use in their own work/play you would be developing writing. All the objectives in the NLS can be linked to the ELGs and so are compatible. As Ladybug says the Developing early writing is a very good place for guidance on handwriting. You would however need to know what the school style is, e.g. Sassoon,Jarman,Nelsons etc to ensure that teacjhing of handwriting is continuous. It's no good teaching a round K in FS when ks1 teach a straight line K for example.

 

However if writing is, as you say an issue for the school then you on your own cannot tackle this issue. It's a whole school thing which needs management time,e.g. setting benchmarks for attainment at key points and then an action plan to help the school achieve them, with tracking from SMT coordinators etc. Going off on your own writing a scheme may be time wasted if the SMT subsequently go off in a different direction!! Any scheme would need to cover the 3 key tages to ensure continuity and progression and so would need input from other staff. I would discuss this in school with the relevant managers.

[Guest]

We are beginning to look at writing development throughout the school. I have been asked to write what standard of writing i think children should have achieved by the end of Reception moving into year 1 and what they should have achieved by the end of year 1. It is a tricky one because i adopt a more informal approach to learning and some teachers in my school believe in a formal approach and think Reception and year 1 children should be doing lots of worksheets etc. Can you offer me any advice on how to convince them?

[Guest]

Rocket,

why are you being asked to re-invent the wheel? Can't you use the Profile writing scale (with your evidence for each point) for where they should be at - for both Reception and Year 1? Also Curriculum Guidance and the ELGs?

 

Also stick to your guns, 'writing' is NOT worksheets!

luv

Bungalow