Writing
“You can make anything by writing.” – C.S. Lewis
“All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank
What do children say about ‘Writing’ at South Petherwin? What do they enjoy?
“We like writing because it is very relaxing and you get chance to make up your own stories and it’s peaceful”
“You can take ideas from what’s around you”
"We get to be imaginative and creative”
“It also helps us understand the meaning of words”
Writing at South Petherwin
Learning today to change tomorrow - from the earliest stages, it is important that children understand that writing is a means of expression and a communication tool.
At South Petherwin we understand that the teaching of writing is effective when children see the use in it; when there is real, authentic purpose; when there is an audience that authenticates their voice, whether themselves or another reader. We aim to create opportunities for writing inspired by meaningful events and experiences in texts and real life. This provides the children with ways in to talking and writing about their own feelings, experiences and interests and, with purpose in mind, begin to think about their audience and adapt their tone accordingly.
By the time children leave South Petherwin, they are effective communicators with a thirst for reading developed through enquiry-based learning and carefully chosen literature. We believe that these skills equip our children to continue to make excellent progress on their journey through secondary school and beyond!
We believe that, in order to write high quality texts, children need to read high quality texts. It is our intention to immerse pupils within a text for them to fully understand the vocabulary and structure of the story.
Literacy is developed and assessed throughout the curriculum. Children demonstrate their reading and writing skills across a variety of subjects as cross-curricular writing is evident throughout the school. Children have the opportunity to peer and self asses to develop an understanding of their own goals as well as receiving meaningful feedback from their teachers. Children are also monitored using statutory assessment at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 as well as the Phonics Screening Test in Year 1. These assessment methods combine to create our rigorous triangulated monitoring system which allows us to demonstrate the continued high progress made.
Writing at South Petherwin Primary School
WHAT WE KNOW WORKS:
1. Understand the role reading plays in developing writers and the value of being immersed in high quality literature
2. Ensure children have experience of a breadth of texts including those that are visual and digital
3. Provide a range of meaningful opportunities to write for real purposes and audiences and to respond to writing as a reader
4. Develop an understanding of the craft of writing by engaging meaningfully with professional authors and their processes
5. Understand and model the craft and process of writing authentically
6. Support children to identify as writers and to develop their own authentic voice
7. Give children time and space to develop their own ideas in writing
8. Use creative teaching approaches that build imagination and give time for oral rehearsal
9. Ensure the teaching of phonics, grammar and spelling is embedded in context
10. Celebrate writing through authentic publication and presentation across platforms
During their time at South Petherwin, children gradually develop a bank of well-known texts, supplemented by picture books, novels, poems and non-fiction books. Each Year, this develops the children’s living library of high level vocabulary and creative writing techniques, building on previous learning and giving children confidence as a writer.
We believe that all children should have opportunities to:
- Be immersed within a quality text.
- Be exposed to high quality texts including imaginative vocabulary.
- Develop a range of methods to communicate their ideas to an audience.
- Write from a range of genres across fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
- Write creatively drawing on their own ideas, interests and experiences.
- Write for a range of purposes.
- Use writing to demonstrate their learning through cross-curricular writing.
Classroom displays are used to collect and display models, words and phrases to support independent writing. Writing toolkits are provided to support the children through each writing genre, whilst encouraging the children to reflect on their own writing. We encourage children to before indepenent and confident writers, enjoying the abiluty to express themselves.