Writing at Park Way

Writing at Park Way Primary School

At Park Way, we strive to ensure that all our pupils leave us with the skills needed to pick up a pen and write.  Writing is taught across the curriculum alongside Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG). It is important to us that our children write for ‘real’ purposes and are encouraged to widen their vocabulary through a range of different genres and texts.

Our Intention:

We aim to develop proficient, accurate and creative writers through a rich and broad curriculum. By the time our children leave our school, it is our intention that they will:

  • Write fluently in order to communicate their ideas and emotions effectively through different genres
  • Have had many opportunities to develop and apply their writing skills across the curriculum
  • Be able to plan, revise and evaluate their writing
  • Have developed an awareness of audience, purpose and context
  • Have had numerous opportunities for speaking and listening as well as performing for different audiences
  • Have experience of cinema and live theatre
  • Have a strong command of English spelling patterns, vocabulary and grammar
  • Use fluent, legible and speedy handwriting

 

Full details about our approach to the teaching and learning of writing, including handwriting and spelling, can be found in our English policy.

The Writing Journey

Our Aim

  • We aim to support our children to improve their writing.
  • We aim to facilitate confident writers who write accurately and creatively for different purposes embedding their knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling strategies to produce their best learning.

 

Stage 1 – Introduce the writing genre and focus text

At Park Way we ensure that our pupils are taught a broad range of different genres for them to access their true potential in writing. This is supported by a focus text providing examples of the genre and guiding them in their own writing.

Genres we use:

  • Recounts
  • Letters
  • Diary entries
  • Story writing
  • Information texts
  • Instructions
  • Newspaper reports
  • Scripts
  • Traditional tales
  • Poetry

Not all genres are taught in all year groups

How we might introduce the genre:

  • Clip from a film
  • Story
  • Research from books or ICT
  • Visitors
  • Objects/artifacts
  • Visits

Stage 2 – Making or experiencing writing through activity

At the beginning of a new genre, Park Way pupils are given the opportunity to explore the genre through different experiences. These might include:

  • Drama – role play
  • Songs
  • Making something – puppets, masks, setting in a box, key objects from the genre, collages, games etc.
  • Making music – soundscapes
  • Dance

 

Stage 3 – Planning an extended piece of writing

We know that if we want to produce an outstanding piece of learning, we first have to plan it. Planning is a crucial stage when writing as it allows you the opportunity to research vocabulary and consolidate your ideas. The planning stage might include:

  • Collecting vocabulary
  • Opportunities to explore and learn new grammar or punctuation linking this to key aspects of that particular style of writing.
  • Working in groups, sharing ideas, listening to each other and having discussions around themes.
  • Planning in different formats e.g. story mapping, lists, webs.

 

Stage 4 – Individual writing

For children to be able to write and enjoy it, they need to be given the opportunity to simply write! During this stage, children are encouraged to use their planning and previous learning to write their own version of the focus genre. Adults will support their writing through modeled writing and through shared composition so children have the foundations to begin their own writing journey.

Here they might include:

  • The features of the genre style
  • A range of punctuation and grammar that is linked to their genre
  • Their planning sheets to support them
  • Access to dictionaries and thesaurus’ which they can use independently
  • Spelling strategies when spelling new and specific vocabulary

 

Stage 5 – Edit and Improve

It is rare that a piece of writing is perfect the first time it is written. This is the same for adults and at Park Way, we believe that it is important to teach our children that if they have made a mistake, that it is easily done and can be rectified. Often, the most memorable lessons are those we learn through a mistake. At our school, we ensure that pupils understand that is ok to make mistakes and take the opportunity to facilitate them learning from it.

During this stage, our children are encouraged to read through their learning, check it makes sense and revise any errors. This is a vital step in their development in becoming outstanding writers. Children are encouraged to:

  • Proof read – to ensure their learning makes sense.
  • Revise – make changes to any errors that are found e.g. missing punctuation or an incorrect spelling.
  • Additions – can you make a sentence/paragraph even better by adding some additional detail or information?