Writing
Intent
At Eaton we strive to help our children develop into articulate and imaginative communicators, who are well-equipped with the basic skills they need to become life-long learners; English learning is key in this. We aim to ensure all of our children develop a genuine love of language and literature. Our text-based approach carefully links our reading and writing curriculum together through a diverse range of high-quality books.
Our curriculum ensures that children’s English learning is relevant and meaningful. Where possible we make strong links between our reading and writing We ensure that children develop an understanding of how widely writing is used in everyday life and, therefore, how important and useful the skills are that they are learning.
We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children.
At Eaton, we intend:
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for children to become enthusiastic and motivated readers
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to develop children’s confidence in reading a wide variety of genres and text types
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for children to have the skills to decode words in order to be able to read fluently with understanding of what they have read
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for children to become confident spellers
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to encourage a love of literature and an enjoyment of reading for pleasure - to use reading to provoke thought within children
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to write for a purpose
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see themselves as real writers
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take ownership of their writing
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see writing as an interesting and enjoyable process
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acquire the ability to organise and plan their written work
Implementation
We use Pathways to Write to drive our writing curriculum. This aligns with Pathways to Read ensuring meaningful links for our pupils with texts that are used across Literacy, Humanities and Science.
Children learn about the purpose, structure and language features of a variety of writing genres. The teaching of writing and use of compositional skills are grounded in a rich experience of reading and reflecting on quality written texts. The texts are often used as models for writing. When appropriate, cross-curricular links are made.
Children are given regular opportunities for telling, retelling and refining texts as a preparation for writing. We encourage the process of planning, saying, writing, checking and editing writing.
Planned teaching sequences include shared, guided and independent writing. We prepare children for the transition from shared to independent writing by use of teacher demonstrations-‘modelling’ writing, teacher scribing and supported composition. Extended writing opportunities are planned for across the curriculum. This encourages the children to be creative and flexible with their writing skills, applying what has previously been taught.
Pathways to Write- The Sequence
The Gateway:
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The Gateway is begins with a ‘hook’ session to intrigue and enthuse young writers
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Pupils are given the opportunity to predict
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The purpose and audience of the text is established
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Revisit previous mastery skills and ongoing skills through an assessed piece of writing
The Pathway:
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New writing skills are introduced from the year group's curriculum, these are called mastery keys and these are displayed in the classroom.
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Writing opportunities are provided to practise and apply the skills taught. This is through short and extended writing tasks, including character descriptions, poetry, dialogue between characters, fact files or diary entries in role.
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Opportunities are provided to re-cap and apply previously taught skills.
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There are opportunities to challenge greater depth writers through a wider range of tasks e.g. changes to form, viewpoint and audience.
The Writeaway:
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Pupils section and sequence texts, this can be independently or collaboratively.
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They create extended pieces of writing.
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Opportunity is given to apply mastery skills.
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Time is given for planning, writing, checking, editing, redrafting and publishing.
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A fiction or non-fiction outcome will be written (covering a wide range of genres and themes over the year).