Writing

What does writing look like at Dore Primary School?

Whether children are writing to parents to invite them to come and see the school nativity, or writing to entertain fellow peers with a magical and mysterious adventure story, children at Dore Primary School write with a purpose and audience in mind. Children are taught to become accomplished writers through a teaching sequence:

What is the teaching sequence?

1. Immersion – Children are immersed into their new learning, whether this be a school visit, a play or current news headlines, there is always something to ‘hook’ them in

2. Analysis and skills – Children study texts for inspiration, ideas and understanding

3. SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) and Vocabulary – Taught in context

4. Plan – Together, children agree and create a success criteria to plan for their writing

5. Write – Children write for a real purpose, having had meaningful build up to get them to this stage

6. Review – Self and peer assessment, adapting and improving writing

What is the impact of the teaching sequence?

  • A collaborative, step by step approach that prepares children to succeed as effective writers
  • All elements of becoming a successful writer covered in a meaningful context
  • Children understand the writing process and gain a deeper understanding of text, audience and purpose for future projects
  • High quality writing produced across school 

What are the writing non-negotiables?

The writing non-negotiables are key features of narrative which are taught in each year group to support children’s written work. At Dore Primary School, children are encouraged to check their writing carefully for these ‘non-negotiables’ before finishing their work. Time given to this self-assessment ensures the ‘basics’ are covered.

Promoting a love of writing

As well as this writing sequence, we promote a love of writing in many other ways:

Grammar Progression Policy

Our Grammar policy has been developed to provide pupils, staff and parents with a shared understanding of how grammar is taught at Dore Primary School. If children are completing writing tasks away from school, this document could improve the quality of their creations.

ENGLISH – INTENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPACT STATEMENTS:

Writing News:

  • Year 5 – Narrative Writing – The Ridge
    Linking with our geographical Learning Journey, Out and About, Year 5 have been writing narratives based on The Ridge. We first focused upon building an atmosphere of apprehension by describing the daunting setting and the characters body-language to represent his emotions. We then switched to use similar techniques to show Danny’s exhilaration as he tackled the… Read more: Year 5 – Narrative Writing – The Ridge
  • Y1 English
    Year 1 have started their new English topic looking into Katherine Johnson’s life. They acted as Katherine by making rockets suitable to fly into space!
  • Y4 English – Portal Stories
    Y4 have spent a great deal of care, time and effort creating these amazing stories. First we read about different examples of ‘portal story’, including The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Phantom Tollbooth. We worked out that mostly portal stories start with someone who isn’t happy with their everyday life (just like… Read more: Y4 English – Portal Stories
  • Y4 Sheffield Children’s Book Awards Visit
    Y4 spent a fantastic day in Sheffield city centre, attending the Sheffield Children’s Book Awards. At a very lively ceremony, we were entertained by ‘That Poetry Guy’, then saw the winners of the various awards, including the ones we had voted for when we were in Y3. The Lord Mayor of Sheffield presented the overall… Read more: Y4 Sheffield Children’s Book Awards Visit
  • Year 6 Aztec Immersion
    Our Year 6 pupils have been exploring the Aztec civilisation as we start our first learning journey of the year. Drama, outdoor learning and story-telling have immersed us in this fascinating culture.