Writing

INFORMED   INDEPENDENT INVESTED   INDIVIDUAL

Writing at Ilketshall  

INFORMED

At Ilketshall across the year groups we look at writing by many varied authors and learn how they have successfully got their point across.  We show children that no word of a published author is there by accident – every single line has been pored over and carefully chosen.   We teach the features of different types of writing and that it’s not rocket science – every type of writing has a formula and once you know what the formula is – anyone can be a writer.  We use a WAGOLL with every piece of extended writing so that pupils know what they are aiming for.  Pupils are also informed of the punctuation and grammar needed in order for their words to make sense and this is explicitly taught and built upon across the school.  The study of morphology of words is closely looked at in our spellings each week as we unpick how to spell different words and their relationship to similar words in our language. 

INDEPENDENT

Pupils always  know what they are aiming for (because they have been shown a WAGOLL) but once it’s time to write, the work they have done leading up to the writing activity allows them to write independently.  Children know where to look for common spellings (the common exception word and top 200 word lists) and use their working walls to help them work independently. They are also encouraged to check and edit their work against our ‘no excuses’ criteria and we promote the sharing of good examples in classes, across the school and to our school community. 

INVESTED

Children understand how important it is to get the basics right, and use the ‘no excuses’ stuck into their books to make sure they are not making silly mistakes.  Teachers have high expectations of presentation and handwriting, which demonstrates how invested pupils are in their writing.

Writing is not limited to English lessons.  We take the opportunity to include writing tasks in Humanities and Science work too, which helps children to be invested in other areas of school life and it encourages children to see the importance of the written word in their future. 

INDIVIDUAL

Children are encouraged to use personal experience when they write and to let their personalities come through – just as authors do.  Pupils know that we are all individuals and that the best effort for one person is not the same as the best effort for a classmate.  We encourage children to be brave in their writing and explore their ideas fully and  we always share examples of brilliant work by individuals in the class and more widely across the school. We also encourage respect in listening to others and we promote an environment that values difference in ideas and style.