Have a go task!

We begin the teaching and learning process with a ‘cold’ writing task.  This means that the children have a go at writing in the text type they will learn about.  Teachers use this piece of writing to identify strengths and set individual targets.

Imitation

During this phase, children learn a model text with actions and story maps. The key to success for this is that they internalise the text type through repetition and rehearsal. They explore the structure of the narrative and investigate the different characters, settings and events. During this first stage, we use a range of drama games to develop a deeper understanding of the story.  Children begin to look closely at the language used and the effect this has on the reader. The classroom becomes a dynamic, interactive resource filled with word ideas, sentence types and language tools collected by the children to use in their stories later.

Innovation

The children explore different ways they could change aspects of the original text, for example changing characters, setting or writing from a different point of view. They then make changes to their story map and orally tell this new story.

Through shared and guided writing, the children write this new version in manageable sections. During this week, we teach spelling and grammar in the context of the story.

This stage is very supportive, so children gain confidence and know what they need to do to get better.

Independent      application

In this final stage, the children use all the skills they have learnt so far to write an independent ‘hot’ piece which shows what they know / have learnt.

There is freedom to draw upon their own ideas, or they can ‘hug closely’ to the original shared text should they need to. Teachers use this task to assess how much progress the children have made.

The children present their work by either publishing, presenting, or reading out loud to peers to celebrate their successes.