Intent

At Woodfield we want all of our children to become budding young authors and to enjoy all stages of the writing process. To do this, we begin by encouraging the children to enjoy a range of literature through the use of quality and diverse texts; this develops their vocabulary and use of it which is shown through writing. 

Where appropriate, we use Talk 4 Writing methods to teach the writing process. The concept was originally developed by the author Pie Corbett and is a fun, creative and exciting way to develop and accelerate children’s progress in writing. It inspires and encourages our children and helps to develop young, imaginative and effective writers whilst developing a love and enjoyment of writing.  Talk 4 Writing improves children’s confidence to communicate through speech and develop their vocabulary with peers and adults.   Writing looks different within EYFS and Key Stage One but follows the same process where each stage is built upon.  Most importantly, Talk 4 Writing begins with the enjoyment of sharing a text whether fiction or non-fiction.  It draws on other areas of the curriculum and gives the children experience of developing their metacognition skills such as being resilient and being able to self-improve.  

Implementation

There are three stages of the Talk 4 Writing process that we follow at Woodfield.  The first stage is the ‘imitation’ stage where children learn the text off by heart in a multi-sensory approach so they have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of it.  This is reinforced by using story maps or text maps alongside the use of actions which are often created by the children and drama.  All of these tools help and reinforce knowledge of the text which enables the children to retell it with confidence.  As children learn the text word for word it encourages the use of specific sentence structures and grammar which help the children with their own independent writing.  Once a child can tell a story, they have the foundations to begin to write one.

Once the text has been learnt, the children then learn to adapt it; this is called the ‘innovation’ stage. During this stage, children develop and make the text their own.  This could be by improving a part of the story by adding adjectives or adverbs to make it more exciting for the reader or changing the character or setting.  In a non-fiction text they may choose a part of the text to adapt, for example, a text about mammals changed to one about fish.  The children change their text maps to reflect their ideas and rehearse it orally to embed their own changes.

The final stage of the Talk 4 Writing process is called, the ‘invent’ stage.  This is when children write their own story or text with as much independence as possible and consolidate their learning.  They are able to ‘hug’ closely to the text for support whilst using their own ideas.

Special Educational Needs and Writing

Effective quality first teaching is the key to enabling all children to participate and develop their writing knowledge and skills. We have high expectations and use adaptive teaching to ensure that all pupils receive a high level of challenge appropriate for them to thrive.

Support specific to writing may include:

• Pre-teaching of the text
• Pre-teaching of more advance vocabulary
• Rehearsing language structures through actions and repetition
• Visual supports such as a text map to support sequencing and aid memory
• Group write
• Stem sentences
• Phonic and word mats

Pupils not secure within a lesson sequence are noted and adaptations made to the level of support given.  Similarly, added expectation is given to those pupils requiring it. This may be through questioning to delve deeper into their understanding and expecting more accurate use of a variety of punctuation and sentence structures.

Impact

Throughout the writing process at Woodfield children think about and reflect on their learning.  They are expected to use the ‘Learning Powers’ from the ‘Learning Jungle’ to help them.  This encourages our pupils to think with growth mind sets and begin to use powerful metacognitive strategies to support their learning.  For example, children may show resilience like ‘Albert the Armadillo’ and learn from their mistakes.  They may continuously improve and get better like ‘The Monkeys’, by proof reading and editing their writing.  We endeavour to ensure that the Talk 4 Writing process that we provide at Woodfield inspires and motivates our children to have a love of writing and approach it with excitement.