Writing

At Albemarle, reading is the foundation from which writing and authors of the future develop. .

Intent:

Through the use of high quality texts as a foundation and stimulus from which to build from, we aim to develop children into confident, creative writers. We passionately believe that developing secure and accomplished writers raises attainment across the curriculum and beyond. By the end of their Albemarle journey, our intent is that our children have acquired a solid understanding of grammar, built a bank of rich vocabulary and have the confidence to experiment with language, depending on audience and purpose. We encourage our children to be reflective, take pride in their presentation and to develop their planning and editing skills. Carefully selected relevant, engaging literature inspires our children to produce purposeful writing outcomes that develop both composition and transcription.

Implementation:

At Albemarle, each half term begins with a whole-school or upper and lower school text. This provides the opportunity for each year group to explore the same text, at the same time, creating whole school engagement with authors and themes and a sense of shared purpose. Although the book may be the same, the outcomes will be pertinent to each year group and the interpretation may vary for different age groups. Writing sequences begin using writing journals, to enable children to develop ideas in a creative way and to follow an authentic writing process. Grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and spellings are embedded and taught in context, to be applied in context with meaning. High-level questioning, precise modelling and shared writing provide a guide and structure for our children to flourish as independent writers. Verbal feedback plays a pivotal role in our writing curriculum, providing our children with direct, purposeful feedback that supports them in editing and evaluating their writing.

Discrete handwriting lessons teach children to correctly form letters and to orientate and size letters correctly. Initially children are taught to form pure letters before being introduced to the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed for joined writing. Included in our handwriting map is the opportunity for children to publish their work. This is celebrated in half termly corridor displays. Click here to see the handwriting progression map.

Impact:

Our Writing curriculum allows our children to leave Albemarle as imaginative, confident writers with the ability to manipulate written language according to context, audience and purpose. We ensure our children are secure in using the correct terminology when referring to grammar and can articulate its purpose. Through a broad and balanced curriculum, adorned with rich literature, engaging hooks and meaningful sequences, we ensure our children achieve well in Statutory Assessments and are prepared for the next stage of their journey.

Writing Maps:

Year One - Click here

Year Two - Click here

Year Three - Click here

Year Four - Click here

Year Five - Click here

Year Six - Click here

Useful Links for Learning:

http://en.childrenslibrary.org/

http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/library.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/english/reading/

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2literacy.html