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Writing

Writing vision:

"To enable children to communicate, clearly, accurately and coherently and use high-quality texts to inspire children to write for a range of purposes and audiences.  To enable children to acquire and use accurately, a wide vocabulary, understand and use grammar and linguistic functions within writing.  To develop children’s skills in reflecting on, and editing, their work.  To enable children to build on already acquired knowledge."

Curriculum:

At Linden Primary, we strive to create an environment that will promote both reading and writing. In order to ensure that all learners become confident writers, we encourage children to write creatively whilst teaching the key writing skills explicitly in a systematic and progressive approach that builds on the child’s previous learning.

High-quality literature drives the children’s writing and their written outcomes are based around these books. The intended audience is shared with the children at the start of the unit in order to give them a purpose for their writing. Skills are taught for that genre as part of each unit through explicit grammar and vocabulary lessons that are then modelled by the teacher in a shared piece of writing. The children then use this modelled writing to support their own independent writing.  Writing skills that are learnt in English lessons are then applied with the same expectations across other curriculum areas.

 

 

 

Writing at Linden is driven by a high-quality text that the children read alongside in their reading lessons. Pupils are taught about the features of individual text types through features, grammar and vocabulary, which they then use in their individual writing. Teaching is modelled through shared writing that children will then imitate independently, or with a partner.  Oracy activities further deepen the children’s understanding of the text type and characterisation. Children revisit text types on a cyclical basis, ensuring that knowledge and skills are continually built upon.  
 

Spelling 
KS1

The Read, Write Inc. phonics scheme is used as our strategy for teaching phonics and spelling patterns in KS1. Sounds and spelling patterns then modelled to children through shared writing during English lessons. 

KS2

The Spelling Book - 'Transforming the Teaching of Spelling' is used in Year 3 - 6.  Children have daily spelling lessons on a two-week cycle.  Children spend time working on a range of spelling activities linked to different spelling patterns in their sessions. 

Handwriting

Teaching of handwriting is taught discretely each week through the use of the programme ‘Letter Join.’ This provides a comprehensive scheme.  Using the planning provided with the scheme, teachers teach appropriate letter formation and joins, linked closely to the introduction of digraphs in EYFS/KS1. Teachers consistently model expected handwriting and support pupils who require further support. 

 By the end of Reception 

Children should be taught to: 

  • take part in activities that develop fine and gross motor skills. 

  • sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly. 

The children are to be introduced to the cursive script in Summer 1 through the use of modelling and phonic letter groups.  

When children are confident they are to  begin to practise correct formation, including the joining of digraphs. 

By the end of Year 1 

Children should be taught to: 

  •  begin to form lower case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place. 

  • form capital letters 

  • form digits 0-9 

  • begin to understand which letters belong to which handwriting “families” (i.e. letters that are formed in similar ways, and to practise these. 

By the end of Year 2 

Children should be taught to: 

  • form lower case letters of the correct size relative to one another. 

  • start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined. 

  • write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower case letters. 

  • use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters. 

By the end of Lower Key Stage 2 

Children should be taught to: 

  • use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined.  

  • increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting 

By the end of Upper Key Stage 2 

Children should be taught to: 

  • write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by: 

      -choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices and deciding whether or not to join specific letters. 

      - choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task.   

  • Pupils to write in pen in books