Every writing lesson from Reception to Year Six demonstrates a Writing Learning Journey.
Our Writing Learning Journey
- The Learning journey is tailored to meet the needs of our children. It will show a clear progression of skills leading to the end piece of writing. The teacher will use a genre focus text where there is a reading focus and features of the genre are introduced. Through the text children will study genre specific language and features and apply these in our writing.
- Relevant SPaG skills are taught across at least two lessons with the use of writing WAGOLL’s and shared writing strategies to teach objectives required for an end of unit writing piece.
- The end writing piece takes place at the end of the week and over two days if needed.
- The children will independently apply learnt skills in the final piece of writing against a success criterion of skills taught across the English unit and children apply these taught skills in their writing.
- Throughout the learning journey teachers include ‘pit stops’ in their writing lessons. ‘Pit stops’ allow children to stop during the lesson and go back and edit their work with children guidance and modelling.
- ‘Live Marking’: (using a pink highlighter by the teacher) is used during every English lesson (for at least a paragraph for every child) to identify spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Purple pens are used by children in their ‘Live Marking’ from Year One to Year Six.
- Cross-curricular opportunities in English, are planned for in foundation subject topics, ensuring the knowledge of key vocabulary and writing skills are embedded for all children.
- All classrooms show the Writing Learning journey on their English Displays. These displays show the key SPaG skills the children have learnt in order to complete their end piece of writing. The children use these working walls throughout their English lessons. Have a look at some of the photos of our displays.
Every classroom from Reception to Year 6 displays an English Learning Journey Display. This is a working wall to show the key skills the children are learning linked to their English Unit. We always display key vocabulary and show children’s work and the end result – a fantastic piece of Extended Writing.
World of Stories
Year 5 Thunberg have been fortunate to have author, Serena Patel, visit their classroom. As a class they have embarked on an exciting journey to create their own stories inspired by her guidance. Serena has helped the class to create their very own stories. The next visit with Serena is going to be at Central Library where the children will be editing their stories so that the narratives are brought to life. All of the stories will go to publication and all the children will receive a pamphlet copy of their story. All of the stories will be displayed at Central library where you can read all of 5 Thunberg’s creations.
Pep the poet – Poetry Week 5th October 2023
We celebrated poetry day on Thursday 5th October 2023. We were very lucky to have Pep the Poet in school today for National Poetry Day. He delivered an assembly this morning and has worked with all classes inspiring them to write their own poetry and take part in a class ‘Slam Poetry’.
Poetry Slam
Each class got into teams to perform poems they had written as a group or one of Pep’s poems. Each class had a judging panel to help judge each of the performances.
Pep the poet taught each class how to perform their poetry by using the correct volume and pace, expression, hand gestures and movement and clear diction so that everyone understands the poems.
He also inspired children to continue to write their own poetry and become confident when performing their work. Oscar (4 Harris) stated “I loved performing my own poem to Pep and found the positive feedback really helpful. I want to carry on writing my own poems and want to be a poet when I grow up”
For more information about Pep the poet please visit: www.pepthepoet.co.uk.
Writing for pleasure
During Autumn term each class have set up a writing for pleasure folder and our task before Christmas was to write a Christmas card to our local nursing home, to our Parish and governors to show them how much we care.
The children at St Mary’s have written some lovely Christmas messages. These Christmas cards were greatly received from our local community.
