At Newton Tony Primary School, we believe in fostering a love for writing, engaging a community of writers who enjoy being creative and purposeful. We believe that writing enables children’s thinking and learning to become visible. We encourage children to express their thoughts, views and feelings. We value interesting and engaging starting points that encourage children to write for purpose and audience where possible.
How do we teach writing?
When children join our school in Year R, we encourage confidence and value mark making. Throughout their writing journey we teach children to become fluent with handwriting, spelling and sentence structure. We use story maps to teach sequencing and oral retelling to learn new stories. We introduce the principles of colourful semantics when children are ready to develop their understanding of sentence structure. Children have the opportunity to use word processing and other programmes to present writing in a different format.
Our writing journey overview: Writing Genre Overview
Our writing skills and knowledge progression: Writing progression of skills and knowledge
A guide to Colourful Semantics: Colourful-Semantics
How do we teach spelling, punctuation and grammar?
YR and Y1 start their spelling journey through participating in the Little Wandle phonics programme. Children in Y1-Y6 take part in daily ‘Ninja’ SPAG starters, encouraging children to re-visit and remember key facts. https://vocabularyninja.co.uk/spag-centre/
Our SPAG journey overview: SPAG overview
How do encourage a love for writing outside of the curriculum?
Children participate in the annual Rotary Club Young Writers competition, and regularly celebrate successful entries. One of our Y6 pupils, was invited to the district final and won the local round with her poem ‘If I Were Peace’. Click here to read the poem If I were peace by Fliss.
Extract: If I were peace, I would be the soft, gentle waves rolling onto the delicate beach sand,
Excitable children come and lift me up into the air, who knows where I will land,
I carry shells with me on my journeys and carefully place them on the seashores along the way,
Whilst my sounds provide comfort to a troubled person’s wellbeing on a rough day.
Over the Summer, children have the opportunity to take part in a Summer Diary challenge . Summer_writing challenge. We award a £10 amazon voucher for the winners.
Find out more information
https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/resources/new-bbc-children-in-need-colourful-semantics/