Our aims:
Our aim at Skelton Primary School is to inspire children to be creative, imaginative writers, who enjoy sharing their ideas on a page. Giving children the opportunity to be innovative writers will provide them with important skills such as being able to expand on their vocabulary and be able to write at length.
Writing environments:
Each class has an English Working Wall which reflects what they are learning. Early Years and KS1 display RWI sounds and green and red words linked to the story that the children are learning about. Flipcharts are used to model writing within the lessons.
KS2 classes refer to the Writing Rainbow within each lesson. The working walls are used to display a selection of synonyms and sentence types that children can refer to when writing. Teachers use flipcharts to model writing to the children in every lesson.
Jane Considine the ‘Write Stuff’
In KS2 we follow Jane Considine’s the ‘Write Stuff. ’ Each class focuses on the same genre over two to three weeks and each class bases their writing on a different text. Each unit begins with a series of different sentence stacking lessons and children produce an extended piece of writing using the skills that have been taught. Click here for more information about The Write Stuff.
The Writing Rainbow – A rainbow split into three tiers each one with nine lenses focusing on different elements of writing.
Sentence Stacking – Each of these lessons focuses on three different lenses from the Writing Rainbow. The children use Green Jotters to record their ideas and a variety of vocabulary on one side. On the other side, they construct a high quality sentence using a variety of structures and punctuation.
Independent Writing – At the end of each unit, children will produce a piece of extended writing in their Red English Books. This is an opportunity to showcase all the skills they have learnt throughout the current genre they are learning.
Phonics – Get Writing!
We use Read Write Inc Phonics to teach reading and writing.
Children are organised in homogenous groups and are taught a daily speed sound session, storybook and get writing session. As part of the speed sound session children have a spelling section where they write words containing the sounds they know. They use Fred Fingers to identify the number of sounds in the word and pinch the fingers whilst saying the sound. These words are written in Purple Phonics Books.
Children read a book at their current level and complete a variety of writing activities throughout the week based on the story. (Green – Orange follow a 3 day timetable and Yellow and Grey follow a 5 day timetable). These consist of hold a sentence, proofreading, spelling and vocabulary activities. Children then produce a ‘big write’ based on the skills they have learnt. This is done in Red Writing Books.
Click here to see an overview of Writing at Skelton Primary School