From nursery rhymes to stories, the best writers are exposed to a variety of language models from an early age. It is important for learners to have the opportunity to engage with and enjoy different texts. This will help them to develop their vocabulary, language awareness, and writing skills.
Furthermore, exposing learners to a range of texts will act as inspiration. Consider their motivation for writing and the issues or topics that matter to them. Inspiration can come from dynamic activities, such as drama and role-play, or by encouraging discussion.
Using visuals and language models to support writing skills
Here is an example of using language models and visual stimuli to support a writing activity.
1. Show a visual stimulus. Show learners the image of the robin and ask them to think about how they would describe it. Think about the colours of the robin as well as the shape of its body and how it moves.
2. Introduce a model text. Share a different visual stimulus, such as the dragonfly image, and ask learners the same questions. Bring in a model text alongside the visual stimulus
3. Explore the model text using visuals. Take descriptive elements of the text and illustrate those with imagery. For example ‘spun glass.’ Highlight language that may be unfamiliar to your learners to support their understanding.
4. Use the structure of the model text. Return to the first visual stimulus of the robin. Use the model text to create a structural template to support learners with their writing. The extent of this scaffolding is dependent on the learners’ experience of structure and language.
5. Encourage learners to explore new vocabulary. Take key ideas required in the poem, such as ‘cold’ and ‘sit’. Ask learners to come up with creative alternatives. Remember – learners may have different starting points with vocabulary. You could provide an example word bank or encourage them to refer back to the visual stimulus for ideas.
6. Collaborative composition. Work together as a whole class to compose a new version of the poem. Use different words chosen by the learners.
7. Independent writing. After participating in the shared activity, learners will feel more confident with an independent writing activity. Ask learners to re-use the model text and write a poem about something different.
Every word counts
A full vocabulary is an important tool to support learners’ writing skills. It is important to help learners understand how word choice can influence the meaning of a piece of writing. In this activity, start with a six-word sentence:
Here are some questions to ask learners:
1. Who might ‘I’ be?
2. Is this ‘mighty dragon’ friendly or terrifying?
3. Why am I ‘leaping’ onto it?
Next, use the roll of a dice to select one of the words in the sentence. Ask learners to suggest alternative words to use in the place of the one you have selected.
Here are some examples:
1. I leapt onto the tiny dragon.
2. I leapt onto the ferocious dragon.
3. I leapt onto the timid dragon.
Through this activity, learners will notice how each word change has an impact on the meaning of the sentence. Give learners the opportunity to play with the language and work out what each word does. Then, bring in the terminology for each word type.
To extend this activity, think about how joining clauses together using conjunctions can alter the meaning of a sentence.
Quick ideas for spelling and fluency
Think about high frequency words and “fix afterwards” words. Learners may need to think carefully about their spelling. As a result, they may lose fluency or lose track of their idea or sentence. These simple techniques encourage learners to review their spelling and read over their work, to improve their writing skills.
Be your own spell-check. Instead of asking learners to think about correcting their spelling at the point of writing, ask them to add a dotted underline to any words they think they might have spelt incorrectly. Plan in some time later on in the lesson to go back and review these ‘fix later’ words as part of the editing process.
High-frequency post-it notes. If a learner has been spelling a high frequency word incorrectly, write the word on a post-it note and stick it at the top of their page. Give the learner a target number and write this next to the word. Every time the learner writes the word correctly within their writing, they can underline it and add a tally to the post-it note. When the learner has reached their target number, they will be feeling more confident with how to spell the word correctly.
The content for this article is taken from Christine Chen’s recent talk at our Be Ready for the World conference. If you would like to find out more, watch Christine’s full session on our YouTube channel or visit our website to discover the Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary series.