Writing
Delves will endeavour to provide high quality English skills that will provide children with a voice to share their ideas and emotions with the world. We intend for all children will have the ability to write as it is an essential skill for participating fully as a member of society. Children should be taught to ‘write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purpose and audiences’ (DFE, 2014). It is essential that teaching develops pupil’s competence in both transcription and composition. They will develop an awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, spelling and punctuation to enhance their writing. We also plan for pupils to leave school being able to use fluent, legible and speedy handwriting to ensure their writing can be enjoyed by others.
Throughout a child's writing journey at Delves Infant and Nursery School the children use the 'Talk 4 Write' approach. This approach was developed by Pi Corbett, an English specialist, to support children's writing skills. Click on the following link to find out more information https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej-UHjxmHC8
The approach is powerful because it is based on the principles of how children learn. It enables children to imitate the language they need for a particular topic orally before reading and analysing it and then writing their own version. We call the three stages of writing imitate, innovate and invent.
Each half term, English lessons are planned based upon high quality texts. The English overview below presents the focus texts, activities and the objectives explicitly taught.
The English skills are also promoted and taught through the other curriculum subject areas.
At Delves we use the Kinetic Letters handwriting scheme to teach and develop children's handwriting. This is a systematic and energising whole school approach that builds children's confidence and automaticity when writing.
The approach is based on the following four strands.
1. Making children's bodies stronger by practising different physical activities to develop both fine and gross motor skills.
2. Learning the letters through dynamic movements for learning letter shapes and sensory experiences for memory and recall.
3. Holding the pencil by learning optimal pencil grip through rhymes and support for addressing issues.
4. Flow and fluency to support speed, stamina and joined up handwriting.
In our EYFS we also teach English skills through Helicopter Stories and Poetry Basket.
This is a simple approach to supporting Early Learning Years Education. The practitioner sits with the child, listens to their story, and writes it down word for word. Once all the stories have been scribed, the class gather around a taped out stage, ready to act them out. Helicopter Stories values children’s creativity and imaginative play, whilst supporting language development, storytelling and emergent literacy.