Writing P.D 21/11/2017

"Great readers make great writers like good eaters make good chefs." Good readers often have a wider vocabulary.

What are some of the issues with students writing?
My response: When I think about my students' writing, I find that many of them have highly creative imaginations and are able to come up with interesting ideas to write about, however they struggle to put those ideas down in grammatically correct, coherent sentences. Sometimes they are lacking knowledge of how a sentence is supposed to be structured, i.e. subject, verb, object. Other times I believe students write in more of a stream-of-consciousness, and lack the revising and editing skills necessary to ensure it makes sense at the end. 

On the other hand, I also come across students who are highly capable of writing sophisticated, grammatically correct sentences, yet struggle to simply come up with enough things to say. I find these students require a lot more support in the early stages of writing, with brainstorming and planning their ideas. Supports such as a picture prompt or a story-starter can also make a huge difference for these students who struggle to get started. 

SSW - sustained silent writing - 10-15 minutes a day on any topic they want. (Quick writes)
Good writing includes:
Precision (it is to the point)
Clarity (not cleverness)
Focus (doesn't wander)
Fluency (easy to read)
Coherence (I can understand what the author is saying)

We need to be teaching students how to structure sentences. Different sentence styles video: Ian
'Writing a sentence is like a train...'
The bird.. Sat in a tree... Watching a delicious worm
How many ways can you organise the engine and the carriages.
Teach the skill on its own - content does not need to be linked to inquiry etc. Just use basic language, that won't confuse them.

20 words or less: GOOD SENTENCE.

How might I use these sentence ideas in my classroom?

• Have a play around with different orders for sentences (train and carriages)
• Give students opportunity to revisit a piece of writing and change some sentences - choose one type at a time, or focus on a range.
• Give excerpts from stories or journals for students to look for cool sentences.

Important: Clarifying, sharing and understanding learning intentions and success criteria:

Pick samples of writing apart: 'What makes this writing great?' 'What do you notice?'

What shouldn't we do? 

Co-constructing SC with students.