Writing
'Write like it matters, and it will!'-Libby Bray
At Dubmire, we want our children to read like a writer, and write like a reader! We understand the importance of fostering a love of writing for our children in order that they develop into lifelong effective speakers and writers, who can communicate their thoughts and ideas articulately. By carefully sequencing learning and providing a wealth of creative and engaging contexts to write within, we aim to enable all pupils to make good or better progress and enjoy writing for a range of purposes.
Through careful scaffolding, quality first teaching and a strong understanding of the children from staff, every child will participate in all English lessons. We understand that some children find writing daunting, but we ensure that every child feels successful in their own way, and their work is valued by their peers and adults alike. Considered adjustments are regularly made by teachers as and when needed, making every child in the class ‘team’ valued.
"Writing allows me to express myself through the words of others. I can be as silly or outrageous as I want, as long as I can paint the picture that I have in my head with words for others to see. Diving into worlds that aren't my own allows me to relax and leave the worries of the world outside the covers of my own creations."
Paige -Year 6
Hooked by a Book
'Hooking' children into a writing unit is pertinent to their success. This being the case, we have carefully chosen stimuli books, to capture children's interest from the outset. We take into consideration previous teaching, future learning, their own interests and the addressing of topical issues-local and worldwide. Teachers ensure that sufficient practice activities are planned in to teach new objectives in context, before attempting to use these independently in a longer piece of writing. We know that planning will need to be adapted to suit the varying groups of children, and our teachers take their time to identify how they can lead their children to the most successful outcome-whatever their ability! We ensure children see good quality models to 'pick apart' so that they understand the genre they are writing in, and regularly work with the teacher to create shared pieces of writing and live editing.
"Why do I like writing? That's a good question! You see, we read amazing books all the time, and it gives me inspiration. I love collecting new words for my vocabulary, learning how to spell them and putting them into my own sentences. I've created some great pieces of writing, and had them put on display-you should have a read of my latest story!"
Ronnie -Year 1
Making it Count!
All authors edit their first piece of writing, and we actively address the editing process, by regularly talking through changes to shared pieces, allowing children time to edit their own work and editing with working partners. To ensure that the children understand that all of their work is valued, we are constantly striving to create publishing opportunities, chance to verbally share their writing to others and the ability to display their completed, final pieces.
"Taking inspiration from authors that we've studied excites me. I love how I can see my written words evolve, and how my work has been magpied by my friends. It makes me feel like a mini Jaqueline Wilson!" Ayla-Year 4
Exciting English-link to wbd/events page
On the 'Write' Track
ALL children are at the heart of what we teach, so we don't believe in putting a ceiling on what pupils can achieve in writing. We do not hold pre-conceptions about any pupils’ ability to make progress, and actively encourage all children to aim high, and push themselves to their full potential. Using an extensive range of techniques and tools such as drama, visualization and oracy techniques, we make the written word accessible to all. If children know that their contributions and work matter-it will!
Dubmire Writing Journey
