1. Introduction to Talk for Writing Years 3 and 4
Crosshill
6th July

2. Aims of the session
To recognise the vital role of Speaking and Listening in the learning process
To introduce the Talk for Writing materials and strategies
To develop an understanding of how these can be integrated into the teaching sequence for Literacy across the curriculum

3. What is Talk for Writing?
Writing improves when children have an opportunity to talk about it. They have the chance to collect vocabulary, rehearse the structure of sentences and refine ideas before they start the writing process.
Structured ‘Talk for Writing’ allows children to ‘hear’ the writing aloud, until the ‘Talk’ becomes the writing.
The TfW materials support teachers in further developing children’s speaking, listening, reading and writing skills through the teaching sequence, combined with a personalised approach to planning based on effective AfL.

4. The Teaching Sequence for Writing
Talk
For
Writing
Sequential learning objectives appropriate to unit outcome
WoW factor – familiarisation of vocabulary/ideas
Familiarisation with the genre / text – Shared Reading
Capturing Ideas
Oral rehearsal
Teacher Demonstration
Teacher scribing
Supported writing
Guided writing
Independent Writing
Edit, review and improve
Final outcome :
T.A.P. Differentiated 4

5. Talk for Writing should happen at three levels ....
Teacher talk: the verbalisation of the thought processes involved, as the teacher is demonstrating and modelling various stages or aspects of the writing process.
Guiding children’s talk: structured and scaffolded opportunities for children to develop and practise all the different aspects of talk for writing e.g. past tense, description, using connectives - through class and group conversations and activities.
Independent children’s talk: opportunities for children to develop and practise talk for writing in pairs and small groups, independent of the teacher.

6. To be productive, Talk for Writing needs to be embedded in every phase of the teaching sequence
During reading: when familiarising with the genre/text type and it’s key features
Before writing: when generating ideas, preparing for and planning writing.
During all stages of writing: when making choices involved in creating, developing and improving texts.
After writing: when reflecting on and learning from a writing experience.

7. Talk for Writing
Reading and writing float on a sea of talk.
James Britton

8. What does Talk for Writing look like?
Talk for Writing can be developed around
these key strategies
Word and language games
Book Talk open-ended discussion
Writer Talk ‘reading as a writer’
Storytelling and Story making
Role play and drama

9. A short writing opportunity
Creating the ‘WOW’
A short writing opportunity
You tube clip
Papier maché island
Show the egg – if you’ve had chance to make one – otherwise just use the picture on the slide.
Ask groups to generate questions about the egg using the question hands.
List some of the questions on the whiteboard and take ideas for answers.
Encourage teachers to look for short writing opportunities.
Contextualise new topic first
Introduce / familiarise with new vocabulary 9

10. Phase 1/2 - Gathering ideas and language
Role play area

12. Word and language games
Generating vocabulary and imaginative thought
Pirate alphabet : - Pirates - adventurous pirates,
bold, brave pirates,
cunning, cool and crafty pirates,
fearless, frightening etc
Word banking : words to describe island setting
(see Writer’s toolkit)
Tell me game : - model – e.g.pirate ship, pirate
Tell me – ‘What is it?’ ‘Who is it?’
‘Where is it going?’ ‘What is he carrying?’
‘Who’s on board?’ ‘How is he feeling?’

13. Progression in sentence writing from ‘Tell me’ game
Simple sentence - present tense
This is an old pirate ship.
The ship is sailing to an island.
Compound sentence
The pirates are looking for an island because they have some treasure to bury.
The pirate carries a cutlass so he can cut the rope.
Complex sentence
On board the ship, the Captain and his crew are hoisting the sails.
When the ship anchors in the bay, the pirates will disembark and bury their treasure on the island.

14. It is an open-ended discussion with no wrong answers!
‘Book Talk’
The purpose is to give children the opportunity to explore and respond to a text at their own level, through talk.
It is an open-ended discussion with no wrong answers!
Children should be encouraged to build/elaborate on previous contributions, until a good range of key aspects of the text (ideas, language, pictures, structure, layout etc) has been fully explored.

15. (prior experiences -another book read, a TV character, visit etc)
Book Talk – ‘Tell me’
Likes
Dislikes
Connections
(prior experiences -another book read, a TV character, visit etc)
Things that puzzle me 15

16. Book Talk: Scaffolded response prompts
I enjoyed the part where…
I thought it was funny when..
I didn’t like it
when…..………….
because………………..
My favourite book was…because…
Use the speaking frames in pairs to form opinions – see further speaking frames in the Film Resources pack
Differentiated activities

17. Activity TALK ! Open-ended Picture Talk Using the pictures on table,
To promote and embed use of key vocabulary generated from
Book Talk, stories, language games, discussions etc

18. Picture Talk Where is the parrot?
How did the pirate reach the island ?
Why does he have a wooden leg?
What is the pirate doing?
How is the pirate feeling?
Why do you think he’s left the ship?
What can the pirate see on the map ? 18

19. Comprehension - Think/ Say/ Feel bubbles – link to AF’s
Complete a Think/Say/Feel bubble for each character at key points of the text
Link to Session 8
Link to sentence writing.....

20. feel
think
say 20

21. Short writing opportunities
Fact box
Poster
Advert
Character profile
Think, say feel bubbles
Post it notes
Story map
Wow words
Sentence
Letter
Poem
or text message
Refer back to the planning circles – these go hand-in-hand with the speaking and listening and drama activities.
These are useful ways to maximise writing opportunities throughout a unit of work not just at the end!
Children respond enthusiastically to these types of writing activities as they appear incidental and non-threatening. They can often arise spontaneously as well as being planned for. 21 21

22. Storytelling and story making
You can’t write a story unless you
can tell a story.
You can’t tell a story unless you have
heard a story.

23. Storytelling and story-making
Through oral storytelling, children internalise:
‘Big’ patterns – plots act as blueprints e.g. warning, quest or problem/resolution story, cumulative tales
Building blocks of narrative and pacing – common characters, settings, events etc
Flow of sentences – syntactical patterns
Vocabulary – connectives e.g. one day, so, next
Images in the mind to draw upon 23

24. The Story-making Process
Imitation - straight retelling of stories
using story map, actions
Innovation - developing, extending and
changing elements of story
making it your own
Invention - creating a ‘new’ story 24

25. Peg leg Pirate Imitation
Once upon a time there was a bold pirate called Peg-leg, who set sail to find buried treasure. He sailed this way and that, until he reached a little green island.
First he discovered a deep dark cave and started to look for treasure. He dug inside the deep dark cave, but no treasure could be found.
And he sang to himself –
“Yo Ho Ho
And a bottle of pop
I’ll search for the treasure until I drop”
Imitation 25

26. A parallel text based on an Innovation of -
A Home on Wheels
A parallel text based on an Innovation of -
‘A New Home for a Pirate’
Supportive context for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children

27. Shared Writing -‘Reading as a writer’
Spot good bits and techniques used
Magpie :
story openings
plot patterns
settings
character types
ideas you are reading
sentence openings/structure
connectives
effective words and phrases – ‘WOW’
Then move to ‘Writing as a Reader’, applying the ideas to your own writing.
‘Magpie’ for working wall,
Writer’s Toolkit

28. Mapping the story and oral re-telling
Differentiated challenges 28

29. Guided talk
Using the story picture cards, sequence the events in the story.
Use this scaffold to discuss elements of story e.g. Opening, What happened?
Model a story opening and ask child to retell same part (repeat for other sections)
Take turns to retell story around the group
Develop this into more independent retelling using story sticks, puppets, story map or drama 29

30. Innovation Only innovate when text is in long-term working memory
Substitution – change names, places, objects
Addition – extra characters, more detail, extra adjectives, more dialogue
Alteration – e.g. good character becomes greedy
Change of viewpoint/genre – retelling from different character’s view , or in different form e.g. letter, diary
Using the boxed up plot structure/ patterns substitute new characters, setting and events
Think about writing levels e.g. Level 3 –noun phrases
Model each stage in SHARED WRITING 30

31. Invention Who – where – what ?
Use a theme, plot pattern or simple story idea e.g. warning, quest
Draw and decide
Tell and retell
Work on aspects over a few days using scaffolds-
story grids for characterization, description etc
Shared – independent writing – edit - improve 31

32. Phase 1/2 Box up the plot Storytelling and Story making
Opening
Past tense
What happened?
What happened next?
Ending 32

33. Storehouse of stories Reception 10 stories Year 1 6
Year stories/text types
Year
Year
Year
Year

34. Role Play and Drama Telephone call Hot seating Freeze frames
Thought tracking
Magic microphone
Puppets and props
See booklet

35. Role on the Wall eye patch spotty bandana brave striped shirt wicked
cutlass
buckle shoes
angry
fearless
unhappy
parrot on shoulder
wooden leg
At the beginning of the story the pirate looked

36. Scaffolding Language and Learning at KS2
Talk across the curriculum
Talk for Writing
Scaffolding Language and Learning at KS2

37. Graphic organisers
Graphic organisers are visual representations and organisational tools for use during guided sessions or during independent collaborative activities, where talk is exploratory and there is a requirement to report back.

38. Graphic organisers
More graphic organisers to support description/use of present tense
Ways in which they are the same
Ways in which they are different
Compare – contrast
In order to compare, children will need to develop and use language such as:
‘both X and Y do/have/are but X is …’
‘whilst …, however …’
‘same’, ‘different’, ‘similar’, etc.
‘New Home for a Pirate’
‘A Home on Wheels’

39. Integrating TALK FOR WRITING into your literacy planning
Word and Language games
Storytelling - Imitation
Book Talk
Reading as a writer
PHASE 1
Word and Language games
Role play, drama, storytelling, story-making
PHASE 2
PHASE 3
Writing as a reader
Story-making prompts
Innovation - Invention 39 39

40. Reflection Integrate strategies into planning a unit of work
Scaffold for differentiation
and inclusion
Reinforce Talk for Writing
across the curriculum