Big Question How do we teach early writing? Imagine you have been asked to teach in reception class. The children you have know 44 grapheme representations. What would their next steps be? How would you teach them to write?

Emergent - Early Writers Use visual aids

Think and say the sentence.

How many words in your sentence? Count these on fingers.

Let’s write the first word – is it a key word?

Is it a word we need to Fred talk? Use Fred fingers to listen to each sound within that word.

Encourage children to use sound strips/ sheets.

Write the word.

Remind children to use a finger space before repeating the process for the next word.

‘Hold the sentence in your head strategy.’

Children to have a go independently writing the modelled sentence. Support the children verbally if needed, use this time to observe what they can do independently.

Each child to say their own sentence before going off to write independently.

Becoming Independent - Early Writers The level of scaffolding and support will decrease as a child becomes more independent.

Becoming Independent - Early Writers Always encourage any child to say the sentence that they want to write. This is an excellent opportunity to correct any grammatical errors e.g. bought instead of buyed.

Becoming Independent - Early Writers It may not be necessary anymore for them to count the words as they will have had lots of experience at ‘Holding a sentence’.

Becoming Independent - Early Writers Children should become less reliant on the use of sound strips as their phonic knowledge is more developed.

Becoming Independent - Early Writers Modelling at this stage needs to focus more heavily on using fingers spaces, capital letters and full stops.

Becoming Independent - Early Writers THIS NEEDS TO BE REINFORCED IN ALL READING AND WRITING ACTIVITIES.

Independent – Early Writers Once a child is writing simple sentence independently we would now look at up levelling what they are able to do.

Independent – Early Writers Children should now be taught to write compound sentences using connectives such as and, because, but, so

Independent – Early Writers Over the course of Year 1 children might work towards securing the following but only if they are ready!!!!

Independent – Early Writers 2A sentences two adjectives describe one noun. Example: The grumpy, old man opened the door.

Independent – Early Writers List sentences - 3 adjectives and a noun Example: It was a long, dark, leafy lane. She gave a long, slow, mean laugh.

Independent – Early Writers Quick question – to engage the reader. Using who, where, what, why, when, how – 5 bottoms on a rugby post!