The Prince Killed the Dragon......
- naomidowen
- May 22, 2022
- 2 min read
This was such a fab lecture! I really enjoyed it!
Free Writing
We started off thinking about free writing and were asked to try some free writing. We were given a prompt about a sweet shop and asked to just write and write and write, without any thought of spellings, correcting or editing. Apart from an aching hand, I really enjoyed just writing. It was amazing how the thoughts just flooded out and took different twists and turns along the way. It reminded me of a quote in the chapter in Bearne & Reedy "In the act of writing, writers discover what they mean" (Richmond, 2015). It was interesting that without thinking about what I was going to write, I managed to write loads!
We thought about how it could work with children and how they might use it to dump down all their emotions perhaps. It could also have a bit more scaffolding. First show them a picture. Think about it, then write down 10 words which come to mind and then do the free writing. Love the idea of *free writing Friday*. Couple of good resources: National Literacy Trust & Writing 4 Pleasure.
We discussed planning for writing. The majority of teachers use a linear format and that it all I have seen - planning on a Monday, storyboard on a Tuesday, etc, etc. But in reality, people plan and draft and replan.... I totally understand that, but how do you plan for that?!
Shared Writing
We moved onto shared writing and the 3 steps:
My turn - our turn - your turn
I liked that idea.
It is best for the teacher's turn to be on the spot and not predone and for the teacher to narrating her thought process as she writes. It might take some practice!
The Prince Killed the Dragon
This was a great exercise! We had the prompt and had to continue the story. Who? How? Why? When? And then share. I found that I actively ignored the pictures on the board so that it didn't influence my imagination. I wonder if there is some value of that for children? Or whether some children need that visual to help them with their writing?
Assessment & Feedback
You can go around the class asking them what they are trying to say. Really important not to put words into their mouths! Let them have ownership.
Remember that the whole purpose of feedback is for moving the learning on for the children. A good idea is to feedback during the class and put little notes in the margins.
Picture books
We read through the book 'The Tunnel' and thought about writing activities you could do with a class from that book.
We finished listening to David Walliams reading 'The Poo Fairy' which was a story written by a little boy for a BBC 500 words competition. It was awesome! What a fab story! And even funnier when Ayesha came in the next morning having stepped in dog poo! We need the Poo Fairy!!!
For when I'm not so busy:
This would be a great report to read!
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