Abbott Community Primary School

I just wanted to thank you for the amazing tips I picked up yesterday at the 'Raising Standards in Writing' course. My school already does 'Big Writing' but as this is my second year of teaching, and teaching in Year 1, I was in a bit of a pickle about how to do 'Big Writing' with my class.

I have a writing area set up with an "underwater" theme with a mermaid and a jelly fish with dangling tentacles; green leaf lights, key words on tropical fish (courtesy of Sparklebox!) and lots of exciting pens, pencils etc...and there is a group of girls who LOVE to write anything when we have "choose" time. But today, as it is Bonfire Night, I thought I would try and entice others over there! I put out some black card and chalks, some rocket-shaped card and a bowl of marshmallows. I went and sat there and encouraged children to tell me their sentences and I wrote them on their rockets. I made an ENORMOUS fuss about every amazing sentence opener, every 'because', every 'and' and made such a fuss about Morgan (LA) that Kaylee (one of the girls who LOVES writing) was quite put out and wrote on three more rockets by herself to come up with a better sentence!! The activity was going so well that we abandoned maths and carried on!

Here are some examples:

• "Before I go to the bonfire party I will say goodbye."
• "Last night I saw an orange firework from my cousin's house."
• "Yesterday I watched the fireworks with my sister Caitlin."

We then read them together as a class (with lots more 'wow-ing' and hung them on our washing line.

I am exhausted!! But I have really enjoyed today and I could see that the children enjoyed it too - and we wrote some amazing "junior" sentences!


Thank you again so much!!

Emma Pycroft
Abbott Community Primary School