What 'Big Writing' is

What 'Big Writing' is NOT:

1. 'Big Writing' is not the teaching of features of text types or fiction writing, nor is it the teaching of children to respond to stimulus. These will usually be taught in the other literacy sessions in the week. One of those will also be associated with reading.
2. 'Big Writing' is not tedious or onerous.
3. 'Big Writing' is NOT formulaic to the extent of suggesting or dictating how many of each feature should be seen in writing e.g. the number of adjectives.

What 'Big Writing' IS:

1. Highly enjoyable and motivating for all children if it is being well taught. If your experience is not like this, it is not being implemented correctly.
2. A process that has an immediate impact (within three to eight weeks usually) on the quality of children's writing. If it does not, then it is not being implemented correctly.
3. Formulaic in the early stages for some children, as are the initial teaching of all basic skills. However, it soon becomes flexible and creative as confidence and repertoires grow.
4. One session a week from Year 1 to Year 6.
5. One hour per week in Year 1, split into two sessions one before and one after morning playtime, but may be introduced as ten minutes and ten minutes and built up to the full 30/30.
6. One and a half hours in Years 2 to 6 (Year 2 may start back on 30/30 and increase by the start of the second term) 45 minutes before play and 45 minutes after.
7. Preferably towards the end of the week.
8. First 35 minutes = fast, fun work on correct use of vocabulary, connectives, sentence openers and punctuation (V.C.O.P.).
9. Ten minutes of 'planning time'.
10. After play the children write silently with the candle burning and the extremely soft classical music playing. (Probably Mozart)
11. Those unable to write for the full time would have a choice of at least two other silent activities they can change to without disturbing the class.
12. There is no required length for the children to write to. We usually expect the average child from January of Year 2 to be able to write close to a side of A4 paper and from Year 3 a side, increasing slowly to around a side and a half in upper Key Stage 2. We have never ever suggested 2 sides.
13. The night before 'Big Writing' the children should have Talk Homework to prepare (mentally) what they will write about the next day. This should mean that they bring home a slip of paper that says, 'My homework tonight is to talk to you about _________. Please may we turn the television off for this?' We suggest that as many family members as possible should be there for this and that it is most enjoyable when sitting round a table taking a meal together. There is no writing involved in this preparation.
14. Scattered throughout the rest of the week there will be short 'bursts' of 'Make me up...' activities (known as 'Bells Work') to embed new language.
15. There will also be 4 or 5 five minute sessions scattered across the week for 'Stocking Fillers' (repeats of 4 or 5 of the newer learning from the last 'Big Writing' session to embed the new learning).