TeacherTalk: Writing at a Primary Level

Welcome to our educational blog. Here we explore all things pertinent to education, discuss current topics and provide tips, from research and educational experts, to aid practice.

Introduction

Literacy lies at the very heart of every school and indeed curriculum. Multidisciplinary literacy is our aim as educators, where every teacher ensures that each student is equipped with the necessary skills to empower them to be proficient, confident and eloquent in: speaking; reading; writing and listening, across every subject. 

Research shows that literacy skills are a key factor in later life outcomes (EEF; Secondary Literacy Evidence Reviews: 2019) and crucially, the responsibility of every teacher. 

In previous editions of #TeacherTalk, we’ve covered the importance of Oracy and Reading (available here: https://www.teaching-school.co.uk/teachertalk/) so naturally, writing was next on the agenda. 

The recent statistics 

Positively, the National Literacy Trust has found that 2 in 5 young children (...) enjoy writing in their free time’ (2022). Furthermore, 1 in 5 young children write in their spare time (2021) and 3 in 10 people keep a diary, aged 5 to 18 (2022). 

Writing has many advantages and was found relief from anxiety for many, especially during the pandemic. However, despite the positives, the reality is that 26% of boys and 17% of girls leave primary school below the expected level. So what do we need to know about writing to ensure our students enjoy it and progress?

What does the NC say?

At Key Stage 1 and 2 the NC is constructed around:

• Transcription (spelling and handwriting)  
• Composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing) (2013). 

By Key Stage 3 and 4, writing skills need to be developed and refined, including elements such as: 

• Drafting skills and developing resilience to write at length.
• Writing formal and academic essays as well as writing imaginatively. 
• Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences across a range of contexts. 
• A wider knowledge of vocabulary and grammar (2014).

The complexity of writing

To understand writing, we must first consider the complexity. When you think of writing, what comes to mind? Handwriting? Word choice? Spellings? In truth, writing is made up of multiple concepts, from the fine and gross motor skills that go into the process of handwriting to the processes involved with thinking and drafting what to write upon a page. For a writer to be successful, they must engage in all of the complex elements of writing, controlling all aspects as they interact together. 

Beringer et al. (2002) created The Simple View of Writing. This consists of  three overarching processes that pupils have to coordinate in their working memory. Initially complex, this process becomes easier through practice, explicitly instruction and encouragement. The reality is, writing is anything but simple. 

• Text generation - Thinking of ideas, putting thoughts into words and sentences  
• Transcription - moving from oral language to written language  
• Executive functions - planning, monitoring, self-regulation (EEF: 2021)

So what does effective writing instruction look like?

Graham et al., 2019, have conducted extensive research into writing within education. Their research into effective writing instruction was conducted over 28 schools and found the following strategies to be effective: 

1. Time is crucial - give students time to write for different purposes and audiences
2. You have to teach skills, process and knowledge to write. 
3. A teacher must support students as they write, provide time-effective feedback and support.
4. Create and link writing, reading and oracy (see below)
5. The environment should be motivating and supportive

Strategies for Effective Writing Instruction

We spoke to Zoe Kerr, Director of Primary English at Chiltern Learning Trust for her strategies when it comes to effective writing instruction: 

• Understand the role reading plays in developing writers and the value of being immersed in diverse, high quality literature
• Understand the importance of developing accuracy and automaticity in the foundational skills of transcription before moving on to higher-level processes of composition
• Understand the writing (sentence construction/grammar/syntax) expectations for your year group, the year groups/key stages below and the year group/key stages above
• Ensure children have the knowledge needed for them to be successful in writing: knowledge about the topic and knowledge about how to write
• Provide opportunities for children to write frequently and meaningfully, for a range of audiences and purposes 
• Ensure these opportunities progress in complexity and allow for pupils to apply their developing word/sentence level knowledge
• Don’t push too hard, too soon. Explicitly teach sentence construction, control of grammar and spelling, so that pupils can write with accuracy and confidence before moving on to more complex, whole text writing
• Teach the writing process: read, generate, plan, draft, revise, edit, publish

• Expertly live model the writing process, showing children how to ‘think like a writer’ so they can ‘witness a writer at work’ 
• Read aspirational model texts ‘as writers’ so children can see what good looks like and draw on wider reading 
• Teach grammar meaningfully and in context

• Devote time to talk, where pupils can analyse texts as writers, internalise language structures and orally rehearse before putting pen to paper
• Use shared writing to facilitate joint composition, making the shift from teacher to pupil 

  To conclude

  Writing is a complex process, which is multifaceted and has to be coordinated at the same time, via our working memory. Whilst complex initially, this process can become fluent and automated through effective teacher instruction. Crucially, students need time, support, feedback and motivation to develop their writing; whilst teachers should harness the power of reading and oracy with writing instruction.