Steps in learning Year 3wsassets.s3.amazonaws.com/ws/nso/doc/2c37565d9395... · Web viewClassroom...

1 of 16 The National Strategies Primary Support for Writing, Year 3 - Steps in learning

Steps in learning

Year 3

STRAND 9 Creating and shaping texts

Progression summary

During Year 3, children begin to make more informed decisions about what will make their writing effective. They make progress in managing composition at more than one level, applying what they know about different forms, structures and styles as well as shaping sentences and selecting vocabulary for precision and effect.

Learning objectives1. Make decisions about form and purpose, identify success criteria and use them to

evaluate their writing

Step in learning 1

Children independently evaluate their writing against a success criterion for purpose that was agreed collaboratively when planning.

Classroom example: Writing narrative (adventure stories)Children have written an adventure story independently and in guided writing, over several days. Their stories will be available for other children in the class to read as books and on screen. Success criteria for form and purpose were established during shared writing, based on what they already know about the features of adventure stories.

After completing their own first draft, children are reminded of the success criteria the class agreed when planning. They are given time to read the adventure story written by their response partner and vice versa.

In pairs, they discuss how effective each of the two stories is for its audience. Focusing closely on one success criterion relating to purpose, each child suggests how their partner’s first draft could be improved.

Example

Success criterion for PURPOSE

The adventure story will be exciting for my readers.

00468-2008DWO-EN-02 © Crown copyright 2008


Discussion Guide

1. Did you find the story exciting?

2. Which parts, in particular, were exciting

3. Why?

4. What made you want to keep reading?

5. Which parts of the story could be more exciting for a reader?

6. How?

7. What needs to be changed?

8. Does anything need to be added?

9. Does anything need to be taken out?

Children use the feedback from their response partner to edit and improve the final draft of their text.

Step in learning 2

During guided writing for planning, children make decisions about the purpose and form of their writing. They are guided in using these to set their own success criteria.

Classroom example: Writing narrative (letters)In Phase 3 of Unit 4, children refer back to the key features of letters, a text type they have discussed in prior lessons where the teacher demonstrated how to write a letter and modelled both organisation and layout.

During guided writing, children use the features of the text type to set success criteria for their own letters to an author. The group agrees on a limited number of criteria to use during the writing process. Teacher guidance ensures that these are tightly focused on the purpose and form of the children’s writing, as appropriate to the context for the activity.

Example

Children have explored the work of two or more favourite authors and compared different books or stories by the same writer. They have written book reviews and discussed their personal preferences. Each child in the class will write a letter to their preferred author, to explain their



preferences and ask a question, for example, about the way the author plans or decides on characters and plot.

In guided writing, children set the following success criteria for their letter to an author:

Purpose

1. To give information: The letter will give the main points about which books I enjoyed most and why.

2. To question: The letter will ask one important question about the author.

Form

1. The letter will be organised into clear sections with a paragraph for each one: an introduction, main points about books I enjoyed, a question about writing and an ending/thanks.

2. The letter will use a formal layout and language: address and date, greeting, ending.

Step in learning 3

Using talk to reflect on their writing, children independently evaluate how successful and effective their texts are, using success criteria for form and purpose that they set for themselves when planning.

Classroom example: Writing narrative (play scripts)

Children have completed Narrative Unit 5 and performed their play scripts based on familiar stories.

In small groups, they reflect on the final outcomes of their writing. They discuss and evaluate how successful the scripts were in light of the success criteria they set themselves at the planning stage.

2. Which criteria did they meet most successfully?3. Which were the most difficult to achieve?



Using a simple method of recording, each child summarises how effectively their play script met their own criteria for success. For example, they shade in their degree of success for each as shown below:

My success criteria for a play script based on

xxxxx (name of story).

1

←

NO

2 3 4 5

→

YESShows the actual words characters sayTells the story in the right orderBuilds suspense right to the endAction is fast-movingScript layout for dialogue is correct

A plenary session allows the class to share and compare their evaluations:

Which success criteria were the most difficult to meet? Why? Were the success criteria too challenging or could the children have met them if they

had done something differently?

What did they learn about setting their own success criteria for writing?

Progression summary

Learning objectives Select and use a range of technical and descriptive vocabulary.

Step in learning 1

The teacher models note-making during shared writing. Children contribute to selecting vocabulary from an information text to create notes, for later use when they write a report on the same topic.

Classroom example: Writing non-fiction (reports)

Children have read a range of reports, and focused on their precise use of vocabulary and controlled use of description. In Phase 1 of Non-fiction Unit 1, the teacher demonstrates how to make notes for a report using ICT information texts as a source of information.



The teacher models retrieving key information to answer a particular question, using an ICT text. Relevant words and phrases are selected to be used in the report and noted, for example by creating a second document on screen or by writing them on a whiteboard.

The teacher draws children’s attention to topic-specific nouns, verbs and adjectives that will contribute to an accurate report and contrasts note-making with other forms of writing as the words are selected and noted, for example, by copying and pasting.

Using a second ICT text containing information about the same topic, the teacher invites children to suggest which words to select. Through shared writing, the children contribute to the notes and, if appropriate, suggest how to edit the notes to organise them into a sequence that will support writing the report.

A follow-on shared or guided writing session makes use of the notes to write a report on the same topic.

Example

First few lines of source text:

Light is an important form of energy for living things on Earth. When there is no light at all, humans cannot see anything. We see when light enters our eyes. Light always travels from a source. It can pass through some materials but not all and that is why we get shadows. Some surfaces reflect light. Reflection is the reason we can see anything.

Notes

What is light?

form of energy light enters our eyes

travels from a source

passes through materials – not all – shadows

surfaces reflect

reflection

Step in learning 2

Children write an instructional text during guided writing. They compose each instruction in detail, selecting the most specific vocabulary possible, including appropriate technical vocabulary.



Classroom example: Writing non-fiction (instructions)

In Phase 3 of Primary Framework Unit 2, children write their own instructional text using the same structure that the teacher has demonstrated during shared writing. The instructional text should relate to a process the children are familiar with or have used recently in another curriculum area such as design and technology or science.

In guided writing, children collaboratively write a set of instructions for another child of the same age to follow, for example, a child in another class or one in their own class who is not familiar with the process in question.

After agreeing on the correct order for the instructions they compose each one in more detail. The teacher guides them to make precise vocabulary choices that describe or explain as accurately as possible what to do at each stage. They are prompted to use correct technical vocabulary where appropriate.

Example

Children are writing instructions for operating the CD player used during school assemblies.

First suggestion:

Put the power on at the plug.

Improved version using more specific and technical vocabulary:

Connect the power by switching on the plug on the wall.

First suggestion:

Press the button to turn on the CD player.

Improved version using more specific and technical vocabulary:

Press the big red button on the left to turn on the CD player.

Step in learning 3

Children use a range of ICT information texts to select particular words and phrases that will be effective in persuading a reader. Writing independently, they use their chosen vocabulary as the starting point for an information text.



Classroom example: Writing non-fiction (information texts)

With a writing partner, children independently draft the text for a brochure about a holiday venue for children. The brochure is intended to provide information about the facilities and also to persuade readers to book a holiday.

Children collect words and phrases they think will be effective persuasive devices. They use a range of ICT texts selected by the teacher, such as appropriate bookmarked or saved web pages for holiday resorts and online family tourist destinations. Children can focus particularly on headings and subheadings to limit the level of reading challenge if appropriate.

They select, copy and paste individual words and phrases or re-type them if necessary into a new document and save this as a list of useful persuasive words for their own ‘holiday brochure’.

Example

family friendly delightful

fantastic

fun for children of all ages

luxurious

maximum adventure

world-class experiences

Children use their chosen persuasive vocabulary as a starting point for writing their holiday brochure using ICT. Pairs can add their own ideas and then share or even combine their electronic word lists to create a larger, more useful selection of vocabulary.

They can use the same document and type the additional text they need or create a new file, cutting and pasting the words they need from their list as they write:

This island is so family friendly you will never want to leave. We have small cabins as well as a big hotel and it’s not expensive.

There are four delightful swimming pools. Your children will love it here!

There are lots of cafés and the food is fantastic. We only serve children’s favourites and no cabbage.

If fun for children of all ages is what your family wants, visit us now!



STRAND 10 Text structure and organisation

Progression summary

During Year 3, children refine the way they organise content. They progress from gathering related material into sections, to the deliberate use of paragraphs to support meaning. They sequence material in more considered and coherent ways, increasingly aligned to the needs and expectations of their audience. This becomes evident in the use of connectives to signal sequence, place and time within and between paragraphs.

Learning objectives Group related material into paragraphs

Step in learning 1

Children plan the content of each paragraph in a non-chronological report. In shared writing, they begin to group related material that has already been organised into sections, and decide how the sections will be ordered, grouped or re-grouped as paragraphs.

Classroom example: Writing non-fiction (reports)

The teacher has already demonstrated how to group information for a non-chronological report in another curriculum area, using several different sources. This collection of notes, extracts and short summaries shows how related information is gathered together into sections. It is used in this lesson as a resource for shared writing.

Shared writing is used to demonstrate the way that information already grouped according to content can be organised into paragraphs. The teacher uses two shared texts to move between the original ‘section plan’ and a new ‘paragraph plan’ for the report. For example:

a large format planning sheet shows the original information grouped into sections and a paragraph plan is drafted on-screen using a digital projector and screen for display;

the original section plan was created using digital text extracts and notes from ICT sources; this and the new plan for paragraphs are two separate files displayed at the same time using an interactive whiteboard (IWB).

The teacher demonstrates how to plan what will go into each paragraph in the report, showing that paragraphs are not necessarily the same as sections. Some sections, particularly long or



complex sections, may require more than one paragraph in order to convey information clearly for the reader.

Children are actively involved in the decision making, as a plan for the content of each paragraph is created.

Example

Endangered species: whales

This large format example organises information under the headings below. It includes children’s notes made from a book about whales, hard copy of extracts from two websites stuck onto the appropriate sections and adhesive notelets that children used to make notes when discussing a DVD they have watched about endangered species.

Section plan to group information collected from reading

General information about whales (information has been written directly onto the sheet or stuck onto

the paper)

Details about whales (information has been written directly onto the sheet or stuck onto the paper)

Why they are in danger of becoming extinct (information has been written directly onto the sheet or

stuck onto the paper)

The teacher uses the section plan above to gather and shape information for each paragraph in the final report. Demonstration shows how information from one section provides the content for more than one paragraph. The content for each paragraph is sourced from the section plan but written in note form, modelling the way a writer can avoid recording the same information twice.

Paragraph plan for a non-chronological report

Opening/general information

1 opening – whales are mammals not fish – many kinds

2 some kinds in danger - why?

Detailed description of life and habits



3 some different kinds of whales

4 habitat – they go where there is food - what they eat

5 blue whale: how many left, size, habitat

6 amazing facts about blue whales

Ending – link information to reader

7 one powerful fact – (e.g. might take 100 years of protection before blue whale is out of danger) – we can all help - what our school is doing for endangered animals

Step in learning 2

In independent writing, children plan the content and order of paragraphs in an instructional text, using information they have grouped into sections during guided writing.

Classroom example: Writing non-fiction (instructions)

Children draft a set of instructions for an activity or procedure in another curriculum area. The instructions are for an activity that is not completely straightforward.

They plan the order and content of the paragraphs, based on information they have already gathered and grouped into related sections. They try out one another’s instructions to check that they are clear and accurate, with a focus on the organisational devices that help to make the instructions clear for the person following them.

Children give one another feedback on how easy it was to follow the instructions correctly. When they have agreed where, in particular, the detail was difficult to follow or understand, they discuss how the content or order of paragraphs could be improved, for example, by separating a long or complex paragraph into two or more shorter paragraphs.

Example

Children have walked the alternative route to the school office from their classroom while building work is underway. They have made notes for each stage of instructions about how to



get to the office during the temporary arrangements. They use their notes to draft the content of each paragraph.

Para 6 last bit – hall to office

When you get to the hall you have to decide which way to go because the library is used for lessons sometimes. On Mondays and Tuesdays, open the library door and go in. The office door is straight ahead of you but on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays go past the library door and turn left into the corridor. The office is the second door on the left.

Edited version after paired discussion

Para 6: If it is a Monday or Tuesday, open the library door and go in. The office door is straight ahead of you.

Para 7: If it is a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, go past the library door and turn left into the corridor. The office is the second door on the left.

Step in learning 3

Children are guided in improving an ICT information text they have written independently. They evaluate the text and the choices they have made about structure and organisation.

Classroom example: Writing non-fiction (information texts)Children have researched a particular area using reference materials including ICT sources. They have decided how to present information and have made informed choices by using structures from different text types. Working collaboratively, they have written an ICT-based presentation which includes different text types.

In guided writing, children reflect on the decisions they have made about the way that information is grouped and presented.

Teacher questioning and guidance move the focus through two different levels of response: the grouping of information (what’s included in each section, chapter or screen) and the detail of information (content of each paragraph).

1. What about the amount of information on each screen? Some screens are filled with text and others include very little text to read. Is one way better than the other, or doesn’t it matter?

2. The section on ‘sport in history’ and ‘sport today’ only has one page but the page doesn’t fit on the screen. I have to scroll down to read it all. There are six paragraphs. Why did you decide not to split that information into two separate pages?



3. The last paragraph on this page only has one sentence. You could easily have tagged it onto the end of the paragraph above it because they’re both about keeping fit. I think I can guess why you decided to write it that way. Can you explain your reasons?



STRAND 11 Sentence structure and punctuation

Progression summary

Children begin to use subordinate clauses during Year 3 to explain why, using causal connectives (because, so). They use their growing vocabulary to make increasingly effective, precise and appropriate choices when composing sentences. The range of punctuation they use independently extends to include exclamation marks.

Learning objectives Compose sentences using adjectives, verbs and nouns for precision, clarity and impact

Step in learning 1

Children focus on using verbs for effect. In shared writing, the teacher models how to compose sentences for a story. Through supported composition, children contribute to choosing and using verbs carefully for precision and for their impact on their reader.

Classroom example: Writing narrative (stories with familiar settings)Children have read stories with familiar settings and collected vocabulary that helps describe the experiences of a character in a particular setting. In Phase 2 of Unit 1, they reread and analyse, investigate and write sentences through modelled and shared composition.

In shared writing, the teacher models composition, using a familiar setting as a resource. For example, a setting is displayed on an IWB and the story being composed is also displayed as a shared text. The teacher rehearses sentences orally, writing and rereading cumulatively to consider effect.

Discussion focuses on verb choices and the way that an author selects the best words when they are describing things that happen in a setting. Alternatives for each verb are considered and the effect tried out by reading aloud. Children contribute their own suggestions and the teacher ensures that new or adventurous vocabulary is also introduced, particularly as more descriptive and emotive alternatives for common verbs such as said, walked, went.

Teacher modelling also ensures consistency of verb tense.

Example

Teacher writes

There was no one else in the playground. Jo was lonely.



Teacher rereads

There was no one else in the playground. Jo was lonely – No, Jo looked lonely. That’s a better verb because it tells us a little about Jo’s appearance.

Teacher rereads, edits and writes

There was no one else in the playground. Jo looked lonely. She went over to the swings.

Teacher highlights (or underlines) ‘went’

She went over to the swings. That verb doesn’t tell my reader anything at all about how Jo moved or how she was feeling. Can you help me think of a better verb?

Step in learning 2

Children write the first part of a myth in guided writing. They focus on choosing vocabulary (nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs) for maximum impact on their reader as they compose sentences that introduce the first setting and main character(s).

Classroom example: Writing narrative (myths)In Phase 2 of Unit 2, children became familiar with a story map and the main characters for a quest myth.

In Phase 3, the children write the first part of their own myth, introducing the first setting in the quest and the main character(s). During guided writing, visual resources provide a focus for character description and support the children in making considered choices about words that have the most impact on a reader.

As they draft, they read back and reread to discuss effect. The teacher guides them in using text marking as a strategy to focus on the words in each sentence that do the most work in helping a reader to imagine clearly the places, characters and events in the story.

As they write, the children highlight any words that have potential impact. When they reread, they discuss alternatives for their highlighted words and choose the most effective.

The teacher draws attention to the fact that the most useful words for achieving impact are often the nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

Example



The Minotaur

The minotaur was big. “Why are you here?” he asked them in a loud voice. He walked towards them. Then he put his sharp axe in the air and made a nasty face.

He went into the dark. They could hear him making horrible noises. “I will never let you go,” he said.

The minotaur was huge. “Why are you here?” he roared at them in a thundering voice. He lurched towards them. Then he lifted his razor-sharp axe in the air and made a cruel face.

He slipped into the shadows. They could hear him growling wickedly. “I will never let you escape,” he snarled.

Step in learning 3

Writing independently, children apply what they know about sentence structure and vocabulary. They adapt sentence structure for effect.

Classroom example: Writing narrative (mystery stories)In Phase 2 of Unit 3, children have read and discussed an extract from a mystery story and explored different types of sentences and their effects. The teacher has demonstrated how to change the structure of a sentence for effect.

Children are asked to retell an incident from one of the mystery stories they have read, writing in role as one of the characters. Their aim is to retell what happened as vividly as possible, in just a few sentences.

They are given a key question as their starting point for writing.



Example: What happened when you went through the gate into the garden?

When their draft sentences are complete, the children are asked to decide which are the big impact words in each sentence. Which words are the ones that make this event sound really exciting and mysterious? They use text marking to highlight the big impact word or words in each sentence. For example, when writing an ICT text they change the font colour, use the underline tool or bold font.

What happened when you went through the gate into the garden?

1. The garden was empty and the boy had disappeared.2. There was a bird hanging upside down from a branch.

3. The bird suddenly said, “I knew you would follow me. What’s your name?”

4. I was so scared that I was shaking like a leaf when I ran back out through the gate.

Using the same strategies that the teacher modelled in a previous lesson, children try out the effects of changing sentence structure, making sure that their high impact words create the desired effect of mystery.

What happened when you went through the gate into the garden?

1. The boy had disappeared and the garden was empty.2. Hanging upside down from a branch, there was a bird.

3. Suddenly, the bird said, “I knew you would follow me. What’s your name?”

4. I was so scared that when I ran back out through the gate I was shaking like a leaf.

In a plenary discussion, children share some of the changes they have made to improve their sentences and discuss their reasons.

The teacher ensures that discussion focuses on the appropriate objective for the lesson: the structure of a sentence can make a big difference to the way it gives information and the effect it has. Children may have noticed that an important word or phrase often acts powerfully when it is positioned at the beginning or end of a sentence. At the beginning of a sentence it can surprise the reader and positioned at the end it stands out from the other words.


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