Teach-Primary-Issue-19.8

Independent writing When KS2 children write, I’d suggest total silence and giving them a time limit of, say, 10 minutes. This creates a sense of urgency as you want their total concentration. Extend the time, if they are writing well. Feedback Rush round the room, providing instant feedback that leads to immediate improvements. In the follow-up session, use the interactive whiteboard to show lines from different children, especially where there are teaching points to make. Pupils can then tweak and polish independently or in pairs. Discuss what works , what does not, and why, and show how a line can be improved. Examples Walking Stroud On Monday, I found a jackdaw’s feather like a lost, curious comma, a feathery moustache, a black quill in the gargling gutter. On Tuesday, I walked to Chalford Canal and watched a heron patiently stood statue-still, it’s grey twin reflected in cold canal water. On Wednesday, I saw Billy Go-Lucky stamp his feet and cuddle his body to block out the cold’s iced fingers. On Thursday, I touched the Vinegar House, felt the loneliness of frosted stone, and watched as the second hand heart-beats its way round the clock’s stubborn face. On Friday, I tasted stars and wondered how to heal the sort of scars that families make. On Saturday, I heard somebody cough and felt its echo reverberate down Slad Brook alley. On Sunday, I caught a cold and glimpsed hen harriers skydance. © Pie Corbett Coastlands Primary School in Wales is close to the sea and so their teacher, Wenda Davies, took her pupils to a local beach so that they could use what had been washed up on the shoreline as a basis for their poems. The idea was to create a poem to capture your own place. This sort of location writing has the advantage of sharpening children’s focus on their environment as a source for the imagination, keeping writing rooted in experience and concrete description. Here are a couple of examples from Coastlands Primary School to inspire your class: Pie’s latest book of poems, Dragon Cat , illustrated by TomMorgan-Jones, (£9.99, Otter Barry Books) is out now. Beachcomber Monday, I found a plectrum embossed with golden letters, glossy like a hologram. Tuesday, I found a hagstone, red sandstone body with an eye that wards off evil. Wednesday, I found a pine cone shaped like a skull but covered in brown-grey dragon scales. Thursday, I found a rope, twisted and tangled like seaweed on the rocks. Friday, I found a nail and a washer, Neptune-green and rough to the touch like sandpaper. Saturday, I found a blenny squirming in the rockpools. It hid, shy and solitary. Sunday, I found nothing – went home with empty pockets and a mind full of memories. - Sam Beachcomber Monday, I found a feather, fading black to white, soon to be found on a hat. Tuesday, I found a piece of sea glass. Next summer it will be milky and smooth. Wednesday, I saw a rock out to sea, tilted my head and saw dolphins and sharks playing! Thursday, I found a marbled stone: grey to fight off the sharks, white to welcome the mermaids. Friday, I got nothing… if I was lucky I’d have found a shell, but I just caught a horrible cold. Saturday, I found a hagstone. I could see the whole world through it – my future and my past. Sunday, I sat quietly on the silken sand, dreaming of magical lands and finding hidden treasure. - Olivia T E ACH RE AD I NG AND WR I T I NG www.teachwire.net | 57