These files contain guidance on teaching the three stages of the Talk for Writing process (Imitation, Innovation and Invention/Independent Application) at the Foundation Stage. Each download is one-side of A4 that takes you through the key processes and key points at each stage.
Hook, line and sinker
Whether you’re after inside hooks, outside hooks, role play hooks or experience hooks, Talk for Writing trainer Jamie Thomas has it all covered and shares his hook ideas.
Using Dr Who to boost literacy
In this blog, a teacher explains how they used the Dr Who examples given in Pie Corbett’s Talk for Writing Across the Curriculum book in their own class.
The Manor House
Talk for Writing trainer Jo Pearce explains how a model text can be used to help pupils become effective writers of suspense stories. Download the model text here, along with teaching notes and worked examples.
Little Vixen Street
A suspenseful model text by Talk for Writing Expert Dean Thompson, with accompanying teaching notes explaining how the text might be utilised to develop a unit of work: “Anthropomorphising the cunning or wily fox is a very popular idea in many stories”
Creating quality independent writing at Hallsville Primary
At Hallsville Primary, teachers have found that there is not one magic ingredient for creating quality independent writing, but many. What do they think is the most important? Reading: “We have found that the longer you linger with the text, the better the independent outcomes are”.
Getting to the end point – real, quality independent writing
Emma Mann, from Penn Wood Primary, tells us how they get their pupils to the end point – real, quality independent writing. The stages of Talk for Writing support ‘the end point’, i.e. getting children to write well independently. In order to do this, we follow ‘imitation, innovation, independent application’.
Winds in the North West – a Mary Poppins inspired unit of work
Following Talk for Writing training, Headteacher Sue Jackson invited an enthusiastic staff to plan a unit of work based on a creative hook and quality texts. This unit of work in Year 4 is based on Mary Poppins and exemplifies some key aspects of the Talk for Writing teaching sequence in action.
Feeling the impact at Carlton Hill
Maurice Leahy, teacher at Carlton Hill Primary School in Brighton, studied one child’s writing over a year to see the impact that Talk for Writing made.