How does Edron improve writing skills in the Primary and Kinder schools? TALK FOR WRITING

The Talk for Writing method is used across the Lower School. It enables children to imitate orally the language they need for a particular topic, before reading and analysing it, and then writing their own version. ‘Talk for Writing’ was developed by the author Pie Corbett. It is a fun, creative yet also rigorous approach to develop writers.

‘Talk for Writing’ starts with enjoying and sharing stories. Children learn to tell a story from memory with expression and actions. Once a story is learnt the children are encouraged to adapt it to make it their own, for example by changing the characters or the setting. You may have heard the children talking about the key stages: imitation, innovation and invention.

Imitation – Telling a story. A text or story is introduced and read to the children. Together the class learn to tell the story. To help the children remember the text a multi-sensory approach is used, including story maps and actions.

Innovation – Changing a story. In this stage the original text is adapted by the children. This could start with a simple change of character or for the older children it may involve telling the story from a different view point. Children will make changes to their story map and rehearse retelling their innovated story orally. Children then write out the innovated story in manageable sections.

Invention – Writing my own story. The final stage is the invention stage where the children use all the skills they have learnt over the last three weeks to write an independent piece. There is the freedom to draw upon all their own ideas and experiences. Our experience at Edron is that this process has dramatically improved writing standards.

Reading, reading, reading! What can you do to help? ‘Talk for Writing’ begins and ends with enjoying stories and reading books. Children who are read to regularly by parents before coming to school are the most likely to succeed in education. Children who read for pleasure are also more likely to succeed as writers because of the way in which reading develops language development.

Charles Kelly, Headteacher Lower School