Writing

National Curriculum Objectives

The following document outlines the main objectives taught in each year group for the areas of transcription as well as vocabulary, grammar and punctuation:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmes-of-study

At Icknield, we have put these objectives into a simple document which show the coverage for each year group every year:

Supporting Your Child

Here are some tips or activities to do with your child to support him or her with writing:

1. Get to grips with what is being taught in your child's year group.

You don't have to have a full grasp on the ins-and-outs of the curriculum, but in order to support your child, having a good understanding of what is being taught and when is the first step to helping your child. Please look at the above outline of our writing expectations showing the key objectives being taught in each year group. On your child's class page on our website, find out about the topics and text types (genres) being taught each half term. Talking to your child about what s/he has been learning and working out what is being set for homework are also important ways of getting this information.

Once you've got a starting point, you may want to do some additional research on key topics or practice certain genres. For example, if you can see that your child is writing a balanced argument about whether school uniform should be enforced on pupils, you could practise finding another topic your child may be able to write about - like whether we should go to school! Instead of a balanced argument, you could try writing together a different text type, like a letter, on the topic.

2. Play games and have fun!

The best way to learn something is by enjoying the process of learning. Have a look at the writing expectations for your child's year group and see if you can find a fun way of learning it. One thing that every child needs to be strong at writing is a wide vocabulary - so when you are next out and about, whether it's the shops or the beach, try collecting as many words as you can. How many different words can you collect with the same meaning (synonyms)? How many words can you find with the opposite meaning (antonyms)? What kinds of words can you find? Adjectives? Verbs? You could play eye-spy or a linking game where each word said should link to the next word e.g. marsh -> damp -> frost -> icing. You could create flashcards, play Pictionary or even hangman.

3. Talk, talk and talk!

The best way to improve your writing is by doing lots of talking. Use every spare minute to speak to your child, modeling sentences for him or her, showing an interest in what s/he does. Dinner times, bedtimes, walking the dog...all of these are opportunities to get better at talking...and writing!

4. Go places together

The more experiences a child has, the more s/he has to write about so any trips outside of the house are great opportunities for improving writing. We are very lucky to live in a place surrounded by a huge array of fun (and cheap/free) days out. Check out the following websites for inspiration and use them as chances for talking and writing - a postcard to granny afterwards perhaps? Or a list of things to pack before a weekend away camping. Opportunities for writing are EVERYWHERE!

http://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/things-to-do/Cambridge

https://cambridgewithkids.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186225-Activities-Cambridge_Cambridgeshire_England.html