We will be holding workshops with all parents next year on writing similar to the one we ran with Class 3 this term.

Below are the materials we will use in those sessions.

We would encourage you to get your child writing at every opportunity. Here are some ideas:

• shopping lists
• diaries
• shopping lists
• thank-you letters
• posters
• stories

Recounts

We teach children how to write a factual recount of something that has happened.

A good start for those starting to write is to ask a series of questions...

Who?    Example: Mummy and me

What?   Trip to the park

Where?  At the end of our road

When?  Tuesday

Why?   To play on the new slide

To begin with get them to jot down their answers to each question.

Then get them to write sentences for each question. For new writers get them to say their sentence first, before they write it.

Get them to check and correct their spelling but only use the words on the list below.

Encourage your child to use different words to start their sentences.

The following diagram contains a number of examples, increasing in complexity as they move from the top to the bottom of the pyramid.

Look at the punctuation your child is using. They should be starting their sentences with capital letters and ending with full stops. If they haven't then get them to correct their work - they made need help with this. Get them to read out the sentence to you.

Below is another pyramid, this time with different punctuation that children can be encouraged to use. As before, it becomes more complex as it moves from top to bottom. The layers equate to the old National Curriculum levels with level 1 at the top.