To teach writing in the classroom, teachers can use the teaching strategies explained below.
Modelled Writing:
In modelled writing, the teacher plans lessons to teach specific skills relevant to their students. They choose the texts based on what their students know and what they need to learn. The important thing about modelled writing is that the teacher holds the pen and demonstrates the task or skill they want the children to replicate, while their students sit and observe. As the teacher writes, they verbally describe what they're doing and say their thinking processes out loud. This is so the children can learn and understand the thinking processes they should be going through with their own writing. (Hill, 2014)
Shared Writing:
In shared writing the teacher holds the pen, but unlike modelled writing, they ask their students questions and get them to lead the writing. The teacher acts as a scribe to the children's ideas and they work together to compose a written piece. (p.335/6)
Interactive Writing:
The main difference between modelled or shared writing and interactive writing is that both the teacher and the students get a chance to hold the pen in interactive writing, adding to a collaborative piece. The teacher still plans a lesson specific to their students’ skills but the children get the opportunity to physically add to the work, not just giving verbal ideas. (p.335/6)
Guided Writing:
In guided writing, a teacher works with small groups of students that need extra support in a specific area of writing. Unlike interactive writing, only the students are responsible for the writing while the teacher helps them create ideas and guides them in the right direction. (p.336)
Independent Writing:
In independent writing, the students are given the freedom to create their own pieces of writing as they work independently of other students and their teacher. The teacher may, however, wander around the classroom and observe their students writing and answer any questions they may have. (p.336)
Modelled writing, shared writing and independent writing are all teaching strategies that could be used in the home. You can use modelled writing by modelling the writing, or words, that you are aiming to teach your child. This is as easy as writing something and having them copy it. In early years, this could be the letters of the alphabet, their name and the names of people in their immediate family. With older children, you could model the structure of a short story or holiday journal, writing and talking through your actions as they watch and listen.
This idea of showing a child a new skill and helping them until they can do it themselves is what is known as scaffolding. Scaffolding, as part of social-cultural theory, is the support given to children while they are learning a new skill, until they are confident enough to complete the task themselves. This also links to Lev Vygotsky's 'Zone of Proximal Development' which is the range where learning occurs, where the content is neither too hard nor too easy for children. If what they're learning is too hard, children will get frustrated as they cannot do it and when it is too easy, children will find it boring. This is when scaffolding takes place; as they learn new things slightly above what they already know and get assistance (scaffolding) until the can attempt it for themselves.
Shared writing can be used in the home to develop your child's knowledge of text structures and features and help them understand writing conventions for when they write for themselves. As you write, get your child to contribute ideas and ask them questions to allow them to help you write a short story, for example. Another way to use shared writing is if your child wants to write something but is unable to write it for themselves, due to a lack of writing or spelling skills. Take the opportunity to sit with them and collaborate on this piece of writing with them and help them foster a love of, and passion for, writing.
Independent writing is very simple to incorporate into the home and often driven by your child. With older children that have a passion for writing, they may choose to sit independently to write about something they know and love. This can be in the form of short stories, information reports of subjects they have researched or a diary. Younger child may use independent writing as part of play. Examples of this I have experienced is children writing shopping lists while playing shops or writing while playing schools. Another way to use independent writing is through instructed writing pieces. This could be you wanting them to write a holiday journal or just do some extra writing outside of school to continue to develop their skills and understanding.
Modelled Writing:
In modelled writing, the teacher plans lessons to teach specific skills relevant to their students. They choose the texts based on what their students know and what they need to learn. The important thing about modelled writing is that the teacher holds the pen and demonstrates the task or skill they want the children to replicate, while their students sit and observe. As the teacher writes, they verbally describe what they're doing and say their thinking processes out loud. This is so the children can learn and understand the thinking processes they should be going through with their own writing. (Hill, 2014)
Shared Writing:
In shared writing the teacher holds the pen, but unlike modelled writing, they ask their students questions and get them to lead the writing. The teacher acts as a scribe to the children's ideas and they work together to compose a written piece. (p.335/6)
Interactive Writing:
The main difference between modelled or shared writing and interactive writing is that both the teacher and the students get a chance to hold the pen in interactive writing, adding to a collaborative piece. The teacher still plans a lesson specific to their students’ skills but the children get the opportunity to physically add to the work, not just giving verbal ideas. (p.335/6)
Guided Writing:
In guided writing, a teacher works with small groups of students that need extra support in a specific area of writing. Unlike interactive writing, only the students are responsible for the writing while the teacher helps them create ideas and guides them in the right direction. (p.336)
Independent Writing:
In independent writing, the students are given the freedom to create their own pieces of writing as they work independently of other students and their teacher. The teacher may, however, wander around the classroom and observe their students writing and answer any questions they may have. (p.336)
Modelled writing, shared writing and independent writing are all teaching strategies that could be used in the home. You can use modelled writing by modelling the writing, or words, that you are aiming to teach your child. This is as easy as writing something and having them copy it. In early years, this could be the letters of the alphabet, their name and the names of people in their immediate family. With older children, you could model the structure of a short story or holiday journal, writing and talking through your actions as they watch and listen.
This idea of showing a child a new skill and helping them until they can do it themselves is what is known as scaffolding. Scaffolding, as part of social-cultural theory, is the support given to children while they are learning a new skill, until they are confident enough to complete the task themselves. This also links to Lev Vygotsky's 'Zone of Proximal Development' which is the range where learning occurs, where the content is neither too hard nor too easy for children. If what they're learning is too hard, children will get frustrated as they cannot do it and when it is too easy, children will find it boring. This is when scaffolding takes place; as they learn new things slightly above what they already know and get assistance (scaffolding) until the can attempt it for themselves.
Shared writing can be used in the home to develop your child's knowledge of text structures and features and help them understand writing conventions for when they write for themselves. As you write, get your child to contribute ideas and ask them questions to allow them to help you write a short story, for example. Another way to use shared writing is if your child wants to write something but is unable to write it for themselves, due to a lack of writing or spelling skills. Take the opportunity to sit with them and collaborate on this piece of writing with them and help them foster a love of, and passion for, writing.
Independent writing is very simple to incorporate into the home and often driven by your child. With older children that have a passion for writing, they may choose to sit independently to write about something they know and love. This can be in the form of short stories, information reports of subjects they have researched or a diary. Younger child may use independent writing as part of play. Examples of this I have experienced is children writing shopping lists while playing shops or writing while playing schools. Another way to use independent writing is through instructed writing pieces. This could be you wanting them to write a holiday journal or just do some extra writing outside of school to continue to develop their skills and understanding.
Another way in which you can help your child in the home is through, what is known is the classroom as, an individual writing conference. In schools, teachers use individual, group and publishing conferences to further help their students with their writing. In an individual writing conference, a teacher may wander around the classroom asking questions or they may sit one-on-one with a student to discuss their writing. Donald Graves (1983) proposes that there are three types of questions that can be asked during writing conferences (Hill, 2014).
Opening Questions:
Following Questions:
Process Questions:
Opening Questions:
- 'What's that piece about?'
- 'How did you get started?'
- 'Why are you writing that?'
Following Questions:
- Re-phrase what the child has responded to the opening question to encourage more information from them
- Prompt them to add more detail and information to their writing
- 'You said it was about your cat who was trapped in the tree?'
Process Questions:
- Help children think about what they have written and what they want to write next; where they want their writing to go
- 'What do you think you'll do next?'
- 'Can you think of a different way to say that?'
- 'What questions do you have now?'
The above questions and ideas were taken from:
Hill (2014), p.340 and p.341
Hill (2014), p.340 and p.341
The purpose of using individual writing conferences at school, and in the home, is to teach children the questions they need to ask themselves when doing independent writing. This is called self-conferencing; where the student can use these questions without relying on the teacher (p.341).