Writing: Story maps, handwriting & oracy in the classroom
'Reading and writing float on a bed of talk' - James Britton
Oracy is the ability to speak clearly and with grammatical accuracy, expressing ideas and engaging with others. Talk is a huge part of teaching and learning, with teachers talking to pupils and pupils talking to their teachers, support staff and classmates. Talk deepens understanding and develops fluency and confidence. It's a vital tool for learning, and it's often said that if pupils are not talking, they're not learning. With all this in mind, it highlights the importance of talk in the classroom and why all pupils should be talking. Talk not only helps pupils to understand and engage with the work they're doing, but it also enables them to better understand themselves and the world around them.
Story Maps
When I visited my school, in the summer term, I encountered a story map for the very first time. I was observing a reception class, and I was absolutely blown away by what I was seeing. The children were all simultaneously following a series of pictures drawn on flip chart paper to tell the story of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'. The map went over two or three pages, and the children were all confidently telling the story out loud while energetically doing accompanying actions. It looked like they were thoroughly enjoying the whole experience, and I couldn't believe how well they had remembered it all. It felt like a polished performance that was fit for any stage.
A story map that I made for my class
A story map acts as a prompt and a guide to help pupils memorise and retell a story. The words are turned into pictures, and links are made between the words and the pictures. Their purpose is to aid visual memory and memorisation and to improve literacy skills. Story maps also allow pupils to see the plot and understand how stories are formed, with a beginning, a middle and an end.
My school used the 'Talk for Writing' programme, and story maps and text maps were used to teach fiction and non-fiction texts. Once pupils learned a story/text, they would write it and later innovate it. The map provided them with a structure for creative writing, and they changed specific details, such as the characters and settings. The programme encouraged pupils to become fluent writers and creative storytellers. In year 1, pupils were encouraged to think of new adjectives, similes and metaphors for their stories. Story maps can take a little while to draw, but you do get quicker at them. The squares on the maths flip chart paper were really helpful for drawing them.
My first story map: Can you guess the fairytale?
When introducing a story map, teachers should teach it in small, manageable chunks. Pupils hear a sentence, say the sentence, see the sentence in pictures and then perform the sentence. Pupils should all come up with potential actions before agreeing on them as a class. Pupil-generated actions make them more memorable and accelerate learning. Teachers should look out for the actions that pupils are doing and showcase them in front of the class. This just helps the class decide on the actions that they'll all use.
Oral rehearsal is key for learning a story map and being able to retell the story. Pupils should practice as a class, in small groups and in pairs. Providing pupils with photocopies of the map allows them to practice at their tables and take a copy home. Learning a story or text map is a practical lesson, and pupils should be on their feet when rehearsing. After repetitive practice, story/text maps become mini-performances as pupils proudly show off their learning. Pupils could perform their finished maps on the school stage or in front of another class. My class loved performing in front of a year 2 class.
Modelling writing
When modelling writing, it's important to think out loud and to model the thinking process. Modelling thinking enables pupils to develop their own thinking and allows for processing time. Using subject-specific language and vocabulary is also really important when modelling.
When modelling writing, I talked out loud about my grammar and spelling and what I wanted my character to look like. Thinking out loud about possible adjectives or how to create alliteration is all part of the modelling process. It's also really important for teachers to model 'struggle'. Seeing teachers overcome struggles makes it okay for pupils to struggle. Pausing to think of an adjective or the correct spelling is totally fine. It's all part of the teaching and learning journey. The modelled writing becomes 'shared writing', as pupils offer their ideas to their teacher. Teachers should actively include their pupils' ideas in their writing as they collaborate to compose a story together.
Handwriting
Every morning, my pupils had a 15-minute handwriting lesson. We worked our way through the alphabet and practised writing one letter each morning (in its lowercase and capital form). We would always begin the lesson by saying the Read Write Inc (RWI) phrase for the letter to remind us how to write it (such as 'All around the orange' for the letter O). After modelling how to write a letter, pupils would then carefully write a few lines of the letter in their handwriting books.
My school had workbooks with tram lines in them, which really helped pupils with their handwriting. Pupils were taught which line to start writing on and which lines their ascenders, descenders and capital letters should reach. The lines really helped with their letter formation and presentation. Some children can have very small handwriting, and I encouraged them to fill the space between the black lines. The focus was on forming a single letter beautifully while using the correct lines.
Workbook with tram lines
Sending handwriting books home with pupils who struggled, enabled them to have additional practice at home. This really helped with their progress, and it was amazing to see my whole class improve throughout the school year. Pupils who initially struggled to use the lines quickly learned to use them beautifully.
My flip chart paper had the same tram lines as my pupils' workbooks, which was excellent for modelling.
My lined flip chart paper
To help pupils with writing sentences, they were introduced to a writing toolkit. The toolkit included key things for pupils to remember, such as finger spaces, full stops and capital letters. As pupils progressed through the school year, the toolkit was updated and refreshed, depending on the scheme of work they were doing. Adjectives, settings, similes and metaphors were some of the later additions. The toolkit was always on display in my classroom as a permanent reminder for pupils.
