Learning to write at Stoke Park Infant School

At Stoke Park Infant School we provide exciting opportunities for writing through our rich and stimulating text driven curriculum. The writing in each year group is planned over a two week learning journey driven by a different text. These are also linked to out themes and topics. Learning journeys follow the Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Service  (HIAS) Learning journey model in which journeys are planned along the model of; Stimulate and Generate, Capture, Sift and Sort and Create, Refine and Evaluate. We also have English learning walls in all classrooms where the audience, purpose, form and the journey outcomes are displayed. 

See below for an example of the autumn term text overview in year one that we share with parents. We also inform them each week via the Rangers Report how the children have responded to the texts and the reading and writing opportunities.                                                    

The writing learning journey

In the first stage of the writing learning journey, stimulate and generate, the children will have the chosen text read to them, they may re-enact it through drama and role play or have first hand experiences such as making a jam sandwich or planting a seed, depending on the text. In the second stage of capture, sift and sort the children will be using the text to practise spelling and grammar learning objectives such as finding adjectives or verbs that they can use in their writing or looking at how the author has used punctuation such as full stops and capital letters. They also look at other forms of the writing they are learning about such as a WAGOLL (what a good one looks like) so they can see how to set out instructions or a story or letter. In the final stage of create, refine and evaluate the children create their own writing such as writing a letter in response to a character in the story or writing instructions for how to make a jam sandwich or plant a seed. We always edit their work with then using an 'oops orange' pen to show them where they may have mis-spelt words they have learnt in the capture, sift and sort section. In year 2 the children are introduced to a 'Purple polishing' pen to edit their own work and make changes such as adding more interesting vocabulary/word choices.

Handwriting

At Stoke Park Infant School we follow the Kinetic Letter handwriting program. Please see below for photographs and videos to explain how we teach this. More information can also be found at: www.kineticletters.co.uk

We believe this to be a highly successful programme because it is both systematic and energising  and runs throughout our school. Some of the other benefits from the programme are listed below.