At Ribbon, we want our children to acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar, and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.
Implementation
The Long-Term Plan (LTP) for each year group clearly maps out the knowledge and skills to be taught across the year. Teaching is planned around a half termly class novel, carefully selected to ensure exposure to quality literature. The text, wherever possible, will be linked to the foundation subjects. Each half term, there will be 2 writing cycles, each lasting around 3 weeks: one to entertain, and one to inform. Therefore, over the course of a year, children should produce 12 pieces of (independent) extended writing, also known as the ‘Hot Task’.
Before beginning a 3 - week unit of work, pupils will complete a ‘Cold Task’ – an independent piece of writing in the genre to be studied. Based on the outcomes, teachers will produce a model text covering all the features to be taught, and an S-Plan mapping out the teaching and learning for the 3-week cycle. They will develop a wide and ambitious vocabulary which will be evident in their writing, and the use of more complex structures will be used with increasing confidence and fluency as they move through the key stages. Children will become confident and effective writers.
The Ribbon Writing Cycle has been adapted from Pie Corbett’s ‘Talk for Writing’ approach, which is split into the following 3 phases:
- Imitation (learning and orally repeating the model text).
- Innovation (altering and developing the text into writing).
- Invention (creating a new text, also known as the ‘Hot Task’)
Impact
Pupils will write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.
Assessment
Assessment for Learning is on-going, and teachers will provide feedback to which children will respond at each stage of the writing process, and during the lesson whenever possible. At the end of a unit of work, teachers will assess the ‘Hot Task’ against WGAP statements for the year group.
Downloadable documents
