GOOD TO OUTSTANDING

GOOD TO OUTSTANDING  TEACHING WRITING  GEOFF BARTON www.geoffbarton.co.uk

TEACHING WRITING How we’ve often (not) taught writing in the past … www.geoffbarton.co.uk

TEACHING WRITING Read this opening from the novel “Bleak House” … h ghgh ghgh ghght y ftrd rdgxkjahkjh kh sbagzj ws asuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hasuwq wq qu iuu u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hasuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hghgh ghgh ghght y ftrd rdgxkjahkjh kh sbagzj ws asuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hasuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hasuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hghgh ghgh ghght y ftrd rdgxkjahkjh kh sbagzj ws asuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hasuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hasuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hghgh ghgh ghght y ftrd rdgxkjahkjh kh sbagzj ws asuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hasuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u hasuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7aijq;m.1xz loli3ji h u h Now write your own opening of a novel. www.geoffbarton.co.uk

KS3 tests 2000 TEACHING WRITING Write the opening of a story about a major emergency. ‘Some people waste a lot of time and energy attempting difficult challenges, such as flying around the world in a hot-air balloon. Attempts like these are pointless, and benefit nobody.’ Write an article for your local newspaper arguing for or against this statement. www.geoffbarton.co.uk

TEACHING WRITING • To be truth-full I am for the argument about wasting time and money trying to get around the world in a hot air balloon, when this time and money could be spent on working with medical difficulty or people who are homeless. • I feel it is very important to face challenges, as without challenges, the world would be a very dull place. I feel that the earlier challenges appear in a person’s life, the better, as there will undoubtedly be challenges in the workplace or in home life, and so I feel that the people who have faced challenges earlier in life get a head start over people who have not. Level 4 Level 7

TEACHING WRITING • You don’t teach writing merely through: • Reading aloud • Showing models • Highlighting genre features • Correcting first drafts • Lots of bullet-points after the task Explore conventions Demonstrate Share composition Scaffold Independent writing Draw out key learning DEPENDENCE www.geoffbarton.co.uk INDEPENDENCE

TEACHING WRITING Explore conventions Demonstrate Share composition Scaffold it Independence Key learning Including ‘bad’ models Show students the process of writing www.geoffbarton.co.uk Correct/change/improve Make it collaborative Move from small to larger sections

WRITING WITH POWER Narrative-based writing

The Set-Up TEACHING WRITING BUILDING SUSPENSE Write the opening of a mystery story. Set it at a funeral in a wintery churchyard. www.geoffbarton.co.uk √ √ √

bad Using models TEACHING WRITING Before …. It was a bitterly cold day. Everyone was in black. The cars were black too. There were people standing around in a group waiting for the coffin. Crows were flying in the sky. It was really eerie.

Using models TEACHING WRITING After …. The undertaker's men were like crows, stiff and black, and the cars were black, lined up beside the path that led to the church; and we, we too were black, as we stood in our pathetic, awkward group waiting for them to lift out the coffin and shoulder it, and for the clergyman to arrange himself; and he was another black crow in his long cloak. And then the real crows rose suddenly from the trees and from the fields, whirled up like scraps of blackened paper from a bonfire, and circled, caw-caw-ing above our heads. Susan Hill

WRITING WITH POWER Factual writing: 8 practical hints

WRITING WITH POWER  • Keep it brief. Aim for one side of A4. If you must write more, provide a summary box of key points

WRITING WITH POWER  • See everything from your readers’ viewpoint: what will help them to absorb your ideas as efficiently as possible? • Eg bold, boxes, bullet-points, spacing, sub-headings

WRITING WITH POWER  Don’t overload your sentences. Several short sentences will do the job better than an over-long one …

WRITING WITH POWER 2 sentences Seven of the 33 buildings in St James’s Square, in the heart of one of the most expensive parts of the West End, display For Sale or To Let signs. The sight of some of the capital’s most exclusive business addresses languishing empty – when not long ago they were snapped up as corporate headquarters – brings home the impact of the recession as financial controllers cut costs by letting out spare space vacated by staff who have been made redundant or exiled to less costly locations.

WRITING WITH POWER 3 sentences Seven of the 33 buildings in St James’s Square, in the heart of one of the most expensive parts of the West End, display For Sale or To Let signs. The sight of some of the capital’s most exclusive business addresses languishing empty – when not long ago they were snapped up as corporate headquarters – brings home the impact of the recession. Financial controllers cut costs by letting out spare space vacated by staff who have been made redundant or exiled to less costly locations.

WRITING WITH POWER 4 sentences Seven of the 33 buildings in St James’s Square, in the heart of one of the most expensive parts of the West End, display For Sale or To Let signs. Some of the capital’s most exclusive business addresses languish empty, when not long ago they were snapped up as corporate headquarters. This brings home the impact of the recession. Financial controllers have cut costs by letting out spare space vacated by staff who have been made redundant or exiled to less costly locations.

WRITING WITH POWER 5 sentences St James’s Square is in the heart of one of the most expensive parts of the West End. Seven of the 33 buildings in display For Sale or To Let signs. Some of the capital’s most exclusive business addresses languish empty, when not long ago they were snapped up as corporate headquarters. This brings home the impact of the recession. Financial controllers have cut costs by letting out spare space vacated by staff who have been made redundant or exiled to less costly locations.

WRITING WITH POWER  • Use short sentences at the start and end of paragraphs: they give the reader clarity …

WRITING WITH POWER • Another concern is cost. Whilst there are many external factors that can affect costs, we do have some control. We should be putting pressure on our suppliers to show greater market awareness, and to engage in a realistic dialogue with us about fair prices. At the moment there is often confusion about costs. It is important to change this.

WRITING WITH POWER  Use connectives to signal the direction of your ideas … Therefore In contrast In summary In addition For example Similarly On the other hand Despite this However Also Although

WRITING WITH POWER Firstly …. Ddghdghgdhghgdhghghdghghdgh ghg hgh ghgh ghghg hghg hghg hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g Another strong idea is … hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g It could also be argued …. hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g A different approach is … hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g Finally …. hghg hghg hghgh ghgh ghgh ghghg hgh ghgh ghgh ghg hghgh g

WRITING WITH POWER  • Be clear about punctuation: •  Full stops to signal the end of a sentence •  Commas to separate items in a list or create islands of words •  Dashes – in pairs – to create emphasis •  Colons: signal something to follow •  Semi-colons allow you to link related ideas; they add balance to a sentence

WRITING WITH POWER  • Avoid clichés (ready-made phrases) • Come on stream (get under way / start) • A hands-on approach (practical) • The jury is still out (is not yet decided) • Meet with (meet) • Put in place (prepare) • Take on board (accept) • User-friendly (easy to use)

WRITING WITH POWER  • Avoid unnecessary repetition (tautology): • Absolute certainty (certainty) • Added bonus (bonus) • Added extra (extra) • Quite distinct (distinct) • End result (result) • Past history (history) • Really excellent (excellent) • Revert back (return)

WRITING WITH POWER SUMMARY

GB’s Final Thoughts TEACHING WRITING • See things as a writer, not just a reader • Explore texts actively - meddling, rewriting, editing • Demonstrate the writing process yourself • Relate everything to effect • Talk about grammar where it helps, not as an end in itself • Start with small units of writing … then build up • Encourage experimentation, risk-taking, creativity • Enjoy! www.geoffbarton.co.uk

GOOD TO OUTSTANDING