GOOD TO OUTSTANDING TEACHING WRITING GEOFF BARTON www

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 ghght y ftrd rdgxkjahkjh kh sbagzj ws asuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7 aijq; m. 1 xz loli 3 ji h u h asuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7 aijq; m. 1 xz loli 3 ji h u h ghgh ghght y ftrd rdgxkjahkjh kh sbagzj ws asuwq wq qu iuu h u g 7 aijq; m. 1 xz loli 3 ji h u h Now write your own opening of a novel. www. geoffbarton. co. uk

TEACHING WRITING KS 3 tests 2000 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. Level 4 Level 7 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.

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

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

WRITING WITH POWER Narrativebased writing

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

TEACHING WRITING bad Using models 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.

TEACHING WRITING Using models 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-cawing above our heads. Susan Hill

WRITING WITH POWER Factual writing: 5 practical hints

WRITING WITH POWER 1 See everything from your readers’ viewpoint, including punctuation: what will help them to absorb your ideas as efficiently as possible? Eg bold, boxes, bullet-points, spacing, sub -headings

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 Use short sentences at the start and end of paragraphs: they give the reader clarity … 2

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

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

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

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) 4

WRITING WITH POWER 5 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)

Lessons from working with 500 C/D ‘key marginal’ students in four local authorities this year …

1. Keep it simple 2. Teach planning 3. Demonstrate ‘interesting’

WRITING WITH POWER SUMMARY

TEACHING WRITING GB’s Final Thoughts • See things as a writer, not just a reader • Explore texts actively - meddling, rewriting, editing • Demonstrate the writing process yourself – including the planning process • Relate everything to effect • Teach ‘interesting’ • 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!