Steps in Learning Year 1

1 of 9The National Strategies  Primary
Support for Writing, Year 1 - Steps in learning

Steps in learning

Year 1

STRAND 9 Creating and shaping texts

Progression summary

During Year 1, children begin to write across a wider range of text types and purposes. As their knowledge of language features and vocabulary grows, they make authorial decisions about their own writing with growing confidence and independence.

Learning objectives

Use key features of narrative in their own writing

Step in learning 1

During independent writing, children focus on narrative structure. They make basic authorial choices about what to include in a narrative text with a beginning, development and ending. The simple structure of the plot allows them to plan the content of their story independently and through oral rehearsal with a talk partner.

Classroom example: Writing narrative (story structure)

Writing independently, children draw three pictures to tell a story (real or imagined) where they are the main characters. Their pictures show:

an opening that establishes setting and introduces character(s)
the complication or main event(s)
a resolution/ending.

Children take turns telling their story to a partner, using the first person to narrate what happened with the help of their pictures.

During guided, supported or independent writing, as appropriate, they discuss main character, other characters, setting, opening, what happened and the ending. They write or orally compose a sentence for each picture, creating a short narrative text.

Step in learning 2

During guided writing, children explore ways of developing character through a narrative. Writing a traditional tale extends their range of text types and moves them from personal recounts (first person) to third person narrative.

Classroom example: Writing narrative (traditional tales)

After shared writing where a simple plot has been drafted for a traditional tale, children are guided in creating the characters. They are not responsible for planning the narrative structure so they can focus in more detail on vocabulary and language effects.

As part of their own retelling of a traditional tale, children discuss the main characters during guided writing. They decide which characters show the archetypal opposites of good and bad, rich and poor, old and young, for example. They use a familiar resource such as an electronic word bank to help them choose and discuss words that will help them reflect these opposites in their writing:

JACK is brave... kind... helpful... a bit lazy.

The GIANT is mean... spiteful... a bully and a coward.

Focusing on one ‘pair’ of characters, they plan how they will reveal character information to the reader / listener by telling them what each person said.

What did they say?

Working in pairs, children add speech bubbles to pictures of two main characters to show what they are like or how they feel.

JACK: Please don’t cry, Mum. I will go to market.

GIANT: Come here you! Bring me that magic hen right now.

Children perform the dialogue in their speech bubbles for their group or class and the other children guess which character is which.

Using examples from the children’s own speech bubbles, a plenary session establishes how a writer can use dialogue to give information to a reader about a character.

Step in learning 3

Children apply what they know about developing plot and characters. They extend their knowledge of narrative features by focusing on the interaction of characters and events in a setting. They increase their levels of writing independence through the use of visual and digital texts. They also make progress in the precision of their language choices by considering more detail about one part of a narrative.

Classroom example: Writing narrative (fantasy settings)

In a previous lesson, an imaginary setting in a fantasy world, the main characters and a basic three-part plot structure have been established using visual images. Images of a background and characters are used as the basis for the next stage of story drafting.

During guided writing the teacher models use of the word setting and guides children in planning how the characters will behave in the fantasy setting already created. Children create the text to tell the first part of the story, either orally or by drafting their own sentences.

As children compose each sentence, the teacher prompts them to reveal what each character is like in their writing by choosing words carefully. As each sentence is drafted, children discuss what they have written and explain how their word choices show what the characters are like: the things they do, the things they say and the words used to describe them.

If using digital images and creating an ICT text, it may be appropriate for children to adapt the images to match the sentences they write, for example, by pasting characters into a background or by adding their own text to each image. Some ICT texts will also allow children to use the support of ‘read-me aloud’ text/audio facilities to check or read back their independent writing.

STRAND 10 Text structure and organisation

Progression summary

During Year 1, children acquire a growing bank of knowledge and skill in organising the content of different kinds of texts. They begin to apply their growing knowledge of simple text structures when writing their own texts, making choices from a widening repertoire of structural conventions. They learn how to group sentences together and make progress in applying these skills to create increasingly cohesive texts.

Learning objectives

Group written sentences together in chunks of meaning or subject
Write chronological and non-chronological texts using simple structures

Step in learning 1

Children decide how to provide information by writing a clear statement. In shared or supported writing, they write a caption in the form of a single complete sentence.

Classroom example: Writing non-fiction (captions)

As part of the preparation for a class display the children write a caption to go with each item or image on show. The first few captions are composed through shared writing to demonstrate the need for ‘complete’ information (This is a sunflower seed./Dogs are the most popular pets in our class. Rather than: sunflower seed/dogs most popular).

If items in the display include a chronological element (such as events during a school visit or stages of an experiment) this aspect of the textual organisation is undertaken/supported by the teacher so that the children can focus during composition on the structure and organisation of a sentence to give information about one thing.

During guided or independent writing, children consider what the reader needs to know that is not evident in the display item itself, how they signal the beginning and end of the sentence to the reader (especially if the sentence is a long one that extends to a second line) and whether the information is clear.

When all the captions are completed, the children are given time to read the collection of sentences as a complete text in situ with the display. They discuss whether any information is missing and collaboratively compose any additional captions required.

Step in learning 2

Children write instructions that require chronological organisation. In guided writing, they decide on the order of the sentences and begin to use some vocabulary to support the chronological structure of their text.

Classroom example: Writing non-fiction (instructions)

After using and following simple instructions orally and reading instructions during shared reading, children are guided in composing their own instructions. They give instructions orally to a partner for completing a short process such as playing a game they have invented or how to make something.

To support them in organising the instructions in the best order children can use three or four photographs taken when they originally completed the process themselves. They place them in the correct order to remind them of the main stages.

Children also use three or four sentence starter cards showing temporal connectives to support the chronological organisation of the sentences they use and to introduce words that help them to create textual cohesion: First/Then /Next/Finally.

During independent writing they give the instructions orally to a partner, each take a turn, and then reflect on how well each set of instructions worked.

Step in learning 3

Children focus on the organisation and structure of a non-chronological text. They assemble information about a subject and, in guided writing, decide how to organise the content.

Classroom example: Writing non-fiction (non-chronological information text)

Children collect information about a given subject or theme, including text and images. They select the most relevant and interesting information and discard some content in order to create one page of an information text. For example, children contribute in pairs to a page each of a class digital text about animals who live in different habitats.

Having collected the content for their text, children are guided in deciding how to structure it. For example, they decide on the order and layout of text and images.

During guided writing, they are encouraged to read aloud so that they can consider the most helpful organisation for their reader. They are encouraged to avoid random placing of text and pictures that are visually effective but not meaningful when read from beginning to end.

STRAND 11 Sentence structure and punctuation

Progression summary

During Year 1, children develop their use of simple sentences for a widening range of writing purposes. They begin to apply basic sentence grammar and punctuation more deliberately, increasingly aware of the need to convey meaning clearly for a reader.

Learning objectives

Compose and write simple sentences independently to communicate meaning
Use capital letters and full stops when punctuating simple sentences

Step in learning 1

Through shared writing, children develop their understanding of what asentenceis and when complete sentences are appropriate. They mark sentence boundaries and make the connection between sentence punctuation and meaning in their own writing.

Classroom example: Writing sentences (captions)

Children’s understanding of simple sentence structure is extended through shared reading and shared writing. Shared writing demonstrates the differences between labels around the classroom (words or phrases) and the captions the children write for a display (sentences).

They become more familiar with the basic vocabulary needed to talk about sentences (word, sentence, line, capital letter, full stop, beginning/end) and they discuss why some writing requires the use of complete sentences (their own captions) and other texts (display labels) do not.

The teacher demonstrates that sentences do not have to be short. Children are shown how a short sentence can be extended to include more information and are invited to contribute to shared composition of additional captions for their display. We planted sunflower seeds. We planted thirty sunflower seeds. We planted thirty sunflower seeds in April.

Demonstration and shared writing also show why sentence boundaries need to be demarcated when a caption of two or more sentences extends over more than one line. We gave the seeds water. Here is Dan with the watering can. We took turns each day to water the seeds.

Step in learning 2

Children extend therange of sentence types they use and recognise to include statements and questions. They apply what they know about questions in guided or independent writing, as appropriate.

Classroom example: Writing sentences (poetry)

During guided and independent writing, children compose their own poems based on a pattern of questions and answers. Using models from their reading they make up their own versions of question and answer poems.

They recreate a simple structure of a question followed by an answer and their attention is drawn to the way that the repetition of words in both question and answer creates ‘word patterns’ in pairs of lines.

Who slammed the door?
My sister slammed the door.
Who broke the window?
My sister broke the window.
Who spilt the tea?
My sister spilt the tea. / What colour are sunflowers?
Sunflowers are yellow.
What do sunflowers smell like?
Sunflowers smell like sunshine.
How tall are sunflowers?
Sunflowers are as tall as me.

Activities may include orally composing several different answers to a single question, collaboratively drafting answers to the same questions as those in the model being used, writing their own question and answer poems during guided writing or framing their own list of questions for a partner to use as a writing frame. Reflection on their writing establishes criteria to help the children identify sentences that are questions: sentence ends with a question mark, usually anticipates an answer, often begins with what/who/when/where/why/which/how.

Step in learning 3

Children apply what they know about sentence structures in independent writing of their own recounts.

Classroom example: Writing sentences (recount)

Children use oral drafting as the starting point for their own written recounts of a personal event or experience.

Using a strategy modelled for them during shared writing, they recount their narrative orally and ask questions to one another in pairs to help them add information to some of their sentences.

Question cards for children to use as prompts:

When? Where? Why? Who? What else was interesting?

Example

We went to Bridge Farm. When?Last week we went to Bridge Farm.
We fed the lambs. When?First we fed the lambs. What else was interesting?First we fed the soft, fluffy lambs.
Then we went to see the tractor. Where? Then we went into the barn to see the tractor.

They record their first draft of simple sentences and, through guided/supported writing or peer support, they refine or extend their sentences to provide information as effectively as possible.