Writing Across the Curriculum: Infant Topics

TALKING AND WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

RECOUNT
(Chronological as a narrative) / REPORT
(Non-chronological, often with topic headings. /

EXPLANATION

(Stating purpose and giving reasons) / PROCEDURAL
(Instructions) / PERSUASIVE
(Advertising, persuasive talks) / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION
(Putting across point of view, with reasons) / IMAGINATIVEWRITING
(Events that have not happened, and may be unlikely to happen)
ALL ABOUT ME / Things I can do book (e.g. “I can run; I can play…)
Cut out of hands with things my hands can do
How I met my friend
A funny story from when I was little (with help from people at home)
Zig-zag book of my day
My best holiday / day out ever
Make personal time-lines using photos or drawings / People I live with.
A life-size figure/ silhouette with speech balloon: name, age, what they like, what they are good at, favourite meal; friends)
Favourite meal – with cut outs on a plate.
My favourite outfit/ best clothes – annotated drawing
TV character/ programme or football/ toy fact-file / What makes me happy/ what makes me cross, and why
What I really like at school, and why
Why someone is a good friend.
Why I like a favourite story
Letter to Saturday TV programme about why I like your show.
An injury I had and how I got it.
What I do to kick anger/ bad feelings away / Explain how to play a favourite game
Instructions for how to get to my house
Instructions for how to get ready in the morning.
Instructions for how to find people to play with you in the playground
How to get a parent/carer to do something you want.
How to cross the road safely / Letter to teacher to persuade her to do more of their favourite subject in school
Adverts for their favourite fruit/ school meal.
Adverts for looking after teeth; dressing warmly on cold days.
Adverts for their class
Things we need for our playground / Do children really need baths???
Which playstation game/ video/ TV programme is better
Which breakfast is best?
Would it be a good idea to have school only in the morning, but 7 days a week
What can we all do to make playtime better? / My dream bedroom
An adventure I’d like to have
The day I was given a huge pet/ took my huge pet to school.
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / IMAGINATIVEWRITING
PEOPLE WHO HELP US / A day in the life of…
How XXX became a firefighter/ police person/
Recount of class visit / Report on class visitor.
Annotated diagram of a uniform
List the people who help us in our school
Record of helpful things they have done each day / What I want to be when I grow up and why
Why XXX is an important service
Letter to friend/family member who have helped them, explaining how they helped and why it mattered.
Interviewing staff member about favourite parts of their job. / What to do if you get lost
How to cope in an emergency
Fire evacuation procedures for our class
School handbook of instructions about who to go to for different kinds of help in school – playground, class, lunch, lost money, accident, lonely, / Letter to persuade someone to visit the class to talk about their job.
An advert for one of the jobs
Why it would be good to be a fireman/ policeman/ teacher/ etc. / Of all the people who help us, the one I’d most like to be is…
Nominations for a good citizen award. / The policeman helped XXX then he helped YYY then he helped ZZZ… etc.
The lost cat.
The boy/ girl who got hurt (how they got hurt and who helped them)
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / CREATIVE WRITING
KATIE MORAG / Write a letter to Katie Morag saying how their life is different from hers.
Sequence pictures and re-tell a story.
Finish a Katie Morag story
Thought bubble to show Katie’s thoughts after she threw her teddy away. / List of things for Granny Mainland to pack.
What they would need to take if they were going to visit Katie
Katie has a brother but I have…/ Katie has a teddy, but I have…/ Katie has fields to play in but I have… / Choose a present for a character and explain why it would be good.
When Katie Morag grows up I think she will… because…
Why I think Katie threw her teddy away.
Why I would like Katie as a friend
Write to author about which story they have liked best. / Instructions on how to amuse a younger brother
Instructions for how to get from Katie’s house to her Granny Island’s house / Tourist advert for the Isle of Struay
Advert for their favourite Katie Morag adventure / Why it is better to live on an island or in the city/town.
Which granny is best? Granny island or granny mainland? / Make your own Katie Morag story – the time Katie got lost.
The time Katie visited my school…
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / CREATIVE WRITING
MINI-BEASTS / The worm’s day: where it sleeps, what it eats, what it does, dangers.
Lifecyle of a caterpillar (turnaround book)
Recount of a visit to butterfly world (use photos to prompt writing) / Factfile of minibeasts
Report on a minibeast hunt
Annotated diagram of an insect/ worm
Camouflage book: “A woodlouse lives amongst dark, damp…. Can you spot him?” etc.
Interview friends and family about best/ worst minibeasts, and why. / What is an insect
Where different minibeasts like to live, and why.
The difference between the butterfly and a moth.
Why minibeasts are important / Instructions for making a class wormery; antery; woodlouse house.
Where to find minibeasts in our school grounds/ my garden
How to make a minibeast junk model (after making it)
How to care for a caterpillar/ stick insect / woodlouse/ in your classroom / Invitation to the ugly bug ball.
Letter to persuade Miss Muffet that she shouldn’t fear spiders.
Adverts to persuade people to like particular minibeasts. / Why minibeasts are important.
Is it fair be scared of spiders?
The most important minibeast is… / The very hungry boy / girl (based on the very hungry caterpillar)
How the worm and the spider became friends.
My magic minibeast
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / IMAGINATIVE WRITING
SEASONS /
My memories of last summer/ autumn/ winter etc.
Games we play in summer/ autumn/ winter/ spring
Recount a video about the seasons.
Our autumn/ summer/ winter/spring walk (use photos to remind/ prompt) / A book about the season their birthday is in is… seasonal activities/ animals/ weather etc.
(extended writing)
Describe a tree through the seasons.
Seasons detective; clues & can they guess the season
My little book of facts about the sun/ spring/ etc. / Explain how snow forms
Explain where animals go to/ do in different seasons
Favourite food to warm me up/ cool me down, and why.
Bon voyage card for a migrating bird explaining what the bird will miss whilst away. /
Instructions for making an ice balloon.
Recipe for spring/ summer e.g. ‘take a bud on the trees, add the sun beginning to shine, mix in… sprinkle… stir with…
How to look after the birds in winter
How to make soup/ ice cream. / Advert to dress well for different weathers.
Avert to persuade others to feed the birds/ / Argue for their favourite season.
Would it be good to live in a country where it was hot/ cold all the time, or is it better to have lots of different weathers?
Discuss ‘Would you rather?’ (Use the John Burningham book of this title) / Poems about the weather
What they would like to find at the end of the rainbow.
How we escaped when the whole world flooded.
What happened when the wind blew me away
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / IMAGINATIVE WRITING
HOUSES AND HOMES / Describe their favourite room in their house and why they like it.
Through my bedroom window I can see.
Write words associated with home inside house shapes
The people who live in my house / Annotated drawing of materials used in building a house.
Alphabetical index of the professions involved in building a house and what they do. / What makes my house/ flat different from others
Explain different kinds of houses – bungalow/ flat/ detached/
Advice to 3 little pigs on house building materials. / How to make a model of Jack in the Beanstalk’s house (after making it)
Persuasive leaflet for parents to make their home a safer place – electricity; toys on stairs; hot surfaces etc. / Draw their dream home and make a leaflet to describe/ sell it.
Write an advert to sell their own house.
Advertise a fundraising event for Shelter. / The advantages/ disadvantages of living at the top of a 20 storey block of flats (jeelie piece song)
Who would we like to share our house with, and why?
Letter to the government about homelessness / A lift the flap book of fairytale character houses – can you guess who lives here?
List poem – what it would be lie to not have a home – No home. No television. Cold nights. No cuddly toys… no.. etc
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / IMAGINATIVE WRITING
SEASIDE
Play:
Set up a seaside café
Classroom as a seaside resort– choose name; shops; cafes; sealife centre; / Trip to the seaside/ trip to deep-sea world (use photos as prompts and compile work into a group report).
Postcard from the seaside
Recount videos
My mum/dad’s memories of the seaside. / Rock pool life – zig-zag book
Compare what they can do locally and at the seaside
Classifying categories of seaside creatures– mammals; crustaceans; birds; fish
Annotated diagram of a fish
People who work at the seaside – seasonal/ year round. / What to pack and why.
Seaside dangers and how to keep safe.
What to leave and take from the seaside. / How to make a sharks-tooth necklace (after making one)
How to use shells to decorate a photo-frame / Persuasive leaflet – what to do at our imaginary seaside resort.
Care for the seaside shells, birds etc. / Where would they like to be – country, town or seaside? / Lighthouse keepers lunch –
Design a sea monster and write a story about how it finds a home.
Seaside sounds poem – “Sea shell, sea shell Sing me a song of the sea…”
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / IMAGINATIVE WRITING
OUR SCHOOL / A day in the life of a head teacher
My first day at school
My best school trip ever
Interview grandparents/
parents about their school days. / Who works in our school and what they do.
‘Now and then’ lift the flap book about changes in schools.
Draw and describe members of staff.
Invite a visitor to talk about their schooldays. Tape and take photos. Make a class book about the talk. / Interview staff member about their most/ least favourite parts of the job
Advice to new parents/ children.
Write a letter to a child who will be coming explaining what they school is like – activities, play, work, organisation etc. / Instructions for a fire drill.
School rules
Directions to and from school/ class / Poster advertising the school/ class/ group
Letter to Head Teacher asking for a change in the school. / What would make our school an even better place?
Argue for particular books to be added to the class library / Interactive writing with a night-time creature that visits class. Creature asks questions/ advice (e.g. ‘I want to learn to read’; children write replies.
The truly terrible day at school (everything goes wrong that possibly can)
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / IMAGINATIVE WRITING
TOYS
Set up a toy shop/ workshop in the classroom / How I got my favourite toy
The day my favourite toy came to school / Classify toys and write reports about their features qualities.
Interview grandparents about their toys. Write a book contrasting toys then and now / Why this is my favourite toy.
The worst toy I ever had, and why / How to make a toy (after making it)
How to play games for the teddy bears’ picnic. / Write a letter to the toy fairy asking for a toy.
Invent a new toy and market it to their class.
Invitations to the teddy bears’ picnic / Write a letter complaining about missing pieces in a jigsaw.
Argue why your toy is the best ever?
Discuss what makes a good toy? / The bad toy that came alive.
The lost toy.
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / IMAGINATIVE WRITING
GROWING THINGS
Play: set up a garden centre/ flower shop. / A bean diary – how it grows
Recount a visit to a garden centre (supported by photos)
Recount experiments to show plants need water, light and soil.
Life cyles of plants/ people/ animals
How frogs go (turnaround book) / Different types of plants in my garden.
Annotated diagram of parts of a plant.
Report of the dye celery/carnation/ daffodil experiment
Report on things that come from plants (e.g. Food; furniture; clothes…)
Variety of seeds. / What I like about my garden/ local park.
The conditions that plants need to grow.
What animals/ people need to grow and be healthy. / How to make a mustard and cress sandwich
How to grow mustard and cress. / Design and advertise the perfect garden for children
What children can do to save the planet.. / The most interesting animal is… because… / The magic seeds.
‘Once upon a beanstalk…” : what is at the top of your beanstalk?
RECOUNT / REPORT /

EXPLANATION

/ PROCEDURAL / PERSUASIVE / ARGUMENT/ DISCUSSION / IMAGINATIVE WRITING