Guest Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Hi guys, I'm in need of some TLC and some advice about big writing please!! Just got home after a pretty negative staff meeting about big writing and feel like some of the criticism may have been aimed at the Foundation Stage. Any ideas, advice, thoughts about big writing would be greatly appreciated. Obviously the amount of 'writing' Reception aged children do is limited, or is my perception wrong? In the past, as part of big writing I have got my class to make class books of our own version of popular stories, e.g. Over in the Grasslands, Bear on a Bike etc and written our own adventurous bear hunt story and we have written a collective poem about the sea. Am I completely on the wrong track?? I am really disillusioned. The staff at my school had already had Big Writing training when I arrived so got given a book to glance at last year. I Many thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 The Lancashire literacy team attended big writing training and have published their findings in their newsletter for autumn 2008: http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrateg...category_id=321 As with anything else, it's one of those things that you have to just take the best bits from. As a sats marker, I always used to be able to spot a big writing school a mile off - not necessarily because their writing was any better, but because it followed the set pattern. It can work wonders for sentence structure, but sometimes at the expense of composition and effect - it's vital children are immersed in text first, which sounds to me exactly what you've been doing. Younger children aren't scared of words and if you spend a day talking "posh" and using that vocabulary, they are bound to pick up on it and use it when they write - surely that's better than learning a few tricks. Please don't get downhearted! Just keep chanting - they'll never write it until they can say it. If they leave you being able to form letters reasonably well and can TALK in sentences that's got to be more worthwhile than being able to write "I see a cat." with a capital letter and full stop (she says having had many a Y6 who couldn't string a sentence together!) It sounds to me that what you're doing will give your children a far greater chance of becoming reasonable writers as they progress through school. HTH, Tracylu Oooeck! Not been here long and ranting already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_11485 Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I'm literacy coordinator in our school and we do Big Writing, but in reception, we do Big Talking. We do the same kinds of things focussing on some VCOP but it's oral and then we have other literacy sessions where we do shared writing, guided writing, writing in the role play area etc, just as normal good early years practice. I really believe that we really need to work on children's speaking and listening - hearing and saying correctly structured, interesting sentences, before you can expect them to do this in a formal 'Big Writing' kind of way. Ros Wilson says that it should be all about talk in Reception as well. What exactly were they saying that seemed to be levelled against foundation stage practice? It sounds like you're doing a great job or your children, as tracylu said. All too often the rest of a primary school have too little idea of what anything should/could look like in foundation stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 I would love to know more about Big Talking. My school do Big Writing but I missed the training when I was on maternity leave and I am in reception this year (never done reception before, arghh!). I've done an internet search for Big Talking but haven't managed to find out anything. Can anyone point me in the direction of a website or books? Thanks, MellyLou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_8466 Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 Can't help with your query MellyLou, but I did just want to welcome you to the Forum! Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 What's Big Writing and Big Talking? It sounds very interesting... Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 I'm literacy coordinator in our school and we do Big Writing, but in reception, we do Big Talking. We do the same kinds of things focussing on some VCOP but it's oral and then we have other literacy sessions where we do shared writing, guided writing, writing in the role play area etc, just as normal good early years practice. I really believe that we really need to work on children's speaking and listening - hearing and saying correctly structured, interesting sentences, before you can expect them to do this in a formal 'Big Writing' kind of way. Ros Wilson says that it should be all about talk in Reception as well. What exactly were they saying that seemed to be levelled against foundation stage practice? It sounds like you're doing a great job or your children, as tracylu said. All too often the rest of a primary school have too little idea of what anything should/could look like in foundation stage. Hi Emmajess, I would be really interested in hearing more about how you do your Big Talking days. Do you plan them specifically or do they just occur? Do you get parents involved? I currently send two puppets home each weekend for the children to take care of and they then fill in a diary for them. They then share the information with their friends back at school. I also have planning time with the children where we all discuss our ideas for certain topics and I then send home a planning sheet for parents to fill in with their children to promote language and discussion. I would be very grateful if you could share any ideas you may have. Many thanks Boogie x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_4544 Posted September 18, 2008 Share Posted September 18, 2008 The best place to find out more about Big writing and Big Talk is the Andrell forum Ros Wilson is usually around to offer support Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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