CONTENTS
Section 1: Introduction
The Principles behind the planning structure
p2
Section 2: Fiction
The Daily Planning format: Fiction
Story Structure
Text Level
Sentence Level
p3
p4
p6
p8
Section 3: Planning Formats for Non-Fiction
The Daily Planning Format; Non Fiction
Writing Instructions
p9
p10
Writing Records
(i) Trips and Visits
(ii) Biography
(iii) Historical
p12
p14
p16
Writing Explanations
(i) Explanations of a process
(ii) How things work
(iii) Why something happened
p18
p20
p22
Writing Reports
(i) Factual Report
(ii) Comparative Report (1)
(iii) Comparative Report (2)
(iv) Comparative Report (3)
p24
p26
p28
p30
Writing Newspaper Reports
p32
Persuasive Writing
p34
Writing Discussions
p36
1
Introduction to the Planning Format
The Principles behind the Planning Format
The planning format has two major functions.
Primarily it came from recognition amongst staff that there was needless duplication
of planning occurring throughout the school. The school’s use of the Alan Peat
materials means that all classes are being taught the same structure for much of their
written work, especially in non-fiction. It was therefore felt more expedient for the
school to develop a generic planning format that acted not just as planning tool but as
a dynamic on-going document that could also be used to track children’s progress
throughout the school.
However of greater importance was the need for the school to develop a common
language for the development of literacy throughout the school. Both staff and
children alike benefit greatly when the language used to define the textual features of
a given genre are consistent throughout the school. For teachers it allows there to be a
greater continuity between classes as children develop in their learning using the
identical framework employed by the child’s previous teacher. For the child the
common framework provides a language by which they can evaluate and discuss their
own learning. If everyone is aware that the line under the headline of the newspaper is
called a “byline” it allows children to engage with quality of the text rather than
seeking to clarify which aspect of the text is being referred to. In this regard the
naming of the features is not as important as their consistency throughout the school
and the planning format will ensure this occurs.
As a by-product the planning format should reduce the time needed for each teacher
to plan. The steps of learning in each genre are clearly articulated and the teacher need
only highlight which areas they are covering and with which groups of children. This
releases more planning time which can be focused on the more important areas of
developing a secure context for the writing and resourcing quality texts which
demonstrate key features of the learning objective.
Whilst the strategies in the document may appear at first sight a little prescribed the
school believes that “you need to know a rule to break a rule”. The end goal is not that
children will use the strategies to produce formulaic stereotypical texts but will use
the knowledge of them to produce high quality pieces of creative and original writing.
Acknowledgements
The school does not seek nor wish to hide form the fact that it has leant heavily on the
work of Alan Peat to develop this planning format. The school works alongside Alan’s
research of writing and has been used in many of his books; notably his work on
Exciting Sentences. All the material within the document has therefore been
reproduced with his permission. The framework draws heavily from two of Alan’s
books; “Improving Non-Fiction Writing at Key Stage 1 and 2: the success approach”
and “Improving Story Writing at Key Stages 1 and 2” both of which are available
from his web site www.alanpeat.com at a cost of £15.
2
LITERACY DAILY PLANNING : FICTION
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
GENRE
LEARNING
OBJECTIVE
PHASE 1
CONTEXT OR STIMULI
PHASE 2
TEXT USED FOR
ANALYSIS
PHASE 2/5
TEXT LEVEL FOCUS
PHASE 2/5
SENTENCE/WORD
LEVEL FOCUS
PHASE 2/5
EXTENSION LEVEL
FOCUS
PHASE 3
SCAFFOLDING FOR THE
WRITING PROCESS
PHASE 4
ROLE OF THE TEACHER
ROLE OF THE TA
PHASE 5
EDITING
3
Developing Secure Story Structure
Story structure falls into two distinct areas. The first area relates to plot development whilst
the latter relates to story planning. These must be seen as tow clearly distinct activities
because where teachers seek to meld them together planning will become muddled and
confused in the mind of the child and lack a sharpness of focus that they both need as a prerequisite to writing.
A. THE PLOT
Whilst there is a measure of truth that the ability to write good prose in a fluent style will
engage the reader, true engagement starts with a secure idea for a plotline. The plot is the
starting point for engaging the reader. As all stories hinge around the “problem/solution”
dilemma then the children need to focus on these to develop creative and original ideas for
their story. The story of the wicked giant trapping the beautiful princess in the castle is not as
interesting as the beautiful princess incarcerating the evil giant. The former leads the reader to
believe they know the ending of the story before they start reading sassuming that somewhere
in the story a knight will appear to save the princess and they will all live happily ever after.
The latter poses interesting thoughts in the mind of the reader, and leads them to read on. As
E.M Forster declared “the only reason people keep on reading is because they want to find
out what happens in the end” If the story is predictable and boring no matter how well it is
written it will not engage the reader.
A few years ago the SAT paper task was to write about “Your favourite food” one can only
imagine that throughout the length and breadth of the country the markers were subjected to
endless pieces of writing explaining (probably in lovely prose to be fair) why pizza is so tasty.
The child in our Year 6 class who started his story… I saw a bucket full of cold fish probably
gained the reader’s attention; the story continued until it concluded with the sentence that
acknowledged the character of the story was a seal being fed at the zoo. The following year
the advert for the trainers saw one of the children write his piece not through the eyes of a
trendy teenager but through the viewpoint of his grandma, assassinating the shallow fashion
icon status of such attire through the eyes of an older person. The 2012 SAT paper focused on
the diary of a hot air balloon ride. One of the children decided to write their piece from the
grave, thereby assuming the ride had gone horribly wrong, another found himself left alone in
the balloon as it spiralled out of control and explained the brevity of his diary entry by the fact
that his only way of sustaining himself was to eat the pages of the diary itself.
The point being is simply that I would prefer to read any of these stories over and above their
more conventional counterparts because I am engaged by the creativity and the originality of
the thought process that has gone into the planning of the plot. I am sure there have been
hundreds of stories written about princesses being rescued from castles by handsome knights
but the reason we still tell the tale of Rapunzel is because of the original thought of climbing
down the girl’s hair. So to with Red Riding Hood, would the story have been as interesting if
the wolf had just eaten her in the wood, it is the creative thought of the wolf dressing up as the
4
grandmother that sets it apart from other stories. One of my favourite stories of all time is the
Tinder Box by Hans Christian Anderson. In many ways it is a straightforward “Rags to
Riches story” and is not that remarkable except for the three dogs, one with eyes the size of
tea cups, one with eyes the size of supper plates and the last with eyes the size of mill wheels.
Every time I read the story whether to Reception or Year 6 I always ask them what they liked
best about the story and without fail it is the dogs that fascinate them and bring the story to
life. I wonder what impact the story would have if these characters were played by a cat, a
hamster and a goldfish.
The plot is therefore the foundation block to all good story writing. In many ways I would
prefer to read a badly written story with an interesting plot as opposed to a well written, well
structured story about, yet another princess being rescued from, yet another evil giant from
(surprise, surprise) the giant’s castle.
What will become readily apparent is that the more able writers are not necessarily those who
will come up with the most creative ideas for plotlines. The two skills are distinct and whilst
some will excel in terms of developing stories that offer a creative storyline others will show a
greater ability in the technical elements of the writing process. Indeed for those who have read
Davis’ book The Gift of Dyslexia it will come as no surprise to find that some of the most
creative children are often those who struggle most with the writing process.
If we gloss over the plot and the creative element of the writing process which occurs before
pen is put to paper; we run the risk of disenfranchising the less able writer who has real
creative flair. This is their opportunity to shine, because they know that when the technical
elements come into play their ability to perform will diminish. Indeed in many cultures stories
are still told not written, so these children with their wealth of ideas should not be
marginalised because they “cannot write effectively”. As Pie Corbett states the pre-cursor to
writing at any stage is to be able to tell the story and the creative idea along with the verbal
telling gives non-writers the opportunity to access this aspect of the writing curriculum and
glean much pleasure and enjoyment from it.
There is the danger that as we rush headlong to “Raise Standards” there is an undue focus
upon the secretarial and technical features of the process and we can lose sight of the fact that
writing is a single strand of the larger literary concept of communication. In the educational
arena we can often fall into the trap of seeing the acquisition of writing skills as an end in
itself but the truth is that if you have nothing to communicate to others then putting pen to
paper is a meaningless exercise. The dreaded Christmas thank you letters are written each
year because there is something to communicate but the same should apply to story writing, if
the child does not have a good story then why bother getting them to commit it to paper?
There must also be the recognition that creativity is not a linear learning concept. It is lateral
both in terms of the thinking itself but also in its progression in a child’s life. It is impossible
to “teach” children the next stage in creativity, the most we can do is to provide opportunities
and a learning culture where it can thrive and allow children to revel in a creativity
environment that allows them to come up with ideas and thoughts. It may be that the child
with a fantastically creative story idea may not think of another in their time at The Wyche
but that is the nature of creativity. What is certainly true is that some children are more
creative than others but also a creative culture breeds creative people.
So what should plot planning look like? It should focus on two questions and two questions
alone. What is the problem? and What is the solution? Whilst the teacher might suggest the
context for the story e.g. Favourite food, a greek myth and legend, a fairy tale etc. the children
should then be encouraged to avoid writing the story that they know the teacher will read 30
times when they come to mark the work. Engaging the reader is imperative and that is done
5
through thinking outside of the box, not following the same predictable storylines written by
children for generations. In teaching terms there should be a narrow focus on the two
questions. There should be no emphasis placed on detail at this point, this can come later in
the story planning process, here the only concern is to find a quirky reason for both the
problem and the solution. In terms of output therefore the plot should be either two sentences
one relating to the problem and one relating to the solution or 2-3 storyboard pictures that
home right in on the problem/solution dilemma and nothing else.
Plot Types
In the course of their writing career throughout the school the children should be exposed to a
variety of plotlines. The plots fall into 5 simple categories – all of which can be found in Alan
Peat’s book Improving Literacy Creative Approaches (p36-37)
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
Heroic Adventure
Good triumphs over evil
Rags to riches
Ugly to Beautiful
Shipwreck
By the end of Year 2 the expectation should be that the children have met the full range of
story plots. They should be able therefore to verbally plan a story, virtually spontaneously, on
any of the 5 plot lines.
Whilst the children will meet these in their formal Literacy lessons when they deconstruct
stories as a precursor to writing they should also be introduced to them as they read their own
stories, or in shared reading times or when the teacher simply reads to the class. These
concepts need to be well embedded. Indeed the hope might be that we don’t have to “teach”
the structures in formal lessons at all. Why set up a lesson to teach it when you have read a
story the day before? If we look for opportunities to embed this language in KS1 we should
be able to disseminate these plots at pace.
Genre
On top of the structure and the plot lies the Genre. These will include all those found in the
Literacy Strategy and more e.g Science Fiction, Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Cultural,
Myths and Legends, Fables, Humour, Fairy Tales, Adventure Stories etc.
These provide a broad range of opportunities to be explored in the various plot scenarios. The
children might write a Science Fiction/Shipwreck, Romance/Rags to Riches story or a Ugly to
Beautiful myth. Without wishing to state the obvious the options are endless.
B. STORY PLANNING
With the element of plot secure in the mind of the child and with a understanding of the story
upon which their narrative hangs the child and/or the teacher can move into the process of
“Story Planning”
All story planning in the early years of the school (Reception to Year 2) should follow the
basic format below as a central core. There was a feeling that we had overcomplicated the
planning process and both children and teachers had got lost in the complexity. The consensus
was that we needed to strip the planning structure back to the bare bones which basically
hinges on the “problem/solution” scenario that all stories hang upon. As someone once said;
“there is only one structure for all stories… Something happens!” These thoughts relate to
the fact that the central part of the story is the creativity found in the plot and the story
planning needs to build upon that
6
Beginning
This may include
Character and Setting
Problem
Solution
Ending
Problem
Solution
Ending
Beginning
This may include
Character and Setting
The story planning deals less with the plot and moves into the more technical elements of the
writing process. There are questions to be posed such as; How will we begin the story; How
will we describe the character in the story; How will we introduce the problem; Will we use
Media Res to start the story?
The story planning will develop throughout the school and in relation to the age, more
pertinently, the ability of the child.
Early KS1
In the early years of KS1 it may be that once the plot is secure and the child has told their
story in skeleton form the “Story Planning” is undertaken by the teacher who introduces
technical elements of the writing process to the children as they move through their story. The
teacher may decide to “teach” the class the “three question opening” and will therefore
introduce this to the class, the next lesson she may use “Multi-sensory locational writing” to
set the scene for the story. So the teaching process continues with the children being “taught”
more and more skills which they not only integrate into their immediate piece of writing but
they will also be developing a toolkit of strategies which they can call on at a later date. To
this end the children may have nothing more than the plot outline to support their writing as
much of the rest of the structure is provided by the teacher in a highly scaffolded way.
Late KS2
At the top end of KS2 it would be expected that the child rather than the teacher will drive the
planning process. With a range of writing strategies at their finger tips learnt throughout KS1
and KS2 they should be making their own independent decisions as to which opening they
feel would be best for their particular story, what strategy they might use to introduce their
characters. Unlike their KS1 counterparts the upper KS2 children will have many
notes/storyboard pictures to support their writing. They may have a storyboard showing not
just the plot but where they will introduce setting the scene and what strategy they will use to
achieve this. This greater independence will result in them having a storyboard with as many
as 12-15 storyboard cards, but the plot planning will still hinge around the two central
questions lest the plot becomes watered down or even worse, lost in the planning of the
writing.
Throughout a child’s school life therefore there will be an increasing element of independence
given to them in the planning process. Whilst in Year 1 it might be 100% teacher led by Year
6 it should be totally driven by the children. The transfer of this control will occur as the child
moves through the school and its balance will be determined by each teacher based on the
cohort of children and the teacher’s ability to release the children into further elements of
individualised planning.
7
Text Level Planning
These strategies will generally be introduced to the children at phase 2 though on
occasions it may be more expedient to teach them at phase 5 in the context of the
child’s own writing.
TEXT LEVEL
COHORT
Story Openings
In Media Res
Contradictions
Unexpected or surreal op enings
Direct Address to reader
Triple Question opening
Single Question Opening
Opening with dialogue
Flashback/Flashforward
Open with a preview question
A normality changes opening
Writer speaks to reader
Sequel ending with ellipses
e.g. Never again would they…
End with a question e.g. Or was it?
Locational Writing
Multisensory
Atmosphere
Film set/Theatre Approach
Retell with alteration
Characterisation
Show not Tell
8
Mood Intensification
Personification
Linking character to location
Dilemma
Positive and Negative outcomes
Plot Line 1: P S P S
Plot Line 2: P F P S
Plot Line 3: P F P F
Plot Line 4: P S P S
Triple Problem middle
Understatement with correction
Narrative Endings
Open for a sequel
“Authoral Intrusion”
Unexpected shock
“And so finally…”
Reader decides what has happened
The end is the beginning
Reflective Endings
And so finally; many problems solved
Varying the Format (Level 4/5)
Caricature
Parody
Diary Fiction
Epistolary Story
Ballad
Hendecasyllabic stories
Naga-Uta
Anthropomorphic fiction
Fables
Allegorical Fiction
Dream Jars
Aleatory Fiction (Chance fiction)
Historical Fiction
Flashforward
Monologue
Rashomon effect
9
Sentence Level Planning
These strategies may be introduced to the children at phase 2 but the majority of them
will be introduced to the children at phase 5 where the children can access them
within the context of their own writing.
SENTENCE LEVEL
COHORT
Full sentences
Use of capital letters
Use of full stops
B.OY.S. sentence
2A sentences
3 –ed sentences
2 Pairs
De:De (Description: Details)
Verb, person
Outward inward sentences
If, if, if then
Motion word comma
Noun which/who/where
Many Questions
Ad, same ad
Double -ly ending
All the W’s
List
Some others
Personification of weather
P.C.
The more, the more
Short
10
-ing starts
-ed starts
Irony
Imagine – 3 examples
Simile
Metaphor
Alliteration
Typological devices e.g. h…e…l…p
Add a word/Change a word
List sentences
Name person first sentences
Adverbs at the start of sentences
Complex sentences
Short sentences for tension
11
PUNCTUATION
COHORT
Full Stops
Question Mark
Explanation Mark
Comma
List
Joining
Gapping
Brackets
Pre-quotation
Extra information
Connecting adverbs
After a subordinate clause
Colon
Specify
Explain
Summary
Exemplify
Semi colon
Speech marks
Direct quotation
Word disowned
Technical term
About a word
Apostrophe
Omitted letter
Possession
Plurals
Ellipses
Dash
Hyphen
12
LITERACY DAILY PLANNING : NON FICTION
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
GENRE
LEARNING
OBJECTIVE
PHASE 1
CONTEXT OR STIMULI
PHASE 2
TEXT USED FOR
ANALYSIS
SHARED WRITING:
SKILLS DEMONSTRATED
SUCCESS CRITERIA:
KEY FEATURES
PHASE 3
SCAFFOLDING FOR THE
WRITING PROCESS
PHASE 4
ROLE OF THE TEACHER
ROLE OF THE TA
PHASE 5
EDITING
PHASE 6
PUBLISHING
13
WRITING INSTRUCTIONS
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
Requirements/Ingredients
What is needed?
Method
How to make/play/carry out task
Concluding Paragraph
How success can be measured?
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Bullets/numbering/alpha-ordering
New lines for each step of method
Use of diagrams to augment text
Short precise sentences
Layout and use of space
Techniques to emphasise key words
(ii) Punctuation
Use of commas to separate lists
(iii) Grammar
14
Use of imperative/command language
Word Level
Use of simple direct vocabulary
Use of sequential connectives e.g.
next, then, first
Use of action verbs e.g. take, place
Adverbs to increase precision of
instructions e.g. slowly, gently
15
RECOUNT WRITING (TRIPS AND VISITS)
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
State subject in less then 8 words
Overview paragraph
When, Who, What, Where, Why
Answer two or more in a sentence
Events organised sequentially
Event 1
Tell the reader about preparations
Events organised sequentially
Event 2
The first interesting thing
Events organised sequentially
Event 3
All the rest in order, new paragraph for
each event
Concluding Paragraph
Summary. Pick out main points
Evaluate the trip
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Condensed synopsis of the whole at
the beginning
Language for time sequencing to link
16
paragraphs
Language and tone for audience
(ii) Punctuation
Paragraphing to separate events
Commas to mark clauses
(iii) Grammar
Consistent use of past tense
Use of first person for personal
experience
Word Level
Use of temporal connectives
17
RECOUNT WRITING (BIOGRAPHY)
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
The subject in less than 8 words
Overview paragraph
Who, When, Where, Why
Answer two or more in a sentence
Childhood events
Early life events/achievements
Explain how these influenced their later
life
Later life events/achievements
State these in order
Note their significance in the writing
Concluding Paragraph
State the impact of the person
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Condensed synopsis of the whole at
the beginning
Language for time sequencing to link
paragraphs
Language and tone for audience
18
(ii) Punctuation
Paragraphing to separate events
Commas to mark clauses
(iii) Grammar
Consistent use of past tense
Use of third person
Word Level
Use of temporal connectives
19
RECOUNT WRITING (HISTORICAL)
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
The subject in less than 8 words
Overview paragraph
Write in past tense
When, Who Where, Why, What
Answer two or more in a sentence
Events and consequences in order
New paragraph for each event
Concluding Paragraph
State the end result indicating whether
it was positive or negative
Evaluate the event
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Condensed synopsis of the whole at
the beginning
Language for time sequencing to link
paragraphs
Language and tone for audience
(ii) Punctuation
Paragraphing to separate events
20
Commas to mark clauses
(iii) Grammar
Consistent use of past tense
Use of third person
Word Level
Use of temporal connectives
21
WRITING EXPLANATIONS:
EXPLANATIONS OF A PROCESS
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
Usually beginning with how or why
State what article is about
General Statement of subject
Introduce reader to the subject
Parts (Optional)
Maybe linked to general statement
Tell the reader the different parts that
make up the subject
Key points paragraph
Key points in logical sequence
How it works/what happens
Summary Paragraph
Something special about subject
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Vocabulary to link paragraphs
sequentially e.g. in addition
Organisational devices e.g. subheadings or numbering
(ii) Punctuation
22
Paragraphs for separate key points
Colon prior to listing
Commas to separate lists
(iii) Grammar
Consistent tense use
Word Level
Use of causal connectives
e.g. therefore, consequently
Use of temporal connectives
e.g. next, after
23
WRITING EXPLANATIONS
HOW THINGS WORK
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
Usually beginning with how or why
What is the explanation about?
General Statement of subject
Introduce reader to the subject
Parts (Optional)
Different parts making up subject
Would a diagram help?
Key points paragraph
Tell how it works select key points
You may wish to use sub-headings or
numbering for organisation
Summary Paragraph
Tell reader something special or
important about the subject
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Vocabulary to link paragraphs
sequentially e.g. in addition
Organisational devices e.g. subheadings or numbering
(ii) Punctuation
24
Paragraphs for separate key points
Colon prior to listing
Commas to separate lists
(iii) Grammar
Consistent tense use
Word Level
Use of causal connectives
e.g. therefore, consequently
25
WRITING EXPLANATIONS:
WHY SOMETHING HAPPENED
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
Usually beginning with how or why
What is the explanation about?
General Statement of subject
Introduce reader to the subject
Introductory Paragraph
Set the scene for the reader
Select important points
Key points paragraph
Key points in logical sequence
You may wish to use sub-headings or
numbering for organisation
Summary Paragraph
Sum up for reader why this happened
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Vocabulary to link paragraphs
sequentially e.g. in addition
Organisational devices e.g. subheadings or numbering
26
(ii) Punctuation
Paragraphs for separate key points
Colon prior to listing
Commas to separate lists
(iii) Grammar
Consistent tense use
Word Level
Use of causal connectives
e.g. therefore, consequently
27
FACTUAL REPORTS
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
The subject of the report in no more
four words
Classification/Context Statement
Tell the reader what they are (don’t
forget to think about where/when)
Key Features
These may include; appearance,
location, purpose, what for?
Try to identify key features
Try to capture reader’s interest
Significance
What makes your subject special?
Summary Statement
Reminder of main points
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Based on fact
Omission of opinions
Formal and Objective
Non-Chronological
28
(ii) Punctuation
Paragraphs separate key points
Colon for listing
Commas to separate items in list
(iii) Grammar
Use of continuous present tense
No use of we/I
Word Level
Language of classification
e.g. belongs to, is part of
Factual not imaginative language
29
FACTUAL REPORTS: COMPARATIVE REPORTS (1)
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
Title should tell what you comparing
Context Statement
Tell the reader what you are comparing
and why
Similarity/Difference 1
Select the most important difference to
compare
Similarity/Difference 2
Select the next most important
difference to compare
Further paragraphs
These outline further aspects
Summary Statement
Tell the reader whether the two things
are similar or different
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Based on fact
Omission of opinions
Formal and Objective
Non-Chronological
(ii) Punctuation
Paragraphs separate key points
30
Colon for listing
Commas to separate items in list
(iii) Grammar
Use of continuous present tense
No use of we/I
Word Level
Language of classification
e.g. belongs to, is part of
Factual not imaginative language
31
FACTUAL REPORTS: COMPARATIVE REPORTS (2)
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
Title should tell what you comparing
Context Statement
Tell the reader what you are comparing
and why
Similarity1/Similarity 2
Select those aspects which are similar
Difference 1/Difference 2
Select those aspects which are
different
Summary Statement
What are the most important things
that have changed?
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Based on fact
Omission of opinions
Formal and Objective
Non-Chronological
(ii) Punctuation
Paragraphs separate key points
Colon for listing
Commas to separate items in list
32
(iii) Grammar
Use of continuous present tense
No use of we/I
Word Level
Language of classification
e.g. belongs to, is part of
Factual not imaginative language
33
FACTUAL REPORTS: COMPARATIVE REPORTS (3)
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
Title should tell what you comparing
Context Statement
Tell the reader what you are comparing
and why
Paragraph comparing first aspect
Tell reader about similarities and
differences about first aspect
Paragraph comparing second aspect
Tell reader about similarities and
differences about second aspect
Paragraph comparing third aspect
Tell reader about similarities and
differences about third aspect
Summary Statement
Consider all the writing and state
whether they are mainly similar or
different
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Based on fact
Omission of opinions
Formal and Objective
Non-Chronological
(ii) Punctuation
34
Paragraphs separate key points
Colon for listing
Commas to separate items in list
(iii) Grammar
Use of continuous present tense
No use of we/I
Word Level
Language of classification
e.g. belongs to, is part of
Factual not imaginative language
35
NEWSPAPER REPORTS
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Headline
No more than 7 words
Alliteration, pun, factual or shock
By-Line
Name, Title, Location
Lead paragraph
Who, What, Where, Why, When?
No more than 3 sentences linked to
headline
Body
Details about each of the W’s focusing
on the most important of these
Sources
Include names or titles of people
Use direct and reported speech
Illustration and Caption
Caption describes the illustration
Summary Paragraph
Consider using the word “without” to
start the paragraph
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Use of frequent short paragraphs
Use of short sentences
Consistent use of the third person
Use of tense changes for effect
36
Factual information; to the point
Quotation to add detail
Use of sources to add detail
Manipulation of detail
(ii) Punctuation
Exclamation marks for emphasis
Use of direct speech for quotes
Commas to separate clauses
Commas, brackets and dashes
(iii) Grammar
Use of direct and reported speech
Ellipsis to condense information
Word Level
Broad use of causal connectives
Use of emotive language
37
PERSUASIVE WRITING
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Statement of writer’s viewpoint
Stated in one or two sentences
Write in the first person
Series of supporting arguments
For each paragraph:
Use strongest argument first
Expand using detail and examples
Questions to involve emotion/reader
Including statistical statement
Counter arguments
New paragraph
Explain views clearly
Always use a “however” sentence
Reiteration of original viewpoint
Summarise main points
Repeat strongest argument
Vocabulary for final paragraph
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
Use of bullet points/numbering
Succinct sharp focused sentences
(ii) Punctuation
Paragraphs separate elements
38
Commas to separate clauses
(iii) Grammar
Use of timeless present tense
Word Level
Use of causal connectives
Appropriate technical vocabulary
to support argument
Words/phrases to link alternative
viewpoints e.g. conversely
Reference to general human
agents e.g. Dog breeders
Reference to groups e.g. the poor
39
WRITING DISCUSSIONS
COHORT
CLASS
TERM
Whole
Class
Below Age
Expected
Age
Expected
Above Age
Expected
Phase 2:
Structure of the Text
Title
Short version of the issue
Issues for Discussion
Tell reader the issues
Do not write in first person
State the two points of view
Don’t add supporting detail
Supporting Argument viewpoint 1
Use new paragraph for new argument
Use strongest argument first
Avoid repeating earlier arguments
Supporting Argument viewpoint 2
Use new paragraph for new argument
Use strongest argument first
Use different sentence starters to those
in viewpoint 1
Alternative Organisation of above
You could alternate the supporting
viewpoints for 1 and 2
Conclusion A or B
Tell reader your point of view
Allow reader to decide
Phase 2 or 5:
Sentence/Word Level
Sentence Level
(i) Style
State issue at the beginning
Summary statement of the main points of
view at the start
40
Use of impersonal tone
Use of summarising paragraph
(ii) Punctuation
Use paragraphs to separate viewpoints
(iii) Grammar
Consistent use of present tense
Avoid use of first person
Word Level
Use of additive connectives
e.g. also, too, additionally
Use of words to link viewpoints
However, moreover, although
41