WRITING and READING

At Our Lady of the Rosary, all children learn to write through Talk for Writing which was developed by the author Pie Corbett as a fun, creative yet also rigorous approach to develop writers. Talk for Writing starts with enjoying and sharing stories. Throughout the school, we place a strong emphasis on enjoying a range of literature. Through regular reading, we want children to build up an extensive and rich vocabulary for use in their own writing.

During the initial 'imitation' stage of Talk for Writing, children learn to tell a story off by heart. They retell a text with expression and actions and make use of a story map to support their retelling. Once the story is learnt, children are encouraged to adapt it. At the 'innovation' stage, children make the story their own, for example, by changing the character or setting. Finally, at the 'invention stage, children write their own text independently.

Grammar is a key part of the curriculum for writing.  Because many of our learners do not have English as a first language, accurate teaching of grammar is particularly important to give them equality of opportunity to succeed in education. 

Cursive handwriting is taught systematically and good handwriting is valued.  Equally spelling is taught through phonics and the spelling patterns in the national curriculum document.