Thinking about audience: some teaching ideas
Dialogue journals
Age range: 5-11
Group-size: Individuals
What you need
A small exercise book for each child
What to do
Establish regular written communication with children through a book which they keep. The book can be used specially for this purpose, or it might also function as their 'news' book. A system which seems to work is for the children to write something to the teacher-a piece of news, something about themselves etc. The teacher receives this writing, and, instead of marking it, responds to what it says with comments about him or herself. This response might include a question or two to stimulate further writing from the children, although it will probably be found that, once they are sure they have a real audience, children will write quite readily. The books go back to the children, who continue the dialogue. The writing done in this manner is private to the teacher and the individual children, although there is nothing to stop it being used in other ways should children wish.
If this becomes a regular activity, it can obviously get very time-consuming for the teacher. One way of minimising this is for the teacher to divide his or her class into three groups, and allot one week in turn to each group. This way every child will have a written dialogue with their teacher every three weeks.
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Writing instructions
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Small groups of 3 to 4 children
What you need
No special requirements
What to do
Groups of children can work together to produce sets of written instructions for doing a range of activities. They might, for example, produce a set of rules for playing noughts and crosses, or draughts, or they might write step by step guides to operating such equipment as an instamatic camera, or a cassette recorder. They might also write instructions for such things as wiring a plug, or boiling an egg. Make sure they realise how important it is to get their instructions clear and precise. They can be told they are writing them for someone who has no idea about how to do these things. It will be found that their instructions will be clearer if they are allowed firstly to practice themselves doing the activities they are writing about, and secondly to try out their instructions on other children before producing final drafts.
Follow-up
If the instructions the children write are later actually used by other children this will give their writing a real purpose. The instructions can be used as resource material for reading comprehension activities by other children. They can be used straight, with other children having to follow them, or they can be altered to contain small mistakes which other children have to spot.
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The directions game
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Whole class or small groups
What you need
No special requirements
What to do
Get a child to describe as precisely as possible how to move from one point in the classroom to several others to either carry out certain activities or pick up certain objects. This description is written on a piece of card, which is then used by another child to try to follow the same actions exactly. Any points where the directions are innaccurate or ambiguous can be discussed, and the written directions altered to avoid these problems.
Follow-up
If the directions are written down precisely enough it ought to be possible for a blindfold child to follow them as they are read aloud. Children can try this and discuss the kind of precision they need to include in their writing.
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The construction game
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Pairs of children
What you need
Two sets of construction materials, e.g. two sets of Lego, Meccano etc. or two toy farms, or dolls' houses.
What to do
The set of materials is arranged in a certain way by one child. Without the other seeing, this child has then to write a description of this arrangement. The materials are then hidden from view. The description is given to the other child who has to try to arrange the second set of materials into exactly the pattern described. When the second child is satisfied the description has been followed, the first set of materials is uncovered, and both sets compared. If there are any discrepancies, both children rewrite the description to make it more accurate.
Follow-up
This activity can obviously be followed through into children's other descriptive writing, whether this is done as part of story writing, or as an activity in its own right. Ask them to try to describe scenes or characters so that someone else could visualise exactly what they looked like.
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Giving directions
Age range: 7-11
Group-size: Pairs of children
What you need
Large scale plans of the streets around the school. You will need to ensure that the children involved in this activity understand the idea of street plans. This will involve some initial preparation work.
What to do
One child writes a description of how to get from his or her house to the school. The other child has to follow this description on the plan. This is followed by an evaluation by both children of the preciseness and accuracy of the written description. This may then need to be modified.
Follow-up
There are many possibilities for other activities using this basic format. For example, the children might think about how to get from the school to the shops, or from the Post Office to the railway station, and so on.
The activity can also, of course, be done orally. If this is done children might be able to compare the effectiveness of written and spoken directions. They might begin to realise that the problem with spoken directions is that, although they can be given in a way that fits exactly the needs of the listener, they do eventually have to be remembered correctly. When they are complicated this can be very difficult. Written directions avoid this memory problem, but have their own difficulty. Once they are written, they are written. You cannot go back and ask again about parts that are not clear. The writer has to try to get everything perfectly clear before handing over the directions.
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Writing letters
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Individuals or the whole class
What you need
No special requirements
What to do
Children need to be taught the conventions of letter writing, but they will learn these more effectively if the letters they write are actually for sending. There are many possibilities for this.
Children can write letters to parents to:-
- invite them to open evenings,
- give details of class trips,
- tell them about things they are doing in school,
- tell about books they have read, etc.
They can also write letters to:-
- firms and other organisations requesting information about topics they are working on,
- other schools as part of a pen-friend scheme,
- authors and poets about what they have read (these can be sent c/o the publisher),
- places they have visited to say thank you and to give some details of the work they have done in follow-up,
- visitors to the school, etc.
Follow-up
Hopefully the children will receive replies to many of the letters they send. These replies, as well as being interesting in their own right, and a source of valuable reading practice, can also be used for discussion of writing. Look at how these letters are set out. How are they begun and ended? Are they written in any different way to the letters you wrote?
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Planning a class trip
Age range: 8-11
Group-size: Whole class
What you need
A Yellow pages directory, and a brochure for the place to which the class trip will be
What to do
Much of the writing needed to organise the class trip can be done by the chikdren themselves. You will need to keep a careful check on this obviously, and probably to do some initial surveying of dates, times and prices before letting the children loose. If the recipients are warned to expect them, the children can:-
- write to the location of the trip to book a date, and request any available prior information,
- find the address and telephone number of a local coach firm,
- phone the coach firm to enquire about prices and dates,
- write to confirm the date for the coach,
- write to the location of the trip to confirm the date,
- work out the total cost of the trip for the class,
- work out how much each of them will have to pay,
- write to parents requesting permission to go on the trip, and informing them of the cost and the date by which money has to be paid,
- after the trip plan how they will present their writing about their day (a useful idea is to get them to design their own version of the brochure),
- draft, edit and finally produce a written response to the trip,
send a copy of their work, together with a letter of thanks to the location of the trip, and to anyone else they think should have one.
Follow-up
Naturally the children will make mistakes in doing all of this. The teacher will need to make sure that these mistakes do not affect the smooth running of the trip itself, but can still use these mistakes as valuable starting points for teaching. Children are likely to be much keener to improve their abilities to do these things if they can see that it is really important to get things right.
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Writing for younger children
Age range: 7-11
Group-size: Whole class or any sized group
What you need
Access to a class of children at least two years younger than your own.
What to do
Discuss with your children the kinds of things they liked to read when they were younger. When they have some ideas they can go along to the younger class, a few at a time, to talk individually to a younger child. During this time they have to find out about what this child likes to do, what he or she is interested in, and the kinds of stories he/she most likes to read. They will need to note this information down. When they come back to class, discuss with them what they have found, and the kind of story they might be able to write for their adopted youngster. They can then begin writing, either alone or in twos and threes. They may change their story as much as they like, and perhaps have several alternative versions. When they are ready, they go back to their youngster to read their story to him/her. How the younger child receives it, and how he/she reacts to it will give them further information. When they return to class, they can then make any neccesary alterations to the stories, and produce them in a version which the younger child can take away and read alone. This final version will need to be illustrated, which the children can either do themselves, or use cut-out pictures for. It would also be nice if the final version could be typed, ideally on a Jumbo typewriter, and bound between cardboard like a real book.
Follow-up
This activity will be more beneficial the more the children do it, since they will get to know more and more about the reading likes and dislikes of their adopted child. The books they produce can be kept by the younger child, or be added to the library of the younger class. The older children thus get the thrill of seeing a book by themselves on the shelves, and the younger children get an extra book to read.
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A class newspaper 1
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Whole class or groups of around six children
What you need
Access to a typewriter, preferably a Jumbo. A set of Letraset letters, or a large letter stencil.
What to do
Get the children to produce a class newspaper with reports of newsworthy events in school and in the locality. Items which could go in include reports on school functions, sports matches, achievements, etc. Also advertisements for forthcoming events. The newspaper should not just concern school events, but should also carry reports on neighbourhood events such as fetes, cinema films, theatrical productions, sporting events, fun-runs etc. Assign chidren to produce particular contributions. The final copy can be typed on the Jumbo typewriter, and Letraset letters or stencils used for the headlines. If copies can be made of the newspaper, then it can be sold to children for a few pence.
Follow-up
Work on producing a newspaper will be assisted by children studying real newspapers. Several of these can be brought into class, and the purpose of the various sections discussed. Perhaps a visit to a local newspaper office could be arranged, or a reporter on a local newspaper brought into class to talk about his or her work.
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A class newspaper 2
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Whole class or groups of around six children
What you need
Access to a typewriter, preferably a Jumbo. A set of Letraset letters, or a large letter stencil.
What to do
When the children have some notion of what producing a newspaper involves in real life, they are ready to take on more prescribed roles in the production of their own. The class could be divided up into three, or perhaps four teams. One team can be designated as reporters with the responsibility for finding events on which to report, and writing those reports. Another team can be the editorial section, with responsibility for advising the reporters on the length, content and accuracy of their reports. They would also act as proof-readers. A further team can be responsible for the design of the newspaper, deciding on the layout, the use of pictures etc. If it is possible, a fourth team could be responsible for advertisements. This needs to be done with care, and with the first contacts made by the teacher, but sometimes it is possible to get local shops and tradesmen to place advertisements in school and class newspapers. Sometimes these people will pay a small amount for the privilege, and this will help cover the costs of duplicating the newspaper. If this happens, make sure that these contributors get a free copy of the newspaper with their advertisement in.
Follow-up
If a computer and a printer are available for use, these can be used in the production of a newspaper. There are several software packages available which will assist with this.
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A class magazine
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Whole class or groups
What you need
A typewriter, preferably Jumbo. Some means of duplicating type-written sheets, and, if possible, pictures.
What to do
A class or school magazine can be produced along similar lines to the class newspaper. The magazine would, however, contain more 'creative' forms of writing. Writing could be done specially for the magazine but it is probably better if the work included is a selection from that done earlier by children. They should, however, know if their work is going to be included, and given the opportunity to alter/polish it if they wish. A selection team could be appointed from the class to choose suitable work for the magazine, although the teacher will need to have some influence here to get work included which is perhaps not outstanding in an absolute sense, but is good for the child who produced it. An editorial / proof-reading team, and a design team will also be needed, as for the newspaper. It is possible to produce black and white duplicated copies of drawings reasonably easily on a photocopier, or on a spirit duplicator if the child draws directly onto the master sheet.
Follow-up
If the magazine is duplicated and distributed fairly widely, it is almost certainly best to charge a few pence for it. This not only covers the cost of production, but also ensures that those who receive it do value it. Nothing can be more disheartening for children who are proud that their work has been chosen for the magazine than to see the streets outside school littered with discarded free copies.
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The notice board
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Flexible
What you need
A spare piece of pin-board, placed where it is likely to be seen by most children either in the school or in one class.
What to do
Establish a class or a school notice board to which children contribute. You could have a notice board committee consisting of children and a teacher to decide which contributions could go on the notice board and how they should be arranged. Items which children could write for the notice board include:-
- Notices advertising school events,
- School lunch menus,
- Dates of school holidays,
- Notices about how to look after the school / class pets,
- Messages of congratulations, e.g. "Well done to the school football team for scoring four goals in their last match", or, "Congratulations to these people for their excellent playing in assembly last week",
- Posters such as, "Our school looks better, Without your litter", or, "Don't just stand and look, Go and read a book",
- Book jackets and information about the week's featured book, etc.
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