Creating a literary environment: some teaching ideas
The literate home corner
Age range: 4-7
Group-size: Individuals or small groups (4 or 5 children)
What you need
A home-corner equipped with the usual domestic items. A supply of materials to provide a literacy dimension, e.g. pens, pencils, paper, telephone directories, newspapers, magazines, cookery books, advertising leaflets etc.
What to do
Encourage children playing in the home-corner to include literacy activities in their play. This can be done by simply asking them to do what their parents do at home, and providing the requisite materials. Things to do include writing letters to friends, filling in forms, writing and reading recipes, writing shopping lists, writing down telephone numbers of friends, doing crosswords etc. They can also do activities which involve mostly reading such as reading magazines, looking up programmes in the Radio Times, using the Yellow Pages etc.
Follow-up
Some children might be able to go on to produce their own written materials to practice reading on. For example, they could compile their own class telephone directories, or their own versions of T.V. schedules, or their own newspapers and magazines.
Go back to the beginning of this article
A scribble corner
Age range: 4-6
Group-size: Individuals and small groups ( 4 or 5 children)
What you need
A place in the classroom where individual children can work undisturbed. A variety of writing implements and surfaces, rubbers, rulers. Cards, charts, posters with models of writing on them.
What to do
Give children opportunities to practice scribbling and 'writing' ( even if only 'pretend' writing) whenever the chance arises. They need to experiment with a variety of writing tools including pencils, crayons, pens, charcoal, both thick and thin wax crayons, and on a variety of writing surfaces such as paper and card of various thicknesses and colours. Do not direct them too much but tell them that the corner is for practising writing. If there are models of writing around for them to look at, they will begin to pick up some important messages about writing, i.e. that it goes in lines across the page, that it uses letters and words that they may be familiar with from other places, and, if they are encouraged to 'read' their writing to someone (even if they have to make it up), that writing is about passing on messages.
Follow-up
Gradually the scribble corner will turn into a writing corner (see next idea) as the children become more skilled at producing writing which conveys a message. Their writing efforts need to be dealt with positively and displayed in the scribble / writing corner either on the walls or in home-made books.
Cautionary note
Beware of using tracing paper in the scribble corner. It is easy when children are tracing writing unsupervised for them to get into bad handwriting habits. Letter formation will need to be taught alongside the use of the scribble corner, and it is important that the children do not 'unlearn' the lessons they learn about handwriting.
Go back to the beginning of this article
The writing corner
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Individuals or small groups (4 or 5 children)
What you need
A corner of the room with a table or two and chairs, and a supply of paper, unlined and lined, various pens, pencils, rubbers, rulers, liquid paper, and a typewriter if possible.
What to do
Set up a writing corner in the same way as you will probably have a reading corner. The corner should be available to children to use as appropriate to your classroom organisation, but preferably at any time they feel they have something they want to write. It should be equipped with the tools they need for writing and should also be arranged so that it stimulates them to write. Display lots of examples of writing, both story and information books, as well as writing produced by the children themselves. Children using the corner should be free to write about whatever they wish, but it will stimulate many of them if you display interesting pictures, posters, word collections etc. as starting points. These will need to be varied regularly.
Follow-up
Ensure you let the children know you value the writing they do in the writing corner. This can be done by you or the children reading out pieces of writing to the class during sharing times, or by displaying writing on the wall or in class anthologies. Occasionally a piece of writing done by one child may inspire others to write about a similar theme. These can be displayed together alongside pictures, posters etc. relevant to the theme.
Go back to the beginning of this article
A writing trail
Age range: 7-11
Group-size: No larger than 10 to 12 children
What you need
Clipboards for each child, a camera if possible.
What to do
In the same way as you might take a group of children on a nature trail, take them on a writing trail around your local streets. Get them to note down, and preferably photograph, examples of the writing they will see around them as they walk. As they note down what they see ask them to think about why that writing is there, who is intended to read it, and anything distinctive about the way in which it is written. They could also copy down examples if it is not possible to photograph them. The trail will probably not need to be very long because the children will soon be overwhelmed with examples. Back in school an analysis can be made of the types of writing found, their purposes, and intended audiences, and the results displayed alongside copied examples or photographs.
Follow-up
The examples of environmental print collected can be used as a starting point for the idea following, 'Modelling types of writing'.
Go back to the beginning of this article
Modelling types of writing
Age range: 7-11
Group-size: Whole class or groups from 6 children upwards
What you need
Examples of a variety of writing styles, e.g. instruction leaflets, notices, advertisements, letters, recipes, poems etc.
What to do
Discuss with the children the various styles of writing there are. Encourage them to think about why each piece of writing was written, who it was aimed at, and what is special about the way it is written. After a lot of discussion the children can go on to try to produce their own versions of one or more of these types of writing. (See section on Types of Writing for ideas for making this purposeful).
Follow-up
A collection of examples of writing from the everyday world can be made. This 'environmental' writing can be displayed as 'Writing around us', alongside children's analyses of what is special about the various types, plus their own attempts at producing it.
Go back to the beginning of this article
A celebration of writing
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Whole class
What you need
Examples of different kinds of writing including various pieces of children's writing, writing in different languages and type-styles.
What to do
Mount a display of as many different varieties of writing as possible. Children could research and write pieces for the display in a whole range of languages, including Punjabi, Gujerati, Greek, French etc. This could perhaps be displayed around a common theme, e.g. different ways of saying 'Good Morning', or 'Happy New Year'. You could also mount a display of different type-styles, and styles of handwriting, either provided by yourself or by the children. Invite people who write in different ways to come and demonstrate to the class. There will probably be someone around who was taught to write in Copperplate style, or italics, and you may be lucky enough to have parents or children who can write Chinese or Arabic. This small project on writing could last a week or more as you collect and discuss hand and typewriting styles.
Follow-up
Many of the children, after looking at this variety of writing styles, will want to try their hands at writing in italics, or Chinese, or in Computer script. Their attempts can be added to the class display.
Go back to the beginning of this article
Teacher as writer 1
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Small groups (6-8 children) or whole class
What you need
A good stimulus point for both you and the children to write about.
What to do
Explain to the children that instead of them writing their stories while you are available to help, this time you are going to write a story as well. It is best not to think about it too much beforehand so that you are in the same position as the children when you begin to write. While you are writing occasionally get up and go to look in the dictionary or the thesaurus for a word, or go and ask a child if he or she can help you with a word or another point in your writing. Be prepared to share your efforts with the children when you have finished. Show them your writing. Do not make it specially neat and tidy, but show them that you too often change your mind when you are writing and cross things out, re-order things and add new things. Talk to them about any points at which you got stuck during your writing. Ask them what you could have done. Finally ask for their opinion of your writing. Be prepared for it to be critical.
Until you are used to it this activity can be somewhat nerve-wracking. You will undoubtedly feel very exposed by it. Remember, however, that if you do it often enough you will get used to it, and that it will help you to understand the experience of the children when they write, and therefore to offer them more useful help.
Follow-up
To be really beneficial this should be more than a one-off occurence. Occasionally bring in pieces of writing you have started at home and share them with the children. Ask for their advice as to where to go next in the writing, and show them that asking for others' help in writing can be a useful way of clearing your own mind and getting fresh ideas.
Go back to the beginning of this article
Teacher as writer 2
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Whole class
What you need
An overhead projector with a blank acetate sheet and appropriate pens. If these are not available the activity could also be done using large sheets of paper fastened to an easel.
What to do
Tell the children that you are going to write something with their help. Choose something to write about which interests you but do not pre-plan what to write. Write as you think aloud on the overhead projector or easel. Stop frequently as you get stuck with particular words or ideas. Ask for advice from the children and encourage discussion about how you should express yourself. Demonstrate that writing is not a flowing process but is, in fact, very jerky and full of stops and starts. Show also that you are prepared to alter and rearrange what you have written.
Follow-up
This idea can be developed into a regular activity for collaborative story-writing either with a group or the whole class. The teacher, or a sufficiently fast-writing child can act as scribe while the rest of the group decide on the direction the writing will take and on its content.
Go back to the beginning of this article
A literature environment
Age range: 4-11
Group-size: Whole class.
What you need
Lots of examples of literature in various forms at various levels.
What to do
Children's writing will obviously improve in quality the more access they are given to good quality writing. They should always be surrounded by good literature. Have displays of children's story and information books and children's poetry which are regularly varied, and which are commented upon and brought to the children's attention. Encourage children to read as much as possible, and read to them as much as possible. Children who are able to write can be encouraged to write stories, poems etc. like those they have read. "Can you write me a story of your own about 'My Naughty Little Sister'? Can you write me another verse to 'The Jumblies'?"
Older junior children will be able to begin discussions about particular styles of writing. They can think about what makes informative writing different from narrative writing, and some of them will be able to go on to discuss what makes different authors' writing distinctive, e.g. "How can you tell this is a poem by Eleanor Farjeon and not Michael Rosen?" Encourage children to talk not just about what they read, but also about the way in which it is written.
Follow-up
Some children will be able to go on to write in similar styles to particular authors. Michael Rosen's poetry is not too difficult to imitate, and several children will be able to begin a story in the same way as Ted Hughes begins 'The Iron Man'.
Go back to the beginning of this article
Make your own books: scrolls
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Whole class
What you need
Some means of heating and/or slightly burning paper. Ribbon. Red wax.
What to do
Some of the writing children do can be made into scroll books, which is how books were produced a long time ago. Children may have seen treasure maps like this, or be familiar with the way the Romans used to produce books. When they have written their stories onto pieces of paper, these are rolled up. They may be tied with ribbon, and sealed with wax. A coin makes a suitable imprint for the seal. They may also be baked in an oven for about ten minutes which will make them brown, brittle and ancient-looking. If the edges are singed this will also make them look old and battered.
Go back to the beginning of this article
Make your own books: address books
Age range: 7-11
Group-size: Individuals
What you need
Small-sized exercise books
What to do
Children can make their own address or telephone books to hold details of their friends and classmates. The first step is to decide how many pages to allot to each letter of the alphabet. If the books they are using are big enough, the simplest solution is to allow one page per letter, but if not, then it is usual to combine the less common letters such as XYZ. If the children can manage it, it is nice to cut the right hand edge of the book so that they can turn instantly to the correct page. This needs careful working out and cutting, but is intriguing for children. A similar technique might be adopted for their spelling books.
Follow-up
Compiling address books gives scope for teaching the correct way to set out addresses, and provides a great deal of practice at doing this.
Go back to the beginning of this article
Make your own books: biographies
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Individuals
What you need
Scrapbooks, either bought or made by the children.
What to do
Children can combine writing with photographs and pictures to make scrapbooks which tell the story of their lives, or the lives of their friends / brothers / sisters / parents etc. This will involve them in a good deal of research, asking questions, interviewing etc. They will need to find a quick way of recording the information they collect before reworking it into a biography. They will need to discuss the best way of presenting their books, and of interspersing factual information with humorous stories, and fitting in the illustrations. They will also need to write captions for the pictures and photos.
Follow-up
Scrapbooks can be a useful way of collecting and presenting children's writing. If the children are shown how to make them, they will be able to produce them to order to fit particular projects they have. For example, they might collect pictures, press cuttings and pieces of their own writing about their favourite film star / footballer / pop star etc., and once they have decided how best to present the information, make a scrapbook of the right size for the job.
Go back to the beginning of this article
Getting into publication
Age range: 6-11
Group-size: Whole class
What you need
No special requirements, although a typewriter or word-processor would be a real asset.
What to do
Make it a regular feature in your classroom that children's writing is published in some way. This will not mean that every piece of writing is published, but aim, perhaps, that every child should have his / her writing published at least once a fortnight. Preferably the writing should be typed or printed via the computer, but if these means are not available most children will be willing to write out their work neatly if they know it is going to be published. The writing could then go either into a large class book, perhaps on a particular topic, or into a child's individual book. This individual book could be a cumulative collection of the child's writing, or could contain just one piece. Try this latter at least a few times. Every child will be thrilled with the idea that he/she has written a book. Books can be displayed in the classroom, and can also be borrowed and read by other children.
Follow-up
The next few pages contain ideas on how to make books in which to present children's writing.
Go back to the beginning of this article
Beginning writing
Age range: 4-6
Group-size: Individuals
What you need
No special requirements
What to do
From children's very first days in school they can be encouraged to 'write', that is, to pass on messages through making marks on paper. Most children will have an idea of what writing involves, and many of them will be quite familiar with what it looks like. Ask them to write things for you and for other people in the school. These efforts may be nothing more than scribble, but praise them for ways in which what they have done resembles 'real' writing, e.g. goes in lines, starts in the correct place, looks like letters etc.
Follow-up
Ask children to read back what they have 'written'. Encourage them by putting your finger on the place where they should start, and by responding to what they say.
Go back to the beginning of this article
Writing for children
Age range: 3-6
Group-size: Individuals
What you need
A typewriter would be excellent, although it is possible to do this without.
What to do
During free-choice or playtime activities in nursery / reception classes, one of the things you could do is place yourself in the 'Writing corner', with a typewriter, or, if this is not possible, a 'grown-up' pen. Encourage children to come and tell you things which you then type out, or write down. Read the messages out for the children, and encourage them to try to read them back, even if they make up what is there. They can then take away their 'stories', and tell other people about them.
Go back to the beginning of this article