Getting Children Writing

Story Ideas for Children Aged 3 to 11

Simon Brownhill

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781473903166
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Teaching Methods

?This is a fantastic book which provides creative and practical suggestions of how to engage all children in writing?
- Sarah Martin-Denham, Senior Lecturer in Primary Education, University of Sunderland

This book is a practical guide designed to stimulate story writing in the early years and primary classroom. It offers a collection of novel and effective Ideas which can be used by educators to energise, excite and motivate children to willingly write stories across the 3-11 age phase.

Each chapter offers creative and innovative Ideas to get children writing stories, including:

- how to help children ?see the point? of story writing

- how speaking and listening, reading and phonics can be utilised to enhance written stories

- how technology can facilitate refreshing story writing

- how story writing can be physically interactive.

By combining theory with practice, this book is ideal for those training to teach the 3 to 11 age range, those beginning their teaching career, and those who are established in their professional role.

Simon Brownhill is Senior Teaching Associate at the University of Cambridge.

1

‘Pen-to-Paper’ stories

The focus of this initial chapter centres on the notion of getting children across the early years (3–5) and primary age phases (5–11) to actually put ‘pen to paper’. Whilst many teachers use different strategies to stimulate potential stories in children’s minds (e.g. video footage, role play, speaking and listening opportunities, pictures and images, and music – see Wijaya and Tedjaatmadja, n.d.), it is important for children to be able to turn this ‘story potential’ into reality by making a record of their story, evidence of which is typically presented in written form but can also include drawings/illustrations and audio recordings.

This chapter presents a variety of Ideas to effectively motivate children into wanting to record their story in written form by focusing on two key considerations: what should children physically write their stories on, and where should they write? Children in classrooms today are faced too often with the same kinds of writing paper which they are expected to fill with a story – white A4 or lined paper in exercise books. The first half of this chapter suggests Ideas that make adjustments to the shape (Shaped stories), size (Sized stories), colour (Colour stories) and ‘feel’ of the paper that children work on (Tactile stories) in an effort to ‘hook children in’ and stimulate the stories that they write in the classroom. Innovative story writing is promoted by getting children to write stories which use their whole body (Body stories), not only as story stimuli but also as a human display board for the shameless self-promotion of their writing efforts!

The second half of this chapter focuses its attention on taking story writing outside of the classroom and promoting its undertaking in the familiar setting of the home or place of residence, highlighting different ‘spaces’ where children can create, develop and present stories to family members or those close to the child (see Bedroom stories, Bathroom stories, Kitchen stories, Living room stories and Garden stories). The chapter offers teachers unusual, exciting and effective strategies and ideas which can be shared with parents and carers to promote story writing in different locations in the home/place of residence; do refer to Graham-Clay (2005), who offers a critical exploration of practical communication strategies which teachers can use to effectively share these writing strategies and ideas with parents and carers as stimulating Weekend Work (homework) for children.

Taking a Closer Look at ‘Blank Minds’

One of the initial points made in Shaped stories (p. 36) emphasises the fact that when they are asked to write a story ‘some children[’s] creative minds can be a little like [a] piece of paper: blank!’. This is commonly referred to as ‘writer’s block’, which Rose (1984: 3) defines as ‘an inability to begin or continue writing for reasons other than a lack of basic skill or commitment’. This highlights two important considerations for teachers when thinking about children’s story writing:

1. Teachers are reminded that children’s writing output is influenced by their age, their stage of writing development (see Introduction, p. 12), and whether they have any SEND which may contribute in some way to ‘a lack of basic skill’ noted in their written work (e.g. limited language proficiency or a physical disability). Teachers should ensure that they have high writing expectations of their children but that these should be realistic in relation to the children’s actual capabilities. These expectations can be monitored through the use of regular assessment and ‘next steps’ targets (APP – see http://tinyurl.com/d7vx65r).
2. There are children in our classrooms who lack writing commitment; many teachers would suggest that this typically relates to boys in their class (Safford et al., 2004), particularly in light of the results of national testing (see DfE, 2012c). Writing commitment is important for all writers, irrespective of their gender or age. There are numerous reasons why children may lack dedication to their writing; these include:

• having other curriculum strengths/interests;
• finding that they do not have enough time to actually write in class; or
• having too many distractions around them (e.g. their friends).

One of the key roles of a teacher is to promote and model practical strategies to help improve children’s commitment levels to writing in the classroom. These include:

• Set writing targets that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-related (SMART) for children to work towards and achieve (see http://tinyurl.com/75uzh94 for information about the meaning and setting of SMART targets).
• Ensure that sufficient time is offered on the timetable for quality writing activity each day.
• Offer children a choice about their writing – what they are going to write about, what they are going to write on (paper, computers, acetates) and where they are going to write (inside, outside, on the floor, next to friends).
• Offer frequent and purposeful praise for both children’s written output and their efforts.
• Use rewards to acknowledge children’s increasing levels of writing commitment (see Cremin et al., 2006 and Nolen, 2007 for further ideas).

Smith (1982, cited in Cowie and Hanrott, 1984: 200) suggests that there are three main types of writer’s block:

1. ‘Procedural blocks [that] arise when the writer’s mind has gone blank and it is not clear what should be written next’;
2. Psychological blocks that occur when ‘the writing task appears too difficult, or the audience is perceived as a threatening one’; and
3. Physical blocks that refer to ‘the sheer physical demands of the writing process [which] can inhibit the young writer from completing the task’.

An awareness of these different writing blocks can help teachers to select appropriate strategies to posi...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author
• Glossary/Abbreviations
• Age Bandings
• Introduction
• 1 ‘Pen-to-Paper’ Stories
• 2 ‘Design and Make’ Stories
• 3 ‘Being’ Stories
• 4 ‘Craft’ Stories
• 5 ‘Engaging’ Stories
• 6 ‘Technology’ Stories
• 7 ‘Location’ Stories
• 8 ‘Boys’’ Stories
• 9 ‘Creative’ Stories
• 10 ‘Random’ Stories
• Appendices
• References
• Index