OER in Education - User contributions [en]

OER4Schools/Effective use of ICT

2012-02-21T11:18:46Z

Bh213:

{{OER4S}}

== Reflection ==
{{ednote|text=
This session takes longer than two hours.
}}

Reflection on your lesson activity.
* How did the netbook familiarisation go? Have you all recorded your audio reflections?
* ICT-based task: Log into your email, etc. Did you manage to do that?

{{ednote|text=
Make sure they have all recorded their audio reflections. (Make sure they can all use the upload script.)
Make sure they have all come into the lab to practise their ICT skills.
Make sure they are able to save whatever resources they have found into the “lesson_resources” folder, and then to transfer the contents onto the server.

}}

== How do you use ICT effectively? ==

Review of found resources.

{{activity|discuss}} Last time you were asked to come to the lab to find resources. Did you manage to find resources for an ICT-based lesson? How did you find them? What did you find? Was it easy? What do you think can be done with them?

{{activity|small group activity}} Last time you were asked to prepare a simple activity using ICT, and to develop a lesson plan around this. Share your lesson plans in your group.

{{ednote|text=
Discuss the use of ICT. Does it support interactive teaching? How?
}}

[[Image:Eness with student.jpg|thumb|300px]]

If you need additional ideas for creating ICT-based lessons, here are some examples, all to do with photos.

Digital technology allows you to create (as well as re-use) images.
A '''Digital Photo Story''' combines different media. It is a story made up of images, accompanied with written text, voice, motions, transitions and music, resulting in a rich product that can be used to express, share, describe, present, … to tell a story. Photo Story Telling can be used to:
* Present: Learners can use a Photo Story to report on a trip, a visit or a meeting, to describe a phenomenon, a person or an event. Students can describe for example a normal day in their life, or the place where they live with a story of pictures and narrated with voice.
* Introduce: Teachers and learners can make an overall introduction of an object or a word by using images.
* Explain: Teachers and learners can use a sequence of pictures to explain a phenomenon or a certain process.
* Tell a story: Teachers and learners can tell the story of a character or an event by pictures.
* Create a learning situation: Teachers can engage learners in a visual story and encourage learners to solve presented problems.

Teachers can use Photo Story Telling at different stages of a lesson:
* To introduce new concepts, ideas and background information, as a warm-up to engage learners in the learning process, to illustrate a problem.
* For learners to attain new knowledge: Learners can be asked to develop a Digital Photo Story to describe what they have learnt, synthesising their knowledge, etc...
* To review and evaluate learning outcomes: The teacher can produce a Digital Photo Story as a visual summary of main concepts of the lesson, to revise and conclude a lesson.

Digital Photo Story Telling can be used in different subjects, for example:
** History: To tell the story of a people in history, achievements or events.
** Geography: To describe local environmental problems, to report on a fieldtrip, to illustrate a study on natural and social phenomena.
** Literature: To describe and summarise a story (characters, context, climax, actions...).
** Civil education: To tell stories of contemporary people in the society.
** Science: To record an experiment; to present the growth process of a tree, report a fieldtrip, create stories about animals under water and on land.

Another way to use photos is to prepare a set of digital photos for classroom use by students on computers, such as for classification tasks, as in the Eness lesson on vertebrates that we watched earlier. You can remind yourself of the video [[OER4Schools/1.4_Effective_use_of_ICT_and_collaborative_writing/Vertebrate photo use|here]].

{{background|text=
The above material derives from the VVOB ''ICT for Active Teaching and Learning toolkit'' which is available on the server for reading in your own time if you are interested. See pages 57-63 for information on how to create a Photo Story and more detailed examples of use. The VVOB toolkit is also available online:
* PDF file: http://www.vvob.be/vietnam/?q=toolkit-ict-atl
* Website: http://www.ict4atl.org
}}

== An ICT-based collaborative writing activity ==

{{ednote|text=
The following activity uses an internet-based application called EtherPad which allows everyone to see - in real time - what others are writing, and to build on that.
}}

{{activity|practical activity}} Choose a topic you each want your class to write about in a forthcoming lesson – it can be a factual topic (eg healthy foods, diseases, hobbies, weddings or buying food in the market) or a creative story. It needs to be fairly broad so children are free to write around the topic without feeling there are right and wrong answers. Devise a title to give them, e.g. “The magic stone” for a story. Discuss the choice with a partner if you like.

{{activity|practical activity}} Now open all the netbooks, take one per workshop participant. Go to EtherPad and try out the collaborative writing task below.

{{oinc|OER4Schools/Collaborative writing with EtherPad}}

'''To help your students type faster, before or after this lesson:''' play games on typing under “Edubuntu Applications > Education”, such as TuxType.

'''Activities you could do with Etherpad later on when your students can type faster:'''
* Writing a story together (each student in each group writes a sentence that follows on from the previous sentence)
* Students type a question they are curious about, and other students respond. (eg “Why is the moon only out at night?”)

{{activity|whole group discussion}} Discuss the issues and any pitfalls you anticipate. What are the outcomes you would like – what should the students be writing? '''Change the plan a bit if necessary, to suit your own learners.'''

== Background text: Principles of interactive teaching ==

{{ednote|text=
This section summarises some principles of interactive teaching. They are here for information and reference for the workshop participants. Ask them to look through the list and see if they have any comments? Print the list and ask them to file it in their folders.
}}

{{background|text=
What is interactive teaching?
{{oinc|OER4Schools/Principles of interactive teaching}}
}}

== Where are we going? ==

=== Overview of the resource topics ===

The present resource intends to cover a number of units. You have now come to the end of Unit 1.

{{oinc|OER4Schools/Detailed outline}}

{{ednote|text=
Go through the above text (not spending too much time), making sure that everybody understands.
}}

=== What is the most significant change? ===

{{ednote|text=
In this section, we introduce participants to the “Most Significant Change technique”. We would like participants to formulate their own goals, and to identify what change(s) they might like to make.
}}

{{background|text=
The most significant change (MSC) technique

MSC is a form of participatory monitoring and evaluation. It is participatory because many project stakeholders are involved both in deciding the sorts of change to be recorded and in analysing the data. It is a form of monitoring because it occurs throughout the program cycle and provides information to help people manage the program. It contributes to evaluation because it provides data on impact and outcomes that can be used to help assess the performance of the program as a whole.

Essentially, the process involves ‘searching’ for project impact through:
*collection of significant change (SC) stories emanating from the field level
*systematic selection of the most significant of these stories by panels of designated stakeholders or staff
*collective reading of the stories aloud and regular and often in-depth discussions about the value of reported changes

When the technique is implemented successfully, whole teams of people begin to focus their attention on programme impact. You can find out more about the MSC technique here: http://www.mande.co.uk/docs/MSCGuide.pdf
}}

We now consider what the biggest changes might be as a consequence of being involved in this programme - for yourselves, for your teaching, for your students, for the school, or in whatever other area!

{{activity|brainstorm}} Think about how a newspaper works. A newspaper presents news stories about interesting events. Newspapers are structured into different sections (subject areas, such as foreign news, domestic news, financial news, sport, leisure). The most important stories go on the front page and the most important of these is usually at the top of the front page.

{{activity|whole group discussion}} Now imagine that later on you will be putting together a whole newspaper issue about how this whole programme affects your thinking and classroom practice: What kinds of stories will be the most important? Who and what will the stories be about? Who will be affected by those stories, who would listen, and who will be they of interest to? What different sections would the newspaper have? What kind of change would you like to make?

{{ednote|text=
Do the participants agree on how things might be different as a result of the programme?
How will we know when these significant changes have happened? What kinds of evidence do our stories need to refer to? They can also be revised as time goes on.

'''Record what participants say in a permanent form''' - in writing or electronically so we can refer to them later on. Make sure it is recorded on video / audio.
}}

== Homework ==

=== Teacher lab activity ===

#Come to the teacher lab at least once this week to learn more ICT skills.
#Familiarise yourself with “EtherPad” on the netbooks.

=== Classroom activity ===

Do the collaborative writing activity - the classroom activity sheet is available below. Please print it, and use it during the lesson

=== Homework ===

Read the principles of interactive teaching - do you have any questions or comments?

OER4Schools/Collaborative writing with EtherPad

2012-02-21T10:59:52Z

Bh213:

Classroom activity: '''Collaborative writing with EtherPad'''

1. Share out all the netbooks – make equal sized groups (or pairs if there are enough machines). '''Groups needs to have mixed reading and writing ability.'''

2. Learners open them and go to EtherPad. Each group makes up a group name and types it in in capitals, eg WHALES. Teacher writes the name of the topic on the board, eg. “what foods are healthiest for children to eat” or “a story about a magic stone”.

3. Each child then types their own name underneath the group name (not capitals, eg “Melvin”) so they all get a chance to practise typing, and so who the group members are is clear to others.

4. Each group '''brainstorms''' words related to the topic that they might want to use in a story or piece of writing. They type the words straight into the Etherpad under their group names (leave a blank line under the names), sharing and '''rotating the netbook''' so again everyone generates and types at least one word.

Encourage them to be imaginative! If they don’t have many ideas, ask a few open-ended questions to start them off (e.g. “What hobbies do people you know have?” “What could a magic stone be used for? What problems might arise if it could really do anything its owner wanted?”)

5. When you judge that they have written enough (a few words per group is fine), ask them to '''look at the other groups’ words''' (but not before, so they don’t copy). Show them how to scroll if necessary. Discuss with them how many words are the same across groups. Are there any particularly interesting or novel words? If so, point them out and ask the author to explain how their word fits the theme, but don’t spend too long on this. If there are spelling mistakes, ask other children to correct them.

6. Each child '''writes a short story or factual paragraph''' in their books, drawing on the words generated by the class; they should try to include as many as they can, forming proper sentences with them, and adding in any other words they want to. Ask them to try not to repeat words but to make the sentences as varied as they can, and to make sure they '''include some ideas from other groups''' as well as their own.

Learners should pay the usual attention to punctuation, grammar etc, as appropriate for their age. '''Teacher circulates''' to see how they’re doing and illustrates / reminds them of what they need to do if necessary, but lets them make their own choices about what words to use.

'''Differentiation:''' Some learners will be faster than others; allow the slower ones to write less in the time available, but encourage the faster ones to write longer pieces using more of the shared words, and to proofread carefully what they have written.

'''Alternative:''' You might want the group to write the story or paragraph together instead? So only one child writes while all of them make up sentences. Only one book will contain the writing of course, but the group may benefit from having collaborated. Or they can work together anyway and each write the same sentences down, helping each other with spelling and punctuation.

'''Alternative:''' If you found a group was particularly adept at using the computer earlier, they can try typing their story into Etherpad, working together on a single story. But if they are very slow at typing, they should write by hand instead.

OER4Schools/Effective use of ICT

2012-02-17T10:36:55Z

Bh213: /* Background text */

{{OER4S}}

== Reflection ==

Reflection on your lesson activity.
* How did the netbook familiarisation go? Have you all recorded your audio reflections?
* ICT-based task: Log into your email, etc. Did you manage to do that?

{{ednote|text=
Make sure they have all recorded their audio reflections. (Make sure they can all use the upload script.)
Make sure they have all come into the lab to practise their ICT skills.
Make sure they are able to save whatever resources they have found into the “lesson_resources” folder, and then to transfer the contents onto the server.

}}

== How do you use ICT effectively? ==

Review of found resources.

{{activity|discuss}} Last time you were asked to come to the lab to find resources. Did you manage to find resources for an ICT-based lesson? How did you find them? What did you find? Was it easy? What do you think can be done with them?

{{activity|small group activity}} Last time you were asked to prepare a simple activity using ICT, and to develop a lesson plan around this. Share your lesson plans in your group.

{{ednote|text=
Discuss the use of ICT. Does it support interactive teaching? How?
}}

[[Image:Eness with student.jpg|thumb|300px]]

If you need additional ideas for creating ICT-based lessons, here are some examples, all to do with photos.

Digital technology allows you to create (as well as re-use) images.
A '''Digital Photo Story''' combines different media. It is a story made up of images, accompanied with written text, voice, motions, transitions and music, resulting in a rich product that can be used to express, share, describe, present, … to tell a story. Photo Story Telling can be used to:
* Present: Learners can use a Photo Story to report on a trip, a visit or a meeting, to describe a phenomenon, a person or an event. Students can describe for example a normal day in their life, or the place where they live with a story of pictures and narrated with voice.
* Introduce: Teachers and learners can make an overall introduction of an object or a word by using images.
* Explain: Teachers and learners can use a sequence of pictures to explain a phenomenon or a certain process.
* Tell a story: Teachers and learners can tell the story of a character or an event by pictures.
* Create a learning situation: Teachers can engage learners in a visual story and encourage learners to solve presented problems.

Teachers can use Photo Story Telling at different stages of a lesson:
* To introduce new concepts, ideas and background information, as a warm-up to engage learners in the learning process, to illustrate a problem.
* For learners to attain new knowledge: Learners can be asked to develop a Digital Photo Story to describe what they have learnt, synthesising their knowledge, etc...
* To review and evaluate learning outcomes: The teacher can produce a Digital Photo Story as a visual summary of main concepts of the lesson, to revise and conclude a lesson.

Digital Photo Story Telling can be used in different subjects, for example:
** History: To tell the story of a people in history, achievements or events.
** Geography: To describe local environmental problems, to report on a fieldtrip, to illustrate a study on natural and social phenomena.
** Literature: To describe and summarise a story (characters, context, climax, actions...).
** Civil education: To tell stories of contemporary people in the society.
** Science: To record an experiment; to present the growth process of a tree, report a fieldtrip, create stories about animals under water and on land.

Another way to use photos is to prepare a set of digital photos for classroom use by students on computers, such as for classification tasks, as in the Eness lesson on vertebrates that we watched earlier. You can remind yourself of the video [[OER4Schools/1.4_Effective_use_of_ICT_and_collaborative_writing/Vertebrate photo use|here]].

{{background|text=
The above material derives from the VVOB ''ICT for Active Teaching and Learning toolkit'' which is available on the server for reading in your own time if you are interested. See pages 57-63 for information on how to create a Photo Story and more detailed examples of use. The VVOB toolkit is also available online:
* PDF file: http://www.vvob.be/vietnam/?q=toolkit-ict-atl
* Website: http://www.ict4atl.org
}}

== An ICT-based collaborative writing activity ==

{{ednote|text=
The following activity uses an internet-based application called EtherPad which allows everyone to see - in real time - what others are writing, and to build on that.
}}

{{activity|practical activity}} Choose a topic you each want your class to write about in a forthcoming lesson – it can be a factual topic (eg healthy foods, diseases, hobbies, weddings or buying food in the market) or a creative story. It needs to be fairly broad so children are free to write around the topic without feeling there are right and wrong answers. Devise a title to give them, e.g. “The magic stone” for a story. Discuss the choice with a partner if you like.

{{activity|practical activity}} Now open all the netbooks, take one per workshop participant. Go to EtherPad and try out the collaborative writing task below.

{{oinc|OER4Schools/Collaborative writing with EtherPad}}

'''To help your students type faster, before or after this lesson:''' play games on typing under “Edubuntu Applications > Education”, such as TuxType.

'''Activities you could do with Etherpad later on when your students can type faster:'''
* Writing a story together (each student in each group writes a sentence that follows on from the previous sentence)
* Students type a question they are curious about, and other students respond. (eg “Why is the moon only out at night?”)

{{activity|whole group discussion}} Discuss the issues and any pitfalls you anticipate. What are the outcomes you would like – what should the students be writing? '''Change the plan a bit if necessary, to suit your own learners.'''

== Background text: Principles of interactive teaching ==

{{ednote|text=
This section summarises some principles of interactive teaching. They are here for information and reference for the workshop participants. Ask them to look through the list and see if they have any comments? Print the list and ask them to file it in their folders.
}}

{{background|text=
What is interactive teaching?
{{oinc|OER4Schools/Principles of interactive teaching}}
}}

== Where are we going? ==

=== Overview of the resource topics ===

The present resource intends to cover a number of units. You have now come to the end of Unit 1.

{{oinc|OER4Schools/Detailed outline}}

{{ednote|text=
Go through the above text (not spending too much time), making sure that everybody understands.
}}

=== What is the most significant change? ===

{{ednote|text=
In this section, we introduce participants to the “Most Significant Change technique”. We would like participants to formulate their own goals, and to identify what change(s) they might like to make.
}}

{{background|text=
The most significant change (MSC) technique

MSC is a form of participatory monitoring and evaluation. It is participatory because many project stakeholders are involved both in deciding the sorts of change to be recorded and in analysing the data. It is a form of monitoring because it occurs throughout the program cycle and provides information to help people manage the program. It contributes to evaluation because it provides data on impact and outcomes that can be used to help assess the performance of the program as a whole.

Essentially, the process involves ‘searching’ for project impact through:
*collection of significant change (SC) stories emanating from the field level
*systematic selection of the most significant of these stories by panels of designated stakeholders or staff
*collective reading of the stories aloud and regular and often in-depth discussions about the value of reported changes

When the technique is implemented successfully, whole teams of people begin to focus their attention on programme impact. You can find out more about the MSC technique here: http://www.mande.co.uk/docs/MSCGuide.pdf
}}

We now consider what the biggest changes might be as a consequence of being involved in this programme - for yourselves, for your teaching, for your students, for the school, or in whatever other area!

{{activity|brainstorm}} Think about how a newspaper works. A newspaper presents news stories about interesting events. Newspapers are structured into different sections (subject areas, such as foreign news, domestic news, financial news, sport, leisure). The most important stories go on the front page and the most important of these is usually at the top of the front page.

{{activity|whole group discussion}} Now imagine that later on you will be putting together a whole newspaper issue about how this whole programme affects your thinking and classroom practice: What kinds of stories will be the most important? Who and what will the stories be about? Who will be affected by those stories, who would listen, and who will be they of interest to? What different sections would the newspaper have? What kind of change would you like to make?

{{ednote|text=
Do the participants agree on how things might be different as a result of the programme?
How will we know when these significant changes have happened? What kinds of evidence do our stories need to refer to? They can also be revised as time goes on.

'''Record what participants say in a permanent form''' - in writing or electronically so we can refer to them later on. Make sure it is recorded on video / audio.
}}

== Homework ==

=== Teacher lab activity ===

#Come to the teacher lab at least once this week to learn more ICT skills.
#Familiarise yourself with “EtherPad” on the netbooks.

=== Classroom activity ===

Do the collaborative writing activity - the classroom activity sheet is available below. Please print it, and use it during the lesson

=== Homework ===

Read the principles of interactive teaching - do you have any questions or comments?

File:Image by Clinton Little.jpg

2012-02-16T15:55:48Z

Bh213:

City Dock, by Clinton Little,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/omakakii/5705833588/

Finding CC licenced images on Flickr

2012-02-16T15:55:33Z

Bh213:

[[Image:Image by Clinton Little.jpg|thumb|300px|City Dock, by Clinton Little]]
Images are a good resources, and can be used in many contexts. However, often we just pull 'free' images from the web, which, on closer examination of the 'usage policy' or licence turn out to be not so free. When you get an image from somewhere, check on the licence! You should assume that the image is not ok to use, unless you find an indication otherwise!

So how do you find images? Some institutions (e.g. governmental or science institutions) publish their images with licences that allow (re)use. But you can also go to an image library (such as Flickr) and find Creative Commons licensed images there. This is how you find Creative Commons licensed images on Flickr.

Go to the advanced search on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/
* In "Search for", enter the words you are searching for (either in 'tags' or 'free text')
* Further down, select "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content".

For example,
* to search for the tag 'animal', with any CC licence, use this search: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=animal&m=tags&l=cc&ct=0&mt=all&adv=1
* to search for the "free text" 'badger', with a CC licence that allows derivatives, search like this: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=badger&l=deriv&ct=0&mt=all&adv=1

To find out more about the "no derivatives" clause, see http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Frequently_Asked_Questions

[[Category:Tutorials]]

Finding CC licenced images on Flickr

2012-02-16T15:54:31Z

Bh213:

[[Image:Image by Clinton Little.jpg|thumb|300px|Image by Clinton Little]]
Images are a good resources, and can be used in many contexts. However, often we just pull 'free' images from the web, which, on closer examination of the 'usage policy' or licence turn out to be not so free. When you get an image from somewhere, check on the licence! You should assume that the image is not ok to use, unless you find an indication otherwise!

So how do you find images? Some institutions (e.g. governmental or science institutions) publish their images with licences that allow (re)use. But you can also go to an image library (such as Flickr) and find Creative Commons licensed images there. This is how you find Creative Commons licensed images on Flickr.

Go to the advanced search on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/
* In "Search for", enter the words you are searching for (either in 'tags' or 'free text')
* Further down, select "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content".

For example,
* to search for the tag 'animal', with any CC licence, use this search: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=animal&m=tags&l=cc&ct=0&mt=all&adv=1
* to search for the "free text" 'badger', with a CC licence that allows derivatives, search like this: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=badger&l=deriv&ct=0&mt=all&adv=1

To find out more about the "no derivatives" clause, see http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Frequently_Asked_Questions

[[Category:Tutorials]]

File:Image by Clinton Little.jpg

2012-02-16T15:53:46Z

Bh213:

Sandpit

2012-02-16T10:53:12Z

Bh213:

<nowiki>{{ednote|text=
produces text like this
}}
</nowiki>

{{ednote|text=
produces text like this
}}

Sandpit

2012-02-16T10:53:04Z

Bh213:

<nowiki>{{ednote|text=
produces text like this
}}
</nowiki>

{{ednote|text=
produces text like this
}}

<math>n^2 = \sum_{k=1}^n(2k-1)</math>

Help:Contents

2012-02-16T10:46:03Z

Bh213:

__TOC__

= Getting started with mediawiki =

The ORBIT wiki uses the same software as wikipedia. For general information on the software,
* Consult the [//meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]
* [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce MediaWiki release mailing list]

== How to edit stuff ==

* See http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents#For_editors
* [[Help:Editing]]
* Try out editing in the [[Sandpit]]

== Uploading images ==

You can see all images on the wiki here:
[[Special:ListFiles]]

You can upload files here:
[[Special:Upload]]
(this is also linked from your 'toolbox' menu item)

Alternatively, you can just put this text
<nowiki>[[Image:<name of your image goes here>.jpg]]</nowiki>
into a page (where you replace <name of your image goes here> with the actual name of your image). You can then click on the link and upload the image.

General information on uploading images here, skip over the technical bits:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Images_and_other_uploaded_files

Help:Contents

2012-02-16T10:45:49Z

Bh213: /* How to edit stuff */

= Getting started with mediawiki =

The ORBIT wiki uses the same software as wikipedia. For general information on the software,
* Consult the [//meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]
* [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce MediaWiki release mailing list]

== How to edit stuff ==

* See http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents#For_editors
* [[Help:Editing]]
* Try out editing in the [[Sandpit]]

== Uploading images ==

You can see all images on the wiki here:
[[Special:ListFiles]]

You can upload files here:
[[Special:Upload]]
(this is also linked from your 'toolbox' menu item)

Alternatively, you can just put this text
<nowiki>[[Image:<name of your image goes here>.jpg]]</nowiki>
into a page (where you replace <name of your image goes here> with the actual name of your image). You can then click on the link and upload the image.

General information on uploading images here, skip over the technical bits:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Images_and_other_uploaded_files

File:ImageName.jpg

2012-02-16T10:39:22Z

Bh213: moved File:ImageName.jpg to File:Castle Flickr.jpg

#REDIRECT [[File:Castle Flickr.jpg]]

File:Castle Flickr.jpg

2012-02-16T10:39:22Z

Bh213: moved File:ImageName.jpg to File:Castle Flickr.jpg

Sandpit

2012-02-16T10:37:35Z

Bh213:

<nowiki>{{ednote|text=
produces text like this
}}
</nowiki>

{{ednote|text=
produces text like this
}}

[[Image:ImageName.jpg]]

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/2. Talk for writing

2012-02-16T10:28:35Z

Bh213:

{{IPLT}}

='''2. TALK FOR WRITING''' =

'''What is ''Talk for writing''?'''

'''Good writers:'''

* enjoy writing and find the process creative, enriching and fulfilling;
* read widely, recognise good writing, and understand what makes it good;
* are aware of the key features of different genres and text types;
* learn about the skills of writing from their reading and draw (consciously or unconsciously) upon its models in their own work;
* have ‘something to say’ (a purpose and audience);
* know how to develop their ideas;
* know how to plan and prepare for writing;
* make informed choices about what they are writing, as they write (for example, about vocabulary, grammar, text structure, etc.);
* understand how to reflect upon, refine and improve their own work;
* can respond to the constructive criticism of others.

For '''experienced writers''', many of these processes are internal and automatic. For example, they can hold an internal dialogue with themselves about the language choices available and consider how effective a particular word or phrase will be or how well it reads.

However, for '''developing writers '''it is very helpful for these processes to be explored through talk in a supportive learning context. This involves externalising and sharing the thinking involved in the writing process so that ultimately it can be internalised and individualised again. It is this developmental exploration, through talk, of the thinking and creative processes involved in being a writer that we are calling ''Talk for Writing''.

To be productive, ''Talk for Writing ''needs to be extensively embedded in every phase of the teaching sequence for Language and Literacy, that is:
* '''During reading''': When familiarising with the genre/text type and its key features; when responding to, exploring and drawing on models.
* '''Before writing''': When generating ideas, preparing for and planning writing.
* '''During all stages of writing '''(teacher’s demonstration and scribing, and children’s supported, guided and independent writing): When making the choices involved in creating, developing and improving texts.
* '''After writing''': When reflecting on and learning from a writing experience. In this it will need to be structured at the following three levels.
* '''Teacher talk''': The verbalisation of the reader’s or writer’s thought processes as the teacher is demonstrating, modeling and discussing.
* '''Supported pupil talk''': Structured and scaffolded opportunities for children to develop and practise ''Talk for Writing ''through class and group conversations and activities.
* '''Independent pupil talk''': Opportunities for children to develop and practise ''Talk for Writing ''in pairs and small groups, independent of the teacher.

All of this needs to be applied in '''whole-class '''learning and teaching and in '''guided writing'''.

The precise nature of what is planned as ''Talk for Writing ''in any particular unit of work will obviously need to take into careful account:

* the purpose and audience of the writing;
* the key features of genre text/type;
* the learning objectives of the unit;
* the needs of particular children and groups

= The teaching sequence for writing =

The basis for the teaching sequence for writing was set out in the joint UKLA and Primary National Strategy publication ''Raising boys’ achievements in writing ''(2004). Based on the work of Bearne (2002), the research recommended a structured sequence to planning where the children and teachers began by familiarising themselves with a text type, capturing ideas for their own writing followed by scaffolded writing experiences resulting in independent written outcomes.

<center>[[Image:]]</center>

= What does ''Talk for writing ''look like? Talk strategies =

=== '''1. Book-talk''' ===

‘Book-talk’ is the extended opportunity to use '''talk '''to explore children’s personal and collective responses to a text '''as readers '''and uses open-ended questions to elicit and develop response.

After careful reading of a shared text, the teacher often best initiates ‘book-talk’ with open invitations such as,
* ‘Tell me what you thought/felt about...’,
* ‘What came into your mind when you read… ’,
* or ‘Have you come across anything like this before?’

and then focuses on extending the children’s responses with prompts such as,
* ‘Tell me more about…’,
* ‘What led you to think that?’
* or ‘Can you extend that idea a bit for us?’.

Frequently, groups of children can be supported and encouraged to feed off each other’s thinking and talking, with prompts such as
* ‘Do you agree or did anyone have a different response to that story/paragraph/sentence/word?’
* In this way rich exchanges often occur, helping children to develop and extend their own responses.

=== '''2. Writer-talk''' ===

‘Writer-talk’ is the articulation of the thinking and creative processes involved in all stages of the act of writing; talk that helps children to think and behave like a writer (and indeed consider themselves to be one). It involves externalising and making explicit, through '''talk''', the thinking involved in both '''‘reading as a writer’ '''(understanding what response the writer wishes to elicit in the reader and how he/she achieves this) and '''‘writing as a reader’ '''(applying the same understanding when making the choices involved in planning, creating and improving one’s own writing).

‘Writer-talk’ is most helpful when focused on the purpose and audience of a piece of writing (that is, its intended effect on the reader). Although it will often rightly and importantly consider choices made at word and sentence level, these always need to be seen in this text-level context. It is a useful way of following up and reinforcing direct teaching of the features of a particular genre/text type.

=== '''3. Storytelling and story-making''' ===

This involves the learning and repeating of oral stories, building children’s confidence to develop them through telling and then extending that development into writing; later creating ‘new’ stories orally as a preparation and rehearsal for writing. The learning and development of stories through oral retelling builds up in children enormously valuable banks of language and narrative patterning that can be incorporated into later writing. It can also build towards a confidence to create ‘original’ stories (although even these often draw on or ‘magpie’ previously learned/read ideas) and to rehearse them orally. In this way, the development of storytelling is built through a sequence involving first imitation (the straight retelling of learned stories) then innovation (developing, extending and changing elements of a story) and finally invention (creating a ‘new’ story).

To build confidence, storytelling and story-making are often more effective if initially carried out communally, gradually working towards greater independence through group, paired and finally individual approaches.

=== '''4. Word and language games''' ===

Talk games and activities can be used to:

* stimulate and develop vocabulary (for example, word associations);
* ‘warm up’ the imagination and tune children in to more creative thinking (‘Crossing the river’<nowiki>;</nowiki> ‘Box of stars’);
* orally develop a character (‘Tell me more about…’);
* orally develop a setting (‘Painting the picture’).

==== '''Word association''' ====

Say a word e.g. storm, fire, summer. The children have one minute to write down as many words as possible that they associate with the word. Ask some to share then repeat the game and see if they can add more words. This game could be done with a picture or object as a stimulus too.

==== '''Crossing the river''' ====

Invent creative ways to cross a river, e.g. make friends with a frost giant and ask it to breathe onto the river, freezing it so that you can walk across.

==== '''The Box of Stars.''' ====

Split the class in two. One half makes a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, box, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, stars, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they wrote them down, e.g.

* The room of memories.
* The town of love.
* The city of doom.
* The village of sparklers.
* The mountain of curtains.
* The river of sunsets.
* The star of wisdom.
* The sun of jealousy.
* The kitchen of disasters.
* The alleyway of grass.
* The box of stars

==== 'Role-play and drama ====

Drama activities can be used effectively across the curriculum to promote high-quality thinking, discussion and written outcomes. Here are some examples of strategies.

==== '''Freeze-frame'''====

Working in small groups or a whole class, the children create a moment that shows the action in a narrative frozen in time, as if the pause button has been pressed. This allows them to think about what is going on for each of the characters in the frame, or to consider what is happening from different points of view. The moment itself may be the interesting thing, or they may be asked to think about what has just happened or is about to happen. Make sure children have sufficient background knowledge of the context for the freeze-frame to understand their own role in the action or to discuss it.

Sequential frames can be used to represent key moments in a narrative with different groups representing different parts of the narrative.

==== '''Thought tapping''' ====

When the freeze-frame has been created, the teacher moves quietly and slowly between the characters in the scene. At the teacher’s given signal to an individual child, that child – in character – voices their thoughts aloud in a few words. This allows all the children to hear what some or all of the characters are thinking at that very moment. It gives clues about the role each child has chosen and can raise issues about different viewpoints. It also deepens children’s engagement with the learning context being established.

==== '''Thought tracking '''====

Similar to thought tapping, this approach allows the class to follow one character’s train of thought through the action for longer. For example, one or two children move through the freeze-frame in slow motion, speaking their thoughts aloud as they continue to reveal their feelings, viewpoints and/or motivation. Alternatively, other children track the freeze-frame players’ thinking by speaking their thoughts aloud for them.

==== '''Slow motion'''====

Select one of the characters in the freeze-frame and ask the child to begin the action again, showing what happened next for that person, but moving slowly so that the rest of the class, still ‘frozen’, has time to think not only about what is happening but why. Another option is for the teacher or a child to narrate the slow-motion action that is taking place for one character.

==== '''''From drama to writing''''' ====

These drama and talk activities support preparation and planning for writing by helping to establish the links between characters and their settings. They also help children to manage the interweaving of description (setting and minor characters), action (including background action) and dialogue (or ‘thoughts’). Children can use the drama as a source of ideas for writing.

==== '''Overheard conversations'''====

The children hear a conversation that they would not usually have access to and can use this extra information to consider its impact on a narrative or a situation. For example, they have been using conscience alley to explore two different sides of an argument. The teacher introduces two or more characters who are in some way connected with whatever the situation is, and the class is able to listen to a conversation they have. For example, when the main character reaches the end of the conscience alley, the children all sit down and ‘accidentally overhear’ the conversation between two people walking along the road. An overheard conversation often needs to include specific information that impacts on the situation. The teacher can ensure that the right information is included, by taking part in the dialogue. Conversations can also be overheard to provide a range of different viewpoints about the same issue.

==== '''''From drama to writing'''''====

Activities that allow children to rehearse two different sides of an argument or explore different viewpoints are useful preparation for discursive writing and persuasion texts.

==== '''Collective voice''' ====

The class sits in a circle and the teacher takes on the role of one speaker in a conversation. The whole class takes on the role of a single, second speaker. The teacher begins the conversation, talking to the ‘other person’ (the class) and any child can speak to continue the dialogue. A common purpose is for the children to find out some information from the first speaker or for them to give advice. This sounds complicated but is a powerful teaching convention and most children quickly adopt the strategy to take turns at speaking. If more than one child speaks at once, the teacher decides how to answer one or both. Children usually manage the ‘corporate role’ well because they are focused on what the first character (the teacher) has to say and they want to find out more. Once children are familiar with this convention, the class can take on the more responsible role of the character with information to pass on.

==== '''Character on the wall'''====

A character is depicted and developed in a visual way using a large format note-making

strategy. The teacher can use a flipchart, whiteboard, large screen or a big piece of paper displayed ‘on the wall’. A simple character shape such as a stick person is drawn.

The character may already be partly developed, for example through reading the first chapter of a class novel (''What do we already know about this person?''), or the children may be creating the character from scratch (''What do we want this character to be like?''). As children contribute their own ideas, the teacher adds brief notes to the visual in an appropriate position. Encourage children to talk and think about different dimensions of the character. For example, if they focus on physical description ask them what kind of person this might be.

==== '''''From drama to writing''''' ====

Such drama or talk activities can support children in creating and developing characters when writing fiction. They demonstrate that characters are sometimes complex and have a history, a background, views and opinions, interests, hopes and fears. Activities such as ‘hot seating’ and ‘character on the wall’ allow children to ‘meet’ a character in role and to gather information about them in a drama context before writing. Children can use the information they collect as a resource to help them create a vivid and interesting character when they write.

'''Adapted from: Talk for Writing - ''' http://nsonline.org.uk/node/163592

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/2. Talk for writing

2012-02-16T10:28:05Z

Bh213:

{{IPLT}}

<center>'''2. TALK FOR WRITING'''</center>

'''What is ''Talk for writing''?'''

'''Good writers:'''

* enjoy writing and find the process creative, enriching and fulfilling;
* read widely, recognise good writing, and understand what makes it good;
* are aware of the key features of different genres and text types;
* learn about the skills of writing from their reading and draw (consciously or unconsciously) upon its models in their own work;
* have ‘something to say’ (a purpose and audience);
* know how to develop their ideas;
* know how to plan and prepare for writing;
* make informed choices about what they are writing, as they write (for example, about vocabulary, grammar, text structure, etc.);
* understand how to reflect upon, refine and improve their own work;
* can respond to the constructive criticism of others.

For '''experienced writers''', many of these processes are internal and automatic. For example, they can hold an internal dialogue with themselves about the language choices available and consider how effective a particular word or phrase will be or how well it reads.

However, for '''developing writers '''it is very helpful for these processes to be explored through talk in a supportive learning context. This involves externalising and sharing the thinking involved in the writing process so that ultimately it can be internalised and individualised again. It is this developmental exploration, through talk, of the thinking and creative processes involved in being a writer that we are calling ''Talk for Writing''.

To be productive, ''Talk for Writing ''needs to be extensively embedded in every phase of the teaching sequence for Language and Literacy, that is:
* '''During reading''': When familiarising with the genre/text type and its key features; when responding to, exploring and drawing on models.
* '''Before writing''': When generating ideas, preparing for and planning writing.
* '''During all stages of writing '''(teacher’s demonstration and scribing, and children’s supported, guided and independent writing): When making the choices involved in creating, developing and improving texts.
* '''After writing''': When reflecting on and learning from a writing experience. In this it will need to be structured at the following three levels.
* '''Teacher talk''': The verbalisation of the reader’s or writer’s thought processes as the teacher is demonstrating, modeling and discussing.
* '''Supported pupil talk''': Structured and scaffolded opportunities for children to develop and practise ''Talk for Writing ''through class and group conversations and activities.
* '''Independent pupil talk''': Opportunities for children to develop and practise ''Talk for Writing ''in pairs and small groups, independent of the teacher.

All of this needs to be applied in '''whole-class '''learning and teaching and in '''guided writing'''.

The precise nature of what is planned as ''Talk for Writing ''in any particular unit of work will obviously need to take into careful account:

* the purpose and audience of the writing;
* the key features of genre text/type;
* the learning objectives of the unit;
* the needs of particular children and groups

= The teaching sequence for writing =

The basis for the teaching sequence for writing was set out in the joint UKLA and Primary National Strategy publication ''Raising boys’ achievements in writing ''(2004). Based on the work of Bearne (2002), the research recommended a structured sequence to planning where the children and teachers began by familiarising themselves with a text type, capturing ideas for their own writing followed by scaffolded writing experiences resulting in independent written outcomes.

<center>[[Image:]]</center>

= What does ''Talk for writing ''look like? Talk strategies =

=== '''1. Book-talk''' ===

‘Book-talk’ is the extended opportunity to use '''talk '''to explore children’s personal and collective responses to a text '''as readers '''and uses open-ended questions to elicit and develop response.

After careful reading of a shared text, the teacher often best initiates ‘book-talk’ with open invitations such as,
* ‘Tell me what you thought/felt about...’,
* ‘What came into your mind when you read… ’,
* or ‘Have you come across anything like this before?’

and then focuses on extending the children’s responses with prompts such as,
* ‘Tell me more about…’,
* ‘What led you to think that?’
* or ‘Can you extend that idea a bit for us?’.

Frequently, groups of children can be supported and encouraged to feed off each other’s thinking and talking, with prompts such as
* ‘Do you agree or did anyone have a different response to that story/paragraph/sentence/word?’
* In this way rich exchanges often occur, helping children to develop and extend their own responses.

=== '''2. Writer-talk''' ===

‘Writer-talk’ is the articulation of the thinking and creative processes involved in all stages of the act of writing; talk that helps children to think and behave like a writer (and indeed consider themselves to be one). It involves externalising and making explicit, through '''talk''', the thinking involved in both '''‘reading as a writer’ '''(understanding what response the writer wishes to elicit in the reader and how he/she achieves this) and '''‘writing as a reader’ '''(applying the same understanding when making the choices involved in planning, creating and improving one’s own writing).

‘Writer-talk’ is most helpful when focused on the purpose and audience of a piece of writing (that is, its intended effect on the reader). Although it will often rightly and importantly consider choices made at word and sentence level, these always need to be seen in this text-level context. It is a useful way of following up and reinforcing direct teaching of the features of a particular genre/text type.

=== '''3. Storytelling and story-making''' ===

This involves the learning and repeating of oral stories, building children’s confidence to develop them through telling and then extending that development into writing; later creating ‘new’ stories orally as a preparation and rehearsal for writing. The learning and development of stories through oral retelling builds up in children enormously valuable banks of language and narrative patterning that can be incorporated into later writing. It can also build towards a confidence to create ‘original’ stories (although even these often draw on or ‘magpie’ previously learned/read ideas) and to rehearse them orally. In this way, the development of storytelling is built through a sequence involving first imitation (the straight retelling of learned stories) then innovation (developing, extending and changing elements of a story) and finally invention (creating a ‘new’ story).

To build confidence, storytelling and story-making are often more effective if initially carried out communally, gradually working towards greater independence through group, paired and finally individual approaches.

=== '''4. Word and language games''' ===

Talk games and activities can be used to:

* stimulate and develop vocabulary (for example, word associations);
* ‘warm up’ the imagination and tune children in to more creative thinking (‘Crossing the river’<nowiki>;</nowiki> ‘Box of stars’);
* orally develop a character (‘Tell me more about…’);
* orally develop a setting (‘Painting the picture’).

==== '''Word association''' ====

Say a word e.g. storm, fire, summer. The children have one minute to write down as many words as possible that they associate with the word. Ask some to share then repeat the game and see if they can add more words. This game could be done with a picture or object as a stimulus too.

==== '''Crossing the river''' ====

Invent creative ways to cross a river, e.g. make friends with a frost giant and ask it to breathe onto the river, freezing it so that you can walk across.

==== '''The Box of Stars.''' ====

Split the class in two. One half makes a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, box, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, stars, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they wrote them down, e.g.

* The room of memories.
* The town of love.
* The city of doom.
* The village of sparklers.
* The mountain of curtains.
* The river of sunsets.
* The star of wisdom.
* The sun of jealousy.
* The kitchen of disasters.
* The alleyway of grass.
* The box of stars

==== 'Role-play and drama ====

Drama activities can be used effectively across the curriculum to promote high-quality thinking, discussion and written outcomes. Here are some examples of strategies.

==== '''Freeze-frame'''====

Working in small groups or a whole class, the children create a moment that shows the action in a narrative frozen in time, as if the pause button has been pressed. This allows them to think about what is going on for each of the characters in the frame, or to consider what is happening from different points of view. The moment itself may be the interesting thing, or they may be asked to think about what has just happened or is about to happen. Make sure children have sufficient background knowledge of the context for the freeze-frame to understand their own role in the action or to discuss it.

Sequential frames can be used to represent key moments in a narrative with different groups representing different parts of the narrative.

==== '''Thought tapping''' ====

When the freeze-frame has been created, the teacher moves quietly and slowly between the characters in the scene. At the teacher’s given signal to an individual child, that child – in character – voices their thoughts aloud in a few words. This allows all the children to hear what some or all of the characters are thinking at that very moment. It gives clues about the role each child has chosen and can raise issues about different viewpoints. It also deepens children’s engagement with the learning context being established.

==== '''Thought tracking '''====

Similar to thought tapping, this approach allows the class to follow one character’s train of thought through the action for longer. For example, one or two children move through the freeze-frame in slow motion, speaking their thoughts aloud as they continue to reveal their feelings, viewpoints and/or motivation. Alternatively, other children track the freeze-frame players’ thinking by speaking their thoughts aloud for them.

==== '''Slow motion'''====

Select one of the characters in the freeze-frame and ask the child to begin the action again, showing what happened next for that person, but moving slowly so that the rest of the class, still ‘frozen’, has time to think not only about what is happening but why. Another option is for the teacher or a child to narrate the slow-motion action that is taking place for one character.

==== '''''From drama to writing''''' ====

These drama and talk activities support preparation and planning for writing by helping to establish the links between characters and their settings. They also help children to manage the interweaving of description (setting and minor characters), action (including background action) and dialogue (or ‘thoughts’). Children can use the drama as a source of ideas for writing.

==== '''Overheard conversations'''====

The children hear a conversation that they would not usually have access to and can use this extra information to consider its impact on a narrative or a situation. For example, they have been using conscience alley to explore two different sides of an argument. The teacher introduces two or more characters who are in some way connected with whatever the situation is, and the class is able to listen to a conversation they have. For example, when the main character reaches the end of the conscience alley, the children all sit down and ‘accidentally overhear’ the conversation between two people walking along the road. An overheard conversation often needs to include specific information that impacts on the situation. The teacher can ensure that the right information is included, by taking part in the dialogue. Conversations can also be overheard to provide a range of different viewpoints about the same issue.

==== '''''From drama to writing'''''====

Activities that allow children to rehearse two different sides of an argument or explore different viewpoints are useful preparation for discursive writing and persuasion texts.

==== '''Collective voice''' ====

The class sits in a circle and the teacher takes on the role of one speaker in a conversation. The whole class takes on the role of a single, second speaker. The teacher begins the conversation, talking to the ‘other person’ (the class) and any child can speak to continue the dialogue. A common purpose is for the children to find out some information from the first speaker or for them to give advice. This sounds complicated but is a powerful teaching convention and most children quickly adopt the strategy to take turns at speaking. If more than one child speaks at once, the teacher decides how to answer one or both. Children usually manage the ‘corporate role’ well because they are focused on what the first character (the teacher) has to say and they want to find out more. Once children are familiar with this convention, the class can take on the more responsible role of the character with information to pass on.

==== '''Character on the wall'''====

A character is depicted and developed in a visual way using a large format note-making

strategy. The teacher can use a flipchart, whiteboard, large screen or a big piece of paper displayed ‘on the wall’. A simple character shape such as a stick person is drawn.

The character may already be partly developed, for example through reading the first chapter of a class novel (''What do we already know about this person?''), or the children may be creating the character from scratch (''What do we want this character to be like?''). As children contribute their own ideas, the teacher adds brief notes to the visual in an appropriate position. Encourage children to talk and think about different dimensions of the character. For example, if they focus on physical description ask them what kind of person this might be.

==== '''''From drama to writing''''' ====

Such drama or talk activities can support children in creating and developing characters when writing fiction. They demonstrate that characters are sometimes complex and have a history, a background, views and opinions, interests, hopes and fears. Activities such as ‘hot seating’ and ‘character on the wall’ allow children to ‘meet’ a character in role and to gather information about them in a drama context before writing. Children can use the information they collect as a resource to help them create a vivid and interesting character when they write.

'''Adapted from: Talk for Writing - ''' http://nsonline.org.uk/node/163592

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Sentence and Grammar games

2012-02-16T10:19:57Z

Bh213:

{{IPLT}}

=== SENTENCE AND GRAMMAR GAMES ===

The ability to rapidly construct and vary sentences - almost without thinking about it - is one of the basic skills of writing. Regular sentence starter activities impact on children’s writing. When introducing new sentence patterns remember to start orally - so children hear the pattern and then say it. This can be followed by using cards so that they see and move the words around and physically manipulate the sentences. Finally, they can begin to move into writing.

Keep sessions speedy - the idea is to become automatic at writing, not something laboured. Practise sentence games and use the same sorts of sentences when modelling writing. Encourage children to use the sentence types in their own writing and to look at each others’ to note examples.

Here are some activities to enable children to manipulate sentences orally in rehearsal for writing. They work well as lesson starters, in plenary session and as group activities

=== Noun and verb game ===

Ask for a list of nouns (engine, ruler, pencil, tree). Then make a list of verbs (sipped, stole, rushed, wished). The game is to invent sentences that include a noun and a verb from the lists. This can be fun if the nouns and verbs do not match in any sensible way.

The engine sipped...The ruler stole...The pencil rushed...The tree wished...

Now complete the sentences preferably choosing unusual ideas, e.g.

The engine sipped from a cup of silences.The ruler stole a tongue of ideas. The pencil rushed down the stairs and into the garden. The tree wished it could turn over a new leaf.

=== Join ===

Provide two short, simple sentences. The aim of the game is for the children to join them to make one sentence. They will need to use some form of connective and it can be useful to suggest a way of joining them. For instance:

The camel ate the cake. The cake was full of dates.

You could ask the children to join the two sentences above using the word 'which': e.g. The camel ate the cake, which was full of dates.

Provide children with a list or box of connectives to help them.

=== Improve ===

Provide a list of dull sentences that have to be made more detailed or interesting or powerful, e.g.
* The worm went.
* The man got the drink.
* The dog came along the road.
* The woman ate the stuff.
* The man looked at the stuff in the shop.

=== Check it ===

Write up some sentences or a paragraph with errors for the children to check. Build n the sorts of mistakes that the children often make so they get used to identifying and correcting their own errors. These might include - spellings, punctuation mistakes, changes in tense, slang, etc.
* He runned down the lain.
* She was dead frightened.
* I just jumpt over the wall.
* I ran home, Lucy just walked.

=== Change the opening ===

Provide a simple sentence and ask the children to extend it by adding a chunk on at the beginning. Build up a repertoire of different ways to vary the opening to sentences, e.g. use an adverb (how), a time connective (when), an 'ing ' or 'ed' chunk, one word, a simile, a prepositional phrase (at the end of the lane - where), an adjective, etc.

Bertie dug a deep hole

Might become:
After tea, Bertie dug a deep hole.In the garden, Bertie dug a deep hole.Carefully, Bertie dug a deep hole.As fast as a ferret, Bertie dug a deep hole.Hoping to reach Australia, Bertie dug a deep hole.

=== Drop in ===

Provide a simple sentence and ask the children to 'drop in' a something extra, e.g. adjectives, adverb, a phrase or clause. Be wary of children dropping in too much! Of course - you could add to a sentence by attaching a bit either end as well.
Bertie dug a hole.

might become:
* Bertie dug a deep hole.
* Bertie rapidly dug a hole.
* Bertie, the farmer's dog, dug a hole.
* Bertie, hoping he would soon see a kangaroo, dug a hole.

=== Crazy clauses ===

Provide children with a complex sentence as a model, e.g. ‘Although it was raining, he still walked on.’

Ask the children to write complex sentences starting with a variety of conjunctions e.g. although, because, as, while, despite, after, using the key words humbug and zebra, e.g.:
* Although the zebra was on a strict diet, she still couldn’t resist the humbug.
* Because of the humbug’s relatively small size, it was only rarely mistaken for a zebra.
* Despite the fact that the zebra hadn’t eaten for days, it just couldn’t bring itself to consume the stripy humbug.
* After sucking a humbug, the zebra’s stripes became more prominent'''.'''

=== Complex sentence game ===

PURPOSE: To give children oral practice in constructing complex sentences. Decide on groups of preferably no more than five. Give the same set of instruction cards to each group, shuffled and placed face down.

RESOURCES: A set of instruction cards for each group of children.

{| border=1
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change first word (or phrase) of subordinate clause 4 points
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change main clause 2 points

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change subordinate clause 4 points
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Create a completely new sentence 6 points

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change main clause 2 points
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change subject in main clause 2 points

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Move the subordinate clause 6 points
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Miss a turn 0 points

|}

INSTRUCTIONS

The teacher writes a complex sentence, or uses one from an example of children’s writing or a book.

# A child in the first group picks up a card
# He or she suggests an answer and checks with group
# Meanwhile, the other groups consider an answer in case the first group’s answer is incorrect.
# The child offers an answer and the other groups and the teacher judge its suitability.
# The teacher keeps the score and can award full, half or no points for an answer.
# The teacher may need to record the sentence on the board as it is modified.
# The first team to score 10 is the winner.

EXTENSION

When the group has agreed their answer, one child says it, another says ‘comma’ at the appropriate point(s) in the sentence.

The game can be played over a series of days and points accumulated.

=== Playing with sentences ===

Ask children to write a simple sentence and compose your own e.g.

''The lizard ran along the wall''

# Now take out the verb – how does it sound?
# Put the verb back in and add some adjectives or an adverb

''The scaly lizard ran rapidly along the mossy wall.''

# Take out the nouns and extend the sentence using because
# Move the end to the beginning

''Because the dog next door was barking, the scaly lizard ran rapidly along the mossy wall.''

# Move the adverb

''Rapidly, because the dog next door was barking, the scaly lizard ran along the mossy wall.''

# Keep on playing in this way, making up sentences and listening to the effect. Add in techniques such as:

Alliteration

Simile

Personification

# Try altering the sentence type, turning it into :

* A question
* An exclamation
* A compound sentence
* A complex sentence

# Try turning the sentence into different text types:
* A recipe
* A newspaper
* A report

=== Making sentences ===

#Write a word on the board e.g. ‘snake’. The children have to write a sentence containing this word rapidly. It must have a capital letter, full stop and make sense. You can add any other conditions e.g. alliteration, simile, complex sentence etc.
# A next step is to write two words without any seeming connection e.g. jelly and shark. Make sure they are still obeying the rules. Give early finishers an extra challenge.
# Now start with three or more words. You could focus on using adverbs, adjective or prepositions

===Finishing sentences ===

Give children the beginning, middle or end of a sentence and they have to try to complete it:

Openings
* The children arrived at….
* The old king….

Then give them a few endings:

* …into the fishing net
* …it was empty

Finally, give them middles:
* …jumped over…
* …change into…

Give a list of conjunctions and provide a simple sentence opening e.g.’ The weary old lady sat down….’

{| border=1
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| After
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| as
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| As soon as

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Because
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| before
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| But

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Once
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| since
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| So/so that

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Until
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| when
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Whenever

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| where
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| whenever
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| while

|}
Children write the sentence opening, select a conjunction and complete the sentence

=== Dropping in ===

This game focuses on inserting words or clauses to enrich meaning.

Write a sentence on the board e.g. ‘The raft floated.’

The children should ‘drop in’ words e.g. an adjective, an adverb, a prepositional phrase, a conjunction clause, an embedded clause, an ‘ing’ or ‘ed’ clause.

=== Varying openings ===

Encourage children to start sentences with

# A connective e.g. While he waited,…
# An ‘ing’ clause e.g. Waiting for the others,…
# An ‘ed’ clause e.g. Surprised by the bang…
# A simile e.g. Like a fish…
# An adverb e.g. Carefully…
# One word e.g. Exhausted, …
# A word for emphasis e.g. But they were domed.
# A prepositional phrase e.g. At the end of the path, …

=== Washing line ===

Make a sentence, eg '''The shy child cries. '''

* Ask a child to say a word to replace the first word (eg A shy child cries.)
*  Ask the next child to replace the next word (eg A cross child cries.)
*  Continue round the class replacing the words, keeping a brisk pace (eg A cross baby cries, a cross baby bounces, that cross baby bounces, that beautiful baby bounces, that beautiful car bounces, that beautiful car crashes, etc.).
*  Continue until all the children have had a go. Write up the final sentence and compare it with the original.

=== Word swap ===

Take a sentence from a book and swap the verbs. E.g.

I dashed into the bathroom and brushed my teeth/ I brushed into the bathroom and dashed my teeth.

Children can have a go with their own books. Then try swapping adjectives or nouns.

=== In the manner of the word ===

This simple game involves some drama work. One person leaves the room. Those remaining decide on an adverb. The person outside returns and must try to guess the adverb as each child acts out an inaction in the manner of the adverb.

Adapted from:
[http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/ http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/]

Grammar for Writing: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100612050234/.../153924

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:14:37Z

Bh213:

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish.

=== Favourite Words ===

* Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down.
* Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?
* Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.
* Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.
* Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.

= Kennings =

A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing.

E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes.
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g.
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

* I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.
* She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!
* My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!
* I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g.

* The stars are shiny glitter.
* The stars tin tacked to the night.
* The diamond stars shine.
* The jewelled stars.
* The fiery stars eyed the world

Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===

Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle.

Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

=== Creating Potions ===

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients!

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===

The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing.

* Poetry is a closed door.
* Poetry is a secret door.
* Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.
* Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.
* Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.
* Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.
* Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'.

The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas.

'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''
* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits.

=== Dragon's menu ===

Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon

An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

* A is for an angler's boot.
* B is for a bull's horns.
* C is for a car's back seat.
* D is for dirty dish cloths...

Other things to do with dragons:
* Create a dragon passport
* Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon
* Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons

=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them.

An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===

This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g.

The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

=== Found poem ===

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

=== Haiku ===

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''
Football fans slumber
Imagining miracles
A curious joy

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other. Adapted from materials at: http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:11:09Z

Bh213: /* First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds,...

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish.

=== Favourite Words ===

* Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down.
* Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?
* Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.
* Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.
* Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.

= Kennings =

A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing.

E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes.
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g.
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

* I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.
* She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!
* My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!
* I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g.

== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:10:54Z

Bh213: /* Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g. */

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish.

=== Favourite Words ===

* Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down.
* Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?
* Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.
* Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.
* Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.

= Kennings =

A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing.

E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes.
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g.
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

* I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.
* She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!
* My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!
* I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
=== First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g. ===
== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:09:44Z

Bh213: /* Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a ...

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish.

=== Favourite Words ===

* Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down.
* Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?
* Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.
* Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.
* Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.

= Kennings =

A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing.

E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes.
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
=== Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g. ===
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.

She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!

My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!

I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
=== First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g. ===
== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:09:06Z

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish.

=== Favourite Words ===

* Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down.
* Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?
* Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.
* Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.
* Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.

= Kennings =

A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing.

E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
= Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes. =
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
=== Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g. ===
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.

She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!

My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!

I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
=== First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g. ===
== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:08:37Z

Bh213: /* A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very si...

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish.

=== Favourite Words ===

* Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down.
* Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?
* Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.
* Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.
* Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.

= Kennings =

A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing.

E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
=== Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes. ===
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
=== Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g. ===
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.

She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!

My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!

I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
=== First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g. ===
== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:08:24Z

Bh213: /* The Writing Box */

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish.

=== Favourite Words ===

* Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down.
* Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?
* Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.
* Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.
* Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.

= Kennings =

= A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing. =
E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
=== Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes. ===
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
=== Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g. ===
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.

She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!

My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!

I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
=== First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g. ===
== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:08:06Z

Bh213: /* Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down. */

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish.
'''Favourite Words'''

* Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down.
* Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?
* Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.
* Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.
* Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.

= Kennings =

= A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing. =
E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
=== Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes. ===
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
=== Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g. ===
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.

She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!

My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!

I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
=== First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g. ===
== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:07:41Z

Bh213: /* Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish. */

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish.
'''Favourite Words'''

= Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down. =
Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?

Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.

Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.

Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.= Kennings =
= A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing. =
E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
=== Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes. ===
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
=== Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g. ===
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.

She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!

My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!

I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
=== First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g. ===
== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-16T10:07:26Z

Bh213: /* These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss i...

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer.

=== The Writing Box ===
=== Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish. ===
'''Favourite Words'''

= Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down. =
Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?

Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.

Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.

Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.= Kennings =
= A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing. =
E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
=== Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes. ===
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
=== Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g. ===
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.

She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!

My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!

I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
=== First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g. ===
== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Using images

2012-02-16T10:04:52Z

Bh213: /* Picture Prompts */

{{IPLT}}

= Using Images =

Images are a powerful way of stimulating ideas and talk in the classroom. These ideas can be used as lesson starters/warm ups and introductions, but can also be used for group activities.

A suggestion for getting started is simply to ask children to talk to their partner about an image you display. Different images can also be given to groups to discuss. The (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) photograph of Butrón castle below is downloaded from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/362975621/ SantiMB's flickr site]

[[Image:ImageName.jpg|400px|title=CC-By-NC-ND, http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/362975621/]]

(To find out more about finding suitable images on flickr, see our article on [[finding CC licenced images on Flickr]].)

Then ask them to:
* Imagine it is the cover of a book.
* Write the title.
* Write the opening line to the story.
* Imagine it is an illustration inside the book. What’s happening on the page? Who lives here?
* Consider a range of questions that could be used in the classroom in relation to this picture or others you choose.

== Characters ==

Children should work in pairs for this activity. Each pair is given a picture of a character – this could be from a familiar story, a well-known personality etc. Draw an image of a speech bubble and ask children to talk about, then write one or two sentences that their character is saying to the other character.

[[Image:]]

Ideas to stimulate discussion and writing could be:

:Decide what you want your character to say.

:Tell your talk partner what your character is saying.

:Ask your talk partner if s/he thinks your character would say this or not?

:Think about what your partner says about your sentence.

:Listen to your partner’s sentence.

:Tell your partner if you think his/her character would say that or not.

:Make sure you are happy with what you have decided to write.

:Say it again out loud.

:Write it down.

== Picture Prompts ==

Following from story reading or preparation for any kind of writing….

In pairs, one pupil draws a picture in the top box and tells their partner about it. They decide what one or two sentences go with the picture and tell sentences to partner. Partner to comment. Pupil then writes sentences.

Repeat for partner’s picture/sentence.

Tell your partner about your picture. Tell your partner your sentences. Write your sentences

Tell your partner about your picture. Tell your partner your sentence. Write your sentence.

Adapted from: [http://education.exeter.ac.uk education.exeter.ac.uk]

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Using images

2012-02-16T10:04:40Z

Bh213: /* Characters */

{{IPLT}}

= Using Images =

Images are a powerful way of stimulating ideas and talk in the classroom. These ideas can be used as lesson starters/warm ups and introductions, but can also be used for group activities.

A suggestion for getting started is simply to ask children to talk to their partner about an image you display. Different images can also be given to groups to discuss. The (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) photograph of Butrón castle below is downloaded from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/362975621/ SantiMB's flickr site]

[[Image:ImageName.jpg|400px|title=CC-By-NC-ND, http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/362975621/]]

(To find out more about finding suitable images on flickr, see our article on [[finding CC licenced images on Flickr]].)

Then ask them to:
* Imagine it is the cover of a book.
* Write the title.
* Write the opening line to the story.
* Imagine it is an illustration inside the book. What’s happening on the page? Who lives here?
* Consider a range of questions that could be used in the classroom in relation to this picture or others you choose.

== Characters ==

Children should work in pairs for this activity. Each pair is given a picture of a character – this could be from a familiar story, a well-known personality etc. Draw an image of a speech bubble and ask children to talk about, then write one or two sentences that their character is saying to the other character.

[[Image:]]

Ideas to stimulate discussion and writing could be:

:Decide what you want your character to say.

:Tell your talk partner what your character is saying.

:Ask your talk partner if s/he thinks your character would say this or not?

:Think about what your partner says about your sentence.

:Listen to your partner’s sentence.

:Tell your partner if you think his/her character would say that or not.

:Make sure you are happy with what you have decided to write.

:Say it again out loud.

:Write it down.

==== Picture Prompts ====

Following from story reading or preparation for any kind of writing….

In pairs, one pupil draws a picture in the top box and tells their partner about it. They decide what one or two sentences go with the picture and tell sentences to partner. Partner to comment. Pupil then writes sentences.

Repeat for partner’s picture/sentence.

Tell your partner about your picture. Tell your partner your sentences. Write your sentences

Tell your partner about your picture. Tell your partner your sentence. Write your sentence.

Adapted from: [http://education.exeter.ac.uk education.exeter.ac.uk]

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Using images

2012-02-16T10:04:16Z

Bh213: /* Using Images */

{{IPLT}}

= Using Images =

Images are a powerful way of stimulating ideas and talk in the classroom. These ideas can be used as lesson starters/warm ups and introductions, but can also be used for group activities.

A suggestion for getting started is simply to ask children to talk to their partner about an image you display. Different images can also be given to groups to discuss. The (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) photograph of Butrón castle below is downloaded from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/362975621/ SantiMB's flickr site]

[[Image:ImageName.jpg|400px|title=CC-By-NC-ND, http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/362975621/]]

(To find out more about finding suitable images on flickr, see our article on [[finding CC licenced images on Flickr]].)

Then ask them to:
* Imagine it is the cover of a book.
* Write the title.
* Write the opening line to the story.
* Imagine it is an illustration inside the book. What’s happening on the page? Who lives here?
* Consider a range of questions that could be used in the classroom in relation to this picture or others you choose.

==== Characters ====

Children should work in pairs for this activity. Each pair is given a picture of a character – this could be from a familiar story, a well-known personality etc. Draw an image of a speech bubble and ask children to talk about, then write one or two sentences that their character is saying to the other character.

[[Image:]]

Ideas to stimulate discussion and writing could be:

:Decide what you want your character to say.

:Tell your talk partner what your character is saying.

:Ask your talk partner if s/he thinks your character would say this or not?

:Think about what your partner says about your sentence.

:Listen to your partner’s sentence.

:Tell your partner if you think his/her character would say that or not.

:Make sure you are happy with what you have decided to write.

:Say it again out loud.

:Write it down.

==== Picture Prompts ====

Following from story reading or preparation for any kind of writing….

In pairs, one pupil draws a picture in the top box and tells their partner about it. They decide what one or two sentences go with the picture and tell sentences to partner. Partner to comment. Pupil then writes sentences.

Repeat for partner’s picture/sentence.

Tell your partner about your picture. Tell your partner your sentences. Write your sentences

Tell your partner about your picture. Tell your partner your sentence. Write your sentence.

Adapted from: [http://education.exeter.ac.uk education.exeter.ac.uk]

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Using images

2012-02-16T10:01:23Z

Bh213:

{{IPLT}}

= Using Images =

Images are a powerful way of stimulating ideas and talk in the classroom. These ideas can be used as lesson starters/warm ups and introductions, but can also be used for group activities.

A suggestion for getting started is simply to ask children to talk to their partner about an image you display. Different images can also be given to groups to discuss. The (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) photograph of Butrón castle below is downloaded from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/362975621/ SantiMB's flickr site]

[[Image:ImageName.jpg|400px|title=CC-By-NC-ND, http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/362975621/]]

Then ask them to:

:Imagine it is the cover of a book.

:Write the title.

:Write the opening line to the story.

:Imagine it is an illustration inside the book. What’s happening on the page? Who lives here?

:Consider a range of questions that could be used in the classroom in relation to this picture or others you choose.

==== Characters ====

Children should work in pairs for this activity. Each pair is given a picture of a character – this could be from a familiar story, a well-known personality etc. Draw an image of a speech bubble and ask children to talk about, then write one or two sentences that their character is saying to the other character.

[[Image:]]

Ideas to stimulate discussion and writing could be:

:Decide what you want your character to say.

:Tell your talk partner what your character is saying.

:Ask your talk partner if s/he thinks your character would say this or not?

:Think about what your partner says about your sentence.

:Listen to your partner’s sentence.

:Tell your partner if you think his/her character would say that or not.

:Make sure you are happy with what you have decided to write.

:Say it again out loud.

:Write it down.

==== Picture Prompts ====

Following from story reading or preparation for any kind of writing….

In pairs, one pupil draws a picture in the top box and tells their partner about it. They decide what one or two sentences go with the picture and tell sentences to partner. Partner to comment. Pupil then writes sentences.

Repeat for partner’s picture/sentence.

Tell your partner about your picture. Tell your partner your sentences. Write your sentences

Tell your partner about your picture. Tell your partner your sentence. Write your sentence.

Adapted from: [http://education.exeter.ac.uk education.exeter.ac.uk]

OER4Schools/What is interactive teaching

2012-02-15T21:30:06Z

Bh213:

{{OER4S}}
__TOC__
[[Image:Abel photo 2.jpg|thumb|300px]]

== An introduction to the interactive Zambian classroom ==

The aims of Unit 1 are to:
* understand principles of interactive teaching - with and without ICT,
* see illustrations and discuss issues involved in implementing it,
* think about changing one’s own practice, and
* develop ways of working with colleagues to reflect on practice, share ideas and trial new strategies.

== Brainstorm on interactive teaching ==

Consider the following questions:
* What is interactive teaching?
* What interactive techniques do you know?
* How often have you used such techniques?

{{ednote|text=
Whole group brainstorm.

Suggested time<nowiki> …. [</nowiki>we should add suggested times for these sections]

Want to hear from everyone, don’t worry if you’re not sure, have a go at making a suggestion... we will develop our collective understanding as time goes on<nowiki> [</nowiki>what are teachers’ expectations?].

If participants are not very forthcoming, probe them with additional questions, eg what do you think interactive teaching might be? Is it the same as learner-centred teaching?

'''Record the brainstorm. '''The facilitator writes on a large sheet of paper, or makes notes for everybody to see on the overhead projector. Alternatively, participants write on small pieces of paper which are placed on a table. If there are no facilities, then it is ok to note make a record.

If you are part of our “facilitators program”, use the tools provided to capture the discussion.
}}

== Examples of interactive teaching in Zambia ==

Many African teachers aspire to be interactive teachers. Yet, interactive teaching is not common in the African classroom. However, it can work in this context!

The following clip shows Eness, a teacher in a community school near Lusaka interacting with a Grade 3 class. Watch the clip of her class discussion about ''Is a bat a bird?''

{{activity|stimulus}} Watch video:

{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_12.mp4|duration=4:19|src=kY2Ow7PuseI}}

{{ednote|text=
(Clip shows whole class discussion of ‘is a bat a bird?’ + 1 min clip - set unresolved problem as homework)
}}

{{activity|group discussion}}

* What have you noticed?
* How are the learners taught?
* How do you think they will react to the homework task?
* Is this classroom different from yours?
* What is interactive teaching?

{{ednote|text=
'''Issues to discuss'''

noisy but productive - A classroom can be noisy and productive at the same time

'''''interactive = inter-action (with view to sense making<nowiki>; </nowiki>i.e. purpose of inter-action is to make sense)'''''

children making sense of ideas for themselves, developing their own classifications, relating to what they already know...

teacher not telling answer, asking students to investigate for themselves

Facilitator needs to know how to deal with criticisms (such as too noisy, too much chaos, not productive)

The road is long. But it can be done!
}}

{{activity|stimulus}} '''Show '''brainstorm''' clip:

{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_1.mp4|duration=2:43|src=SQEoWYVAC78}}

This clip from the same Grade 3 classroom illustrates how the teacher solicits (and records) different students’ views without evaluating them.

{{ednote|text=
Note that the clip shows the start of a lesson but it can be done at any point in a lesson. It shows a brainstorm – with unique contributions, allowing time to think first, ‘no hands up’ technique too.

Workshop participants continue with the discussion.
}}

{{activity|group discussion}}
* What have you noticed this time?
* At what point(s) in the lesson could this be used?
* What do you think the students are learning from this?
* How are they learning?
* Can brainstorming be used with large classes too, where there isn’t time for everyone to contribute each time? How would you adapt it for this?

{{ednote|text=
The facilitator now summarises the outcomes of the discussion, first elaborating the previous brainstorm record, and then summarising by emphasising the points below and including any key points the participants have made.
}}

'''Summary: '''The key to interactive teaching is ''teachers'' ''shifting “from telling to listening”'' and ''learners shifting from receiving information to making sense ''of it for themselves.

How can we “listen” to learners? What does that mean in practice?

{{ednote|text=
'''Facilitator describes own experience of shifting to interactive teaching''' and how it is different in his/her classroom now…

'''Evidence for impact of interactive teaching (optional)'''

Generally we have experienced that teachers welcome interactive ways of teaching. However, it is possible that teachers may object or have major concerns to the interactive teaching shown in the videos as well as what has emerged from this discussion. For instance, they may say that this just will not work in their classroom, that it may not work with large classes, or perhaps that such styles of teaching would not be welcome by parents or head teachers for various reasons.

At this stage, you could introduce interactive teaching as an international trend. Research evidence from different countries shows that this kind of active learning is both motivating and far more effective for learning than direct instruction (“chalk-and-talk” or lecturing). In particular independent, collaborative or oral work, as well as questioning and whole-class discussion that encourage pupils to grapple with ideas are effective. They lead to long-term and deeper learning rather than memorising facts (resulting in short-term, superficial learning).

The following video clip may help to reinforce the point.
}}

'''One Zambian teacher’s experience'''

{{activity|video}} '''Agness video here (Agness_eLA_contribution.mp4) http://sms.cam.ac.uk/media/1093072

This two minute clip features Agness Tembo, a Grade 2 teacher from Chalimbana Basic School located in a rural area of Zambia. She is presenting at the e-Learning Africa Conference 2010 her own experiences of participating in Phase 1 of the OER4Schools research project. She talks animatedly about the challenges she faced in introducing both ICT and interactive pedagogy into her (mathematics) teaching for the first time, the benefits to students, and the qualities she needed as a teacher to make the shift successful.

{{activity|Think Pair Share}} What does interactive teaching offer you? '''Share your thoughts with the whole group.

{{ednote|text=
''move to 1.3 after a max. of one hour ''
}}

== Planning an activity - “activity template” ==

In this section, we consider strategies to incorporate new interactive elements in your lessons, including things you might say, and things you might do. To help you structure your planning, we provide an activity template. It includes:
* what the activity is (a technique such as a brainstorm, group work, mini blackboard use plus an activity in which it is used, eg “a brainstorm on what animals are found in your environment”),
* the grade,
* the subject & lesson topic,
* what the (learning) objective of the activity is (e.g. to find out what students already know about topic X),
* resources to be used (such as blackboard, mini blackboards, paper, objects, etc), and
* how is the activity carried out.

{{activity|Pair activity}} '''Watch the following video sequence and pause after each clip to discuss with a partner: '''What would you record on the template to capture this activity? '''(There is no need to actually write on it.)

{{activity|stimulus}} Eness_vertebrates_clips 2,4,6,8: (1 min. 40, 2 mins. 43, 3 mins. 43, 7 mins. 03 = 15 mins. 09 total)

{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_2.mp4|duration=1:40|src=Pm3S-VcwhYg}}
{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_4.mp4|duration=2:43|src=9wDCg4w04JE}}
{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_6.mp4|duration=3:43|src=9h5vrt-C0V0}}
{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_8.mp4|duration=7:03|src=RnN3bd1rt3g}}
TOTAL: 15:09

This video sequence contains '''four consecutive clips''' from the same lesson you saw earlier, showing:
*Clip 2: Students hands out blackboards themselves (active)
*Clip 4: Teacher repeats and clarifies instructions; she illustrates them with nonsense classifications so students do not copy hers
*Clip 6: Groupwork using mini-blackboards: group of 5 recording under their own category of ‘animals with no legs’ and interacting as a group
*Clip 8: Group presentation: teacher detects error and asks for input from children to verify (rather than ‘telling’); she corrects error with input from class.

{{activity|Whole Group Discussion}} '''When you have discussed these clips one by one in pairs, continue with '''whole group discussion on content of clips''':
* What '''new techniques''' was Eness using this time?
* How did she ensure that children were '''active'''?
* What role did the '''mini blackboards '''play?
* How can teachers create a good '''relationship with their class''' so that children can learn?
* What kind of '''classroom atmosphere''' supports learning?

'''<nowiki>[</nowiki>Pair activity] In a pair, plan your own activity for a lesson you are teaching imminently. You may want to pair up with a teacher of the same grade if this is possible.'''

Choose one of the two techniques below and discuss with your partner what you are going to do. Record this in an [[OER4S/activity template|activity template]].

Questions to help you complete the template for this specific kind of activity:

1. Brainstorm:
* What do I need to know about students’ knowledge or understanding of the topic? What will I ask them to brainstorm?
* What will I do with the results? How will we build on that in the rest of the lesson?

2. Mini blackboard activity:
* Will individuals or pairs have a blackboard?
* What is the purpose of recording on a blackboard? For example, will all learners hold them up to show me their ideas? Will they discuss with peers? Will they record the results of a learning activity? Will they write or draw on the blackboards?

[[Image:Eness1.jpg|thumb|300px]]

== Practical classroom activities and reflection ==

[[Image:plan-teach-reflect.png]]

Introduce the cycle of '''ongoing reflective practice''' – comprising classroom activity, (discussion) and reflection.

* Part 1: Plan! (You have just done that)
* Part 2: Teach! (Have your lesson plan to hand.)
* Part 3: Reflect on your own and then with buddy and perhaps a wider group
* Revise plan and repeat cycle

Introduce the notion of a reflective journal to support this whole process.

Questions to guide reflection:
* What did the children get out of the activity? How can you tell?
* How did you (as the teacher) find out what the children learnt / thought about the activities / got out of them?
* What did you (as the teacher) get out of it?
* Did you find it difficult?
* What would you do differently next time?

'''<nowiki>[</nowiki>Follow-up activity] Record your reflections to be used in the next workshop session. '''

{{ednote|text=
'''How do teachers capture reflections? '''Simplest way is to capture on paper. These can easily be shared. But, teachers can be reluctant, and you may not get anything back. Maybe they just should write some prompts, that will remind them?

For the trial, also use dictaphones. How are the teachers finding that? See more expanded list of questions in the audio diary guidelines.

You need to make concrete plans with the teachers as to when they will be using their activities.
}}

== Next time ==

Don’t forget to bring your activity plans again, and your recorded reflections.

(Use your dictaphone if you have one, or make notes on paper or electronically)

{{ednote|text=
Remind participants to do their activities. They may want to review the notes that have been handed out, as well as read the background text available below.

As the facilitator, you should also do a reflection on how this first workshop went - please see facilitator reflection for Unit 1!
}}

== Activity template ==

The activity template is available on this page for printing: [[OER4Schools/activity template]]:

{{:OER4Schools/activity template}}

OER4Schools/What is interactive teaching

2012-02-15T21:26:25Z

Bh213:

{{OER4S}}
__TOC__
__NUMBEREDHEADINGS__
[[Image:Abel photo 2.jpg|thumb|300px]]

== An introduction to the interactive Zambian classroom ==

The aims of Unit 1 are to:
* understand principles of interactive teaching - with and without ICT,
* see illustrations and discuss issues involved in implementing it,
* think about changing one’s own practice, and
* develop ways of working with colleagues to reflect on practice, share ideas and trial new strategies.

== Brainstorm on interactive teaching ==

Consider the following questions:
* What is interactive teaching?
* What interactive techniques do you know?
* How often have you used such techniques?

{{ednote|text=
Whole group brainstorm.

Suggested time<nowiki> …. [</nowiki>we should add suggested times for these sections]

Want to hear from everyone, don’t worry if you’re not sure, have a go at making a suggestion... we will develop our collective understanding as time goes on<nowiki> [</nowiki>what are teachers’ expectations?].

If participants are not very forthcoming, probe them with additional questions, eg what do you think interactive teaching might be? Is it the same as learner-centred teaching?

'''Record the brainstorm. '''The facilitator writes on a large sheet of paper, or makes notes for everybody to see on the overhead projector. Alternatively, participants write on small pieces of paper which are placed on a table. If there are no facilities, then it is ok to note make a record.

If you are part of our “facilitators program”, use the tools provided to capture the discussion.
}}

== Examples of interactive teaching in Zambia ==

Many African teachers aspire to be interactive teachers. Yet, interactive teaching is not common in the African classroom. However, it can work in this context!

The following clip shows Eness, a teacher in a community school near Lusaka interacting with a Grade 3 class. Watch the clip of her class discussion about ''Is a bat a bird?''

{{activity|stimulus}} Watch video:

{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_12.mp4|duration=4:19|src=kY2Ow7PuseI}}

{{ednote|text=
(Clip shows whole class discussion of ‘is a bat a bird?’ + 1 min clip - set unresolved problem as homework)
}}

{{activity|group discussion}}

* What have you noticed?
* How are the learners taught?
* How do you think they will react to the homework task?
* Is this classroom different from yours?
* What is interactive teaching?

{{ednote|text=
'''Issues to discuss'''

noisy but productive - A classroom can be noisy and productive at the same time

'''''interactive = inter-action (with view to sense making<nowiki>; </nowiki>i.e. purpose of inter-action is to make sense)'''''

children making sense of ideas for themselves, developing their own classifications, relating to what they already know...

teacher not telling answer, asking students to investigate for themselves

Facilitator needs to know how to deal with criticisms (such as too noisy, too much chaos, not productive)

The road is long. But it can be done!
}}

{{activity|stimulus}} '''Show '''brainstorm''' clip:

{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_1.mp4|duration=2:43|src=SQEoWYVAC78}}

This clip from the same Grade 3 classroom illustrates how the teacher solicits (and records) different students’ views without evaluating them.

{{ednote|text=
Note that the clip shows the start of a lesson but it can be done at any point in a lesson. It shows a brainstorm – with unique contributions, allowing time to think first, ‘no hands up’ technique too.

Workshop participants continue with the discussion.
}}

{{activity|group discussion}}
* What have you noticed this time?
* At what point(s) in the lesson could this be used?
* What do you think the students are learning from this?
* How are they learning?
* Can brainstorming be used with large classes too, where there isn’t time for everyone to contribute each time? How would you adapt it for this?

{{ednote|text=
The facilitator now summarises the outcomes of the discussion, first elaborating the previous brainstorm record, and then summarising by emphasising the points below and including any key points the participants have made.
}}

'''Summary: '''The key to interactive teaching is ''teachers'' ''shifting “from telling to listening”'' and ''learners shifting from receiving information to making sense ''of it for themselves.

How can we “listen” to learners? What does that mean in practice?

{{ednote|text=
'''Facilitator describes own experience of shifting to interactive teaching''' and how it is different in his/her classroom now…

'''Evidence for impact of interactive teaching (optional)'''

Generally we have experienced that teachers welcome interactive ways of teaching. However, it is possible that teachers may object or have major concerns to the interactive teaching shown in the videos as well as what has emerged from this discussion. For instance, they may say that this just will not work in their classroom, that it may not work with large classes, or perhaps that such styles of teaching would not be welcome by parents or head teachers for various reasons.

At this stage, you could introduce interactive teaching as an international trend. Research evidence from different countries shows that this kind of active learning is both motivating and far more effective for learning than direct instruction (“chalk-and-talk” or lecturing). In particular independent, collaborative or oral work, as well as questioning and whole-class discussion that encourage pupils to grapple with ideas are effective. They lead to long-term and deeper learning rather than memorising facts (resulting in short-term, superficial learning).

The following video clip may help to reinforce the point.
}}

'''One Zambian teacher’s experience'''

{{activity|video}} '''Agness video here (Agness_eLA_contribution.mp4) http://sms.cam.ac.uk/media/1093072

This two minute clip features Agness Tembo, a Grade 2 teacher from Chalimbana Basic School located in a rural area of Zambia. She is presenting at the e-Learning Africa Conference 2010 her own experiences of participating in Phase 1 of the OER4Schools research project. She talks animatedly about the challenges she faced in introducing both ICT and interactive pedagogy into her (mathematics) teaching for the first time, the benefits to students, and the qualities she needed as a teacher to make the shift successful.

{{activity|Think Pair Share}} What does interactive teaching offer you? '''Share your thoughts with the whole group.

{{ednote|text=
''move to 1.3 after a max. of one hour ''
}}

== Planning an activity - “activity template” ==

In this section, we consider strategies to incorporate new interactive elements in your lessons, including things you might say, and things you might do. To help you structure your planning, we provide an activity template. It includes:
* what the activity is (a technique such as a brainstorm, group work, mini blackboard use plus an activity in which it is used, eg “a brainstorm on what animals are found in your environment”),
* the grade,
* the subject & lesson topic,
* what the (learning) objective of the activity is (e.g. to find out what students already know about topic X),
* resources to be used (such as blackboard, mini blackboards, paper, objects, etc), and
* how is the activity carried out.

{{activity|Pair activity}} '''Watch the following video sequence and pause after each clip to discuss with a partner: '''What would you record on the template to capture this activity? '''(There is no need to actually write on it.)

{{activity|stimulus}} Eness_vertebrates_clips 2,4,6,8: (1 min. 40, 2 mins. 43, 3 mins. 43, 7 mins. 03 = 15 mins. 09 total)

{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_2.mp4|duration=1:40|src=Pm3S-VcwhYg}}
{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_4.mp4|duration=2:43|src=9wDCg4w04JE}}
{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_6.mp4|duration=3:43|src=9h5vrt-C0V0}}
{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_8.mp4|duration=7:03|src=RnN3bd1rt3g}}
TOTAL: 15:09

This video sequence contains '''four consecutive clips''' from the same lesson you saw earlier, showing:
*Clip 2: Students hands out blackboards themselves (active)
*Clip 4: Teacher repeats and clarifies instructions; she illustrates them with nonsense classifications so students do not copy hers
*Clip 6: Groupwork using mini-blackboards: group of 5 recording under their own category of ‘animals with no legs’ and interacting as a group
*Clip 8: Group presentation: teacher detects error and asks for input from children to verify (rather than ‘telling’); she corrects error with input from class.

{{activity|Whole Group Discussion}} '''When you have discussed these clips one by one in pairs, continue with '''whole group discussion on content of clips''':
* What '''new techniques''' was Eness using this time?
* How did she ensure that children were '''active'''?
* What role did the '''mini blackboards '''play?
* How can teachers create a good '''relationship with their class''' so that children can learn?
* What kind of '''classroom atmosphere''' supports learning?

'''<nowiki>[</nowiki>Pair activity] In a pair, plan your own activity for a lesson you are teaching imminently. You may want to pair up with a teacher of the same grade if this is possible.'''

Choose one of the two techniques below and discuss with your partner what you are going to do. Record this in an [[OER4S/activity template|activity template]].

Questions to help you complete the template for this specific kind of activity:

1. Brainstorm:
* What do I need to know about students’ knowledge or understanding of the topic? What will I ask them to brainstorm?
* What will I do with the results? How will we build on that in the rest of the lesson?

2. Mini blackboard activity:
* Will individuals or pairs have a blackboard?
* What is the purpose of recording on a blackboard? For example, will all learners hold them up to show me their ideas? Will they discuss with peers? Will they record the results of a learning activity? Will they write or draw on the blackboards?

[[Image:Eness1.jpg|thumb|300px]]

== Practical classroom activities and reflection ==

[[Image:plan-teach-reflect.png]]

Introduce the cycle of '''ongoing reflective practice''' – comprising classroom activity, (discussion) and reflection.

* Part 1: Plan! (You have just done that)
* Part 2: Teach! (Have your lesson plan to hand.)
* Part 3: Reflect on your own and then with buddy and perhaps a wider group
* Revise plan and repeat cycle

Introduce the notion of a reflective journal to support this whole process.

Questions to guide reflection:
* What did the children get out of the activity? How can you tell?
* How did you (as the teacher) find out what the children learnt / thought about the activities / got out of them?
* What did you (as the teacher) get out of it?
* Did you find it difficult?
* What would you do differently next time?

'''<nowiki>[</nowiki>Follow-up activity] Record your reflections to be used in the next workshop session. '''

{{ednote|text=
'''How do teachers capture reflections? '''Simplest way is to capture on paper. These can easily be shared. But, teachers can be reluctant, and you may not get anything back. Maybe they just should write some prompts, that will remind them?

For the trial, also use dictaphones. How are the teachers finding that? See more expanded list of questions in the audio diary guidelines.

You need to make concrete plans with the teachers as to when they will be using their activities.
}}

== Next time ==

Don’t forget to bring your activity plans again, and your recorded reflections.

(Use your dictaphone if you have one, or make notes on paper or electronically)

{{ednote|text=
Remind participants to do their activities. They may want to review the notes that have been handed out, as well as read the background text available below.

As the facilitator, you should also do a reflection on how this first workshop went - please see facilitator reflection for Unit 1!
}}

== Activity template ==

The activity template is available on this page for printing: [[OER4Schools/activity template]]:

{{:OER4Schools/activity template}}

OER4Schools

2012-02-15T21:25:18Z

Bh213:

{{OER4S}}__NOTOC__
__NUMBEREDHEADINGS__

= The OER4Schools Professional Learning Resource =

This is the professional development resource of the OER4Schools project at the [[CCE|Centre for Commonwealth Education]]. For more information about this project, visit [http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/centres/cce/initiatives/projects/oer4schools/ the OER4Schools project page].

[[Image:Eness with group.jpg]]

== Units in the professional learning resource ==

[[OER4Schools/Overview|Overview of the resource]]:
{{: OER4Schools/Contents }}

See the [[OER4Schools/Detailed outline|detailed outline]] for more information.

The contents of some of these units will be added throughout 2012.

== Lesson and activity templates ==

* [[OER4Schools/lesson plan|OER4Schools lesson plan (blank)]]
* [[OER4Schools/activity template|OER4Schools activity template (blank)]]
* [[OER4Schools/lesson plan|OER4Schools lesson plan for a lesson on vertebrates]]

== Classroom activities ==
* [[OER4Schools/Netbook familiarisation]]
* [[OER4Schools/Collaborative writing with EtherPad]]

== Videos ==

The videos used in our resource are also available from our YouTube site, http://www.youtube.com/user/OER4Schools.

{{video|name=Introduction to Chalimbana Basic School|duration=1:57|src=-dITjCrgqYY}}

Template:OER4S

2012-02-15T21:13:37Z

Bh213:

__NUMBEREDHEADINGS__<div style="float: right; border: solid 1px blue; padding: 10px; margin:10px; width: 200px; background: white; text-align:left;">
[[OER4Schools]]
* [[OER4Schools/Overview|Overview]]
* [[OER4Schools/1 Introduction|Unit 1: Introduction to interactive teaching and the use of ICT]]
** [[OER4Schools/1.1 What is interactive teaching?|1.1 What is interactive teaching?]]
** [[OER4Schools/1.2 Designing interactive lesson plans|1.2 Designing interactive lesson plans]]
** [[OER4Schools/1.3 ICTs in interactive teaching|1.3 ICTs in interactive teaching]]
** [[OER4Schools/1.4 Effective use of ICT and collaborative writing|1.4 Effective use of ICT and collaborative writing]]

<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[:Template:OER4S|edit]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>
</div>
[[Category:OER4S CPD]][[Category:CCE]]

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games

2012-02-15T18:58:16Z

Bh213: Created page with "{{IPLT}} === WRITING GAMES === === These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined..."

{{IPLT}}

=== WRITING GAMES ===
=== These activities work well as lesson introductions but can also feed in to group activities and whole lessons. As with activities outlined in previous sections, talk is key. Pupils should be encouraged to work with partners, share and discuss ideas and have their responses valued; there is no ‘right’ answer. ===
=== The Writing Box ===
=== Keep a 'writing box' in the classroom. Each week put in a new object that the children have to write about. They can take any angle that they wish. ===
'''Favourite Words'''

= Make a list of your own favourite words together and read them aloud. Ask the children to compile their own lists and ask other people what their favourite words are and write them down. =
Get a dictionary and ask children to look through it and find words they like the sound of. Ask them to write them down and ask themselves why they like them. What is it that attracts them to the word?

Make up your own class dictionary by making up five words a day – puddlewonderfull, squongey skwiff and kerfuddle. Make up meanings for the new words.

Ask children to think about favourite characters and their names and create lists of names for different types of characters.

Create list poems of place names/pop songs/cars.= Kennings =
= A kenning is a compound figurative or phrase that aims to replace the noun. It consists of two words that describe the noun. Kennings originate from the Anglo Saxon “Norse” spoken by Vikings and slowly integrated within English. Very simply, it is a way of describing something indirectly, like a metaphor or simile, and making kennings are a great way to introduce children to figurative speech. Ask children to create their own kennings as a list and for others to guess what they are describing. =
E.g. ''What am I?'' (an orange)

* Squidgy ball
* Dotty skin
* Yellowy red
* Sticky fingers
* Sweet lips
* Jigsaw pieces

Animals are good to describe in kenning form:

* Quiet prowler
* Night howler
* Free mealer
* Chicken stealer
* Rusty splasher
* Hunter dasher

''What am I?'' (a fox)

Ask children to think of any noun – glasses, octopus, tomato. Now ask them to gather together groups of kennings that describe the noun. Now put those kennings in a list and try to use alliteration, rhyme and rhythm to make the list sound poetic. When the children have a list, get them to read them to each other and see if they can guess what the other is describing.

= Riddles =
Riddles are fun and a great way to introduce adults and children to poetry.  They raise awareness of metaphor, personification and writing in the first person.

Present a one-line riddle to the group, such as:

''A gold coin in blue - what am I?'' (the sun)Think about simile – what’s circular and golden like a gold coin? A further clue is the fact that it is surrounded by blue (or grey depending on the weather). You’ve got it - the sun.

''Four fingers and a thumb – but flesh and bone, I have none. What am I? ''(a glove)This thing is like a hand, but not a hand because it doesn’t have any bones or flesh.  It has a type of skin - when worn, it is like a second skin - a glove.

Choose a topic from an envelope or a “Riddle Bag” that you have made in advance (parts of the body/fruits/animals work well). 

As a class or as individuals, try to write a four-line riddle on the chosen topic using the following model:

* A direct comparison with something unusual
* Something it is and something it isn’t
* What it is used for/what people do with it
* Something descriptive (e.g. its colour, feel, sound, smell, shape)

=== The Simile Game ===
=== Look at the list of common similes below and ask the children to explain to their partner the story behind the simile. Try inventing new similes and listing them. Collect the best from scanning poems and novels. Make class lists. Discuss why a simile works - is it just a visual similarity? Create a simile alphabet in pairs or small groups within a few minutes. ===
* As brave as a lion
* As busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
* As cunning as a fox
* As deaf as a post
* As dry as dust
* As happy as Larry
* As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
* As hungry as a bear
* As hungry as a wolf
* As innocent as a lamb
* As mad as a hatter
* As patient as Job
* As poor as a church mouse
* As proud as a peacock
* As scarce as hen's teeth
* As silly as a goose
* As slippery as an eel
* As slow as a tortoise
* As sly as a fox
* As stubborn as a mule
* As thin as a toothpick
* As timid as a rabbit
* As tricky as a box of monkeys
* As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
* As wise as Solomon

=== Dead Metaphors ===
=== Dead metaphors are clichés - they are the ones that everyone knows and have been used so many times that they are just a part of everyday language, e.g. ===
* Stone cold
* A heart of stone
* Apple of my eye
* Boiling mad
* Steer clear
* Bear fruit
* Hatch a plan
* Difficult to swallow

Of course, the first time these were used, they would have been arresting - something new and apt. Now they have become stale - and have little fresh impact. They are part of our clichéd language - they communicate but not as powerfully as something freshly minted. Collect as many as possible from reading and noticing each other's speech. Make a list. Use these for a writing game by taking them literally, e.g.

I felt stone cold -My arms were rockAnd my legs were granite.

She was the apple of my eye -But someone took a biteOut of my sight!

My teacher was boiling mad -Steam came out of her mouth!

I hatched a plan -It is only just able to walkAnd needs bottle-feeding daily.

This sort of language play helps children look anew at language that they may just be using without really thinking about its meaning.

=== Inventing Metaphors ===
=== First of all, identify something that you want to create a metaphor around - for instance - the stars. Now think of something that is like the subject or something to do with the subject - they shine, glitter, are like tin-tacks, like diamonds, like jewels, like fiery eyes. Now use an idea to make a metaphor, remembering not to use the word 'like', e.g. ===
== The stars are shiny glitter. ==
== The stars tin tacked to the night. ==
== The diamond stars shine. ==
== The jewelled stars. ==
== The fiery stars eyed the world ==
Notice how one simple way is to:

# Generate a simile - the stars are like diamonds.
# Omit the word 'like' - the stars are diamonds.
# Move the noun in front of the image - the diamond stars. Dylan Thomas uses this technique in his writing!

=== Extending the Metaphor ===
=== Take a simple simile, e.g. My teacher is like an... eagle. ===
Turn this into a metaphor by removing the word like. Now think about what eagles do and just extend the sentence further, e.g.

My teacher is an eagle swooping around the room, hovering over his students, diving down on innocent prey and demolishing them with the terrible grip of his talons.

'''Creating Potions'''

Write magical potions to cure illnesses/bad habits.

=== The Word Waiter ===
=== The 'word waiter' can serve up only a certain number of words. This can be used for short burst writing, haiku, letters or news items. The randomness of the selection adds a challenging edge that often forces creativity beyond the predictable. The word waiter might serve up a character, place and dilemma for storytelling. Here are some possible starters - but ask the children and add many more ingredients! ===

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Character'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Place'''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| '''Dilemma'''

|-
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''woodcutter''

''farmer''

''princess''

''adventurer''

''heroine''

''Billy''

''Jo''

''teacher''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''hairdressers''

''station''

''bus stop''

''cinema''

''castle kitchen''

''old bridge''

''chip shop''

''wooden tower''
| style="border:none;padding:0.049cm;"| ''gets lost''

''is chased''

''steals something''

''is trapped''

''sees a fight''

''finds a cave''

''loses money''

''finds an alien''

|}
=== Poetry Doors ===
=== The writer Stephanie Strickland says that, 'poems are words that take you through three kinds of doors: closed doors, secret doors, and doors you don't know are there'. Make a list of doors that poetry is.... Just be inventive - have some fun. It doesn't have to make sense. Indeed, logic and sense will probably lead to dull writing. ===
Poetry is a closed door.

Poetry is a secret door.

Poetry is a door that you did not know was there.

Poetry is a door of foxes, as a sly as sunlight.

Poetry is a door of dreams where thoughts hide.

Poetry is a door of disasters, where stories crumble.

Poetry is a door of kittens playing.

=== In the City of… ===
=== This game is ideal for building descriptions of settings. Think of a place and identify one thing that you can see (e.g. a park bench). Then say, 'in the city of … is a park bench'. ===
The next person has to repeat what you have said and add in something else, e.g. 'In the city of… is a …. and under the … is a sleeping dog.' A list of prepositions helps.

Pass the line on, with each child adding something else they can see or hear. Try playing the game in groups and pairs until the children can visualise and describe a scene in their own mind.

Instead of 'in the city of …', play the game using the setting in their story, e.g. 'in the haunted house'. Show children how to sketch the scene and annotate, adding in similes. Then practise turning the scenes into mini paragraphs.

=== Disasters ===
=== Children - indeed, most humans, - are fascinated by disasters. But what might be a disaster for superman or an ant? Ask children to come up with more ideas. ===
'''5 Disasters for Superman.'''

* His tights are in the wash.
* The colour in his boxer shorts washes out and now they're pink.
* His Mum says to be in by 8.00 and in bed by 9.00.
* His Dad tells him not to start fights.
* His Gran gives him Kryptonite pants for Christmas.

=== Invented Insects ===
=== Create an encyclopaedia of invented insects/birds/animals/fruits. ===
'''Dragon's menu'''

== Dragons are always popular with children. Each child could make their own dragon ==
An alphabet for a dragon's menu might also be fun:

== A is for an angler's boot. ==
== B is for a bull's horns. ==
== C is for a car's back seat. ==
== D is for dirty dish cloths... ==
== Other things to do with dragons: ==
== Create a dragon passport ==
== Write a ‘wanted’ poster for a missing dragon ==
== Create an encyclopaedia of different types of dragons ==
=== A Nuisance of Nouns ===
=== Ask the children to explain the collective nouns in the alphabet below and then create their own alphabet - this might best be done in small teams, dividing the alphabet up between them. ===
An abandonment of orphansA ballet dance of swansA crush of rhinocerosesA dose of doctorsAn elephant of enormitiesA fidget of school childrenA glacier of fridgesA hover of hawksAn inquisition of judgesA Jonah of shipwrecksA knuckle of robbersA lottery of diceA misery of bulletsA number of mathematiciansAn outrage of starsA prayer of nunsA quake of cowardsA roundabout of argumentsA swelter of duvetsA tangle of trickstersAn upset of horoscopesA vein of goldfinchA wonder of starsAn x-ray of soothsayersA zeal of enthusiasts

=== The Room of Stars ===
=== This game follows on from the invention of collective nouns. There are many possibilities. Split the class in two. One half has to rapidly make a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, lawn, garden, castle, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, hedgerows, teapots, certainty, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they write them down, e.g. ===
The room of memories.The town of love.The city of doom.The village of sparklers.The mountain of curtains.The river of sunsets.The star of wisdom.The sun of jealousy.The kitchen of disasters.The alleyway of grass.The lawn of hedgerows.The garden of teapots.The castle of certainty.

As well as places you could try vehicles, or 'the moment of...', or time, e.g. 'the day of...', 'the week of...', 'the month of...', the year of...'. You could leave this just as a list of surprising and interesting combinations. Interestingly, many seem to have a power of their own. Show the children how to take one of the ideas that seems to have promise and extend it. I find this easiest by taking on with an abstract noun. For instance, if you take the 'kitchen of disasters', you could list all sorts of disasters, e.g.

The kitchen of disasters is where - The kettle's spout melted, The teapot shattered into splinters, The fridge shivered all night, The sink sunk!

The city of doom could be a list of things that have happened that are doom-laden. Try a different pattern by using 'in', e.g.

In the city of doomThe streets are awash with dead starfishAnd the windows have wept tears of ice,The shops are empty as silence...

'''Found poem'''

Get a collection of newspapers, magazines, posters and general text. Ask children to cut out 20 - 25 headlines they like the sound of. Put them all together in a pile and then get children to play with piecing them together as a complete poem.  Newspaper headlines are excellent in this task because they tend to employ poetic techniques such as rhyme, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The children can also add their own conjunctions, words or phrases to add to the effect of the poem. Remember, meaning is not essential – the poem does not have to “make sense”. It can, but it doesn’t have to. It’s also just nice to hear what the juxtapositions of strange bundles of words do next to each other.

'''Haiku'''

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  They focus on simple everyday things in an attempt to give the reader a new experience and deeper appreciation of those simple everyday things.

Originally called Hokku, which means, “starting verse”, they are divided into two sections. The first section is the first two lines which captures the image for the reader. The second section is the last line that frames the image and sheds further light on it in a figurative way. For instance:

'''Manchester Haiku '''''Football fans slumberImagining miraclesA curious joy ''

Haiku is a great way to warm up for further writing.  It is a clear focus of an image or an event and a starting point to focus upon.

Collect a number of photos or images.  Ask children to choose one they like and then ask them to try to capture the image in words. These words should form the first two lines of a haiku. Remember, the final line should relate to the first two lines, but not directly.

To start with, don’t worry too much about the syllable count.  Focus on capturing a clear image. Then focus on the final line which must stand alone but relate to the first two lines.

When the children have a rough sketch of the haiku, try to concentrate on the syllable count by editing and tidying up the poem. Remember, the first line should contain five syllables, the second line seven and the last line five. However, you can be flexible.

If the children find this easy, get them to write a tri-haiku, which is three haiku poems that all relate to each other.Adapted from materials at:

http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Sentence and Grammar games

2012-02-15T18:57:59Z

Bh213: Created page with "{{IPLT}} === SENTENCE AND GRAMMAR GAMES === : '''The ability to rapidly construct and vary sentences - almost without thinking about it - is one of the basic skills of writi..."

{{IPLT}}

=== SENTENCE AND GRAMMAR GAMES ===
: '''The ability to rapidly construct and vary sentences - almost without thinking about it - is one of the basic skills of writing. Regular sentence starter activities impact on children’s writing. When introducing new sentence patterns remember to start orally - so children hear the pattern and then say it. This can be followed by using cards so that they see and move the words around and physically manipulate the sentences. Finally, they can begin to move into writing. '''
:
: '''Keep sessions speedy - the idea is to become automatic at writing, not something laboured. Practise sentence games and use the same sorts of sentences when modelling writing. Encourage children to use the sentence types in their own writing and to look at each others’ to note examples. '''
:
: '''Here are some activities to enable children to manipulate sentences orally in rehearsal for writing. They work well as lesson starters, in plenary session and as group activities'''
: === Noun and verb game ===
=== Ask for a list of nouns (engine, ruler, pencil, tree). Then make a list of verbs (sipped, stole, rushed, wished). The game is to invent sentences that include a noun and a verb from the lists. This can be fun if the nouns and verbs do not match in any sensible way. ===

The engine sipped...The ruler stole...The pencil rushed...The tree wished...

Now complete the sentences preferably choosing unusual ideas, e.g.

The engine sipped from a cup of silences.The ruler stole a tongue of ideas. The pencil rushed down the stairs and into the garden. The tree wished it could turn over a new leaf.

=== Join ===
=== Provide two short, simple sentences. The aim of the game is for the children to join them to make one sentence. They will need to use some form of connective and it can be useful to suggest a way of joining them. For instance: ===
The camel ate the cake. The cake was full of dates.

You could ask the children to join the two sentences above using the word 'which': e.g. The camel ate the cake, which was full of dates.

Provide children with a list or box of connectives to help them.

=== Improve ===
=== Provide a list of dull sentences that have to be made more detailed or interesting or powerful, e.g. ===
* The worm went.
* The man got the drink.
* The dog came along the road.
* The woman ate the stuff.
* The man looked at the stuff in the shop.

=== Check it ===
=== Write up some sentences or a paragraph with errors for the children to check. Build n the sorts of mistakes that the children often make so they get used to identifying and correcting their own errors. These might include - spellings, punctuation mistakes, changes in tense, slang, etc. ===
* He runned down the lain.
* She was dead frightened.
* I just jumpt over the wall.
* I ran home, Lucy just walked.

=== Change the opening ===
=== Provide a simple sentence and ask the children to extend it by adding a chunk on at the beginning. Build up a repertoire of different ways to vary the opening to sentences, e.g. use an adverb (how), a time connective (when), an 'ing ' or 'ed' chunk, one word, a simile, a prepositional phrase (at the end of the lane - where), an adjective, etc. ===
=== Bertie dug a deep hole ===
Might become:

After tea, Bertie dug a deep hole.In the garden, Bertie dug a deep hole.Carefully, Bertie dug a deep hole.As fast as a ferret, Bertie dug a deep hole.Hoping to reach Australia, Bertie dug a deep hole.

=== Drop in ===
=== Provide a simple sentence and ask the children to 'drop in' a something extra, e.g. adjectives, adverb, a phrase or clause. Be wary of children dropping in too much! Of course - you could add to a sentence by attaching a bit either end as well. ===
=== Bertie dug a hole. Might become: ===
* Bertie dug a deep hole.
* Bertie rapidly dug a hole.
* Bertie, the farmer's dog, dug a hole.
* Bertie, hoping he would soon see a kangaroo, dug a hole.

: '''Crazy clauses '''
: Provide children with a complex sentence as a model, e.g. ‘Although it was raining, he still walked on.’
: Ask the children to write complex sentences starting with a variety of conjunctions e.g. although, because, as, while, despite, after,
: using the key words humbug and zebra, e.g.:
: Although the zebra was on a strict diet, she still couldn’t resist the humbug.
: Because of the humbug’s relatively small size, it was only rarely mistaken for a zebra.
: Despite the fact that the zebra hadn’t eaten for days, it just couldn’t bring itself to
: consume the stripy humbug.
: After sucking a humbug, the zebra’s stripes became more prominent'''.'''
:
:
: '''Complex sentence game '''

PURPOSE: To give children oral practice in constructing complex sentences. Decide on groups of preferably no more than five. Give the same set of instruction cards to each group, shuffled and placed face down.

RESOURCES: A set of instruction cards for each group of children.

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change first word (or phrase) of subordinate clause 4 points
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change main clause 2 points

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change subordinate clause 4 points
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Create a completely new sentence 6 points

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change main clause 2 points
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Change subject in main clause 2 points

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Move the subordinate clause 6 points
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Miss a turn 0 points

|}
INSTRUCTIONS

The teacher writes a complex sentence, or uses one from an example of children’s writing or a book.

#  A child in the first group picks up a card
# He or she suggests an answer and checks with group
#  Meanwhile, the other groups consider an answer in case the first group’s answer is incorrect.
# The child offers an answer and the other groups and the teacher judge its suitability.
#  The teacher keeps the score and can award full, half or no points for an answer.
#  The teacher may need to record the sentence on the board as it is modified.
# The first team to score 10 is the winner.

EXTENSION

When the group has agreed their answer, one child says it, another says ‘comma’ at the appropriate point(s) in the sentence.

: The game can be played over a series of days and points accumulated.
:

'''Playing with sentences'''

Ask children to write a simple sentence and compose your own e.g.

''The lizard ran along the wall''

# Now take out the verb – how does it sound?
# Put the verb back in and add some adjectives or an adverb

''The scaly lizard ran rapidly along the mossy wall.''

# Take out the nouns and extend the sentence using because
# Move the end to the beginning

''Because the dog next door was barking, the scaly lizard ran rapidly along the mossy wall.''

# Move the adverb

''Rapidly, because the dog next door was barking, the scaly lizard ran along the mossy wall.''

# Keep on playing in this way, making up sentences and listening to the effect. Add in techniques such as:

Alliteration

Simile

Personification

# Try altering the sentence type, turning it into :

A question

An exclamation

A compound sentence

A complex sentence

# Try turning the sentence into different text types:

A recipe

A newspaper

A report

'''Making sentences'''

1. Write a word on the board e.g. ‘snake’. The children have to write a sentence containing this word rapidly. It must have a capital letter, full stop and make sense. You can add any other conditions e.g. alliteration, simile, complex sentence etc.

2. A next step is to write two words without any seeming connection e.g. jelly and shark. Make sure they are still obeying the rules. Give early finishers an extra challenge.

3. Now start with three or more words. You could focus on using adverbs, adjective or prepositions

'''Finishing sentences '''

Give children the beginning, middle or end of a sentence and they have to try to complete it:

Openings

The children arrived at….

The old king….

Then give them a few endings:

…into the fishing net

…it was empty

Finally, give them middles:

…jumped over…

…change into…

Give a list of conjunctions and provide a simple sentence opening e.g.’ The weary old lady sat down….’

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| After
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| as
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| As soon as

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Because
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| before
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| But

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Once
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| since
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| So/so that

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Until
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| when
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Whenever

|-
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| where
| style="border-top:0.5pt solid #000000;border-bottom:0.5pt solid #000000;border-left:0.5pt solid #000000;border-right:none;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| whenever
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| while

|}
Children write the sentence opening, select a conjunction and complete the sentence

'''Dropping in'''

This game focuses on inserting words or clauses to enrich meaning.

Write a sentence on the board e.g. ‘The raft floated.’

The children should ‘drop in’ words e.g. an adjective, an adverb, a prepositional phrase, a conjunction clause, an embedded clause, an ‘ing’ or ‘ed’ clause.

'''Varying openings'''

Encourage children to start sentences with

#
## A connective e.g. While he waited,…
## An ‘ing’ clause e.g. Waiting for the others,…
## An ‘ed’ clause e.g. Surprised by the bang…
## A simile e.g. Like a fish…
## An adverb e.g. Carefully…
## One word e.g. Exhausted, …
## A word for emphasis e.g. But they were domed.
## A prepositional phrase e.g. At the end of the path, …

'''Washing line'''

Make a sentence, eg '''The shy child cries. '''

Ask a child to say a word to replace the first word (eg A shy child cries.)

 Ask the next child to replace the next word (eg A cross child cries.)

 Continue round the class replacing the words, keeping a brisk pace

(eg A cross baby cries, a cross baby bounces, that cross baby bounces, that beautiful baby bounces, that beautiful car bounces, that beautiful car crashes, etc.).

 Continue until all the children have had a go. Write up the final sentence and compare it with the original.

Word swap

Take a sentence from a book and swap the verbs. E.g.

I dashed into the bathroom and brushed my teeth/ I brushed into the bathroom and dashed my teeth.

Children can have a go with their own books. Then try swapping adjectives or nouns.

'''In the manner of the word'''

This simple game involves some drama work. One person leaves the room. Those remaining decide on an adverb. The person outside returns and must try to guess the adverb as each child acts out an inaction in the manner of the adverb.

Adapted from:

[http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/ http://www.everybodywrites.org.uk/writing-games/]

Grammar for Writing: webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100612050234/.../153924

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Write aloud (say it – write it) whole lesson activity

2012-02-15T18:57:42Z

Bh213: Created page with "{{IPLT}} WRITE ALOUD (SAY IT - WRITE IT) WHOLE LESSON ACTIVITY '''The aim''' '''of this lesson is to encourage children to practise saying out loud what they are going to w..."

{{IPLT}}

WRITE ALOUD (SAY IT - WRITE IT) WHOLE LESSON ACTIVITY

'''The aim''' '''of this lesson is to encourage children to practise saying out loud what they are going to write before they write it down. '''

{| style="border-spacing:0;"
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| <center>'''Lesson Plan'''</center>

'''Objective: '''to explore how language and talk can be used to support writing

|-
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| '''1. Lesson starter/warm up (whole class)'''

|-
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Play babble gabble or word tennis – retelling a traditional tale

|-
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| '''2. Lesson introduction (whole class)'''

|-
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Tell the children you have found a box/envelope/folder etc and inside there were sheets of paper with writing in invisible ink. At first you could not read the writing but as you looked you realised you could read it.

Set up the activity by linking it to previous work that you have done. Make sure that it is something that the children can do orally. Model the activity by showing how you can read invisible writing. For example, if you have been working on a traditional story you could introduce a letter from Goldilocks to the three bears. Show the envelope and get out a folded piece of blank paper and then say that it is written in invisible ink, but that if you think really hard you can read it. You then invent and read out a short letter as Goldilocks would have written it.

|-
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| '''3. Main activity (group & independent work)'''

|-
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| The children break into pairs to try out their own invisible letters on each other. After reading them out to each other, each child sits down to write over the invisible words and produce a final written letter. The children will be asked to do this in pairs with one child reading their invisible letter to the other and then swapping over. The children need to be made aware that after reading the invisible letter to each other they will have to go over the invisible writing i.e. they will have to write the letter. This should prevent them from ‘reading’ out too much. Each child should produce a written piece. Whilst the children will be working as pairs to read out their letters to each other, each child’s final letter should be different from their partner’s.

Use snowballing or rainbowing technique to organise children into groups to share their ideas.

|-
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| '''4. Plenary (whole class)'''

|-
| style="border:0.5pt solid #000000;padding-top:0cm;padding-bottom:0cm;padding-left:0.191cm;padding-right:0.191cm;"| Use the following questions to encourage thinking about the learning:

How did you get your ideas?

What things could help you to do this better?

What made the activity easy or difficult, is there a better way to do it?

What effect did talking the letter through before writing it have

Some examples of the children’s letters could then be shared and commented on.

|}
'''Reflective prompts:''' You need to talk about how you have to think hard about what the letter says. You might want to suggest what kinds of things you are thinking about e.g. musing to yourself “Now how would a letter from Goldilocks to the three bears start? Ah yes that’s what it says, it says “Dear Father Bear” etc. You would need to remind the children that they are reading out the words someone else has written - as if they are Goldilocks or Noah giving instructions to build an ark etc. You might model getting stuck and re-reading your last sentence. During the paired work the children should be left to work together, but you might suggest before they split into pairs that they think about what they have to do and tell that to each other first. Whilst they are writing you might go round and ask “How is it going?” “What have you still got to do?”

'''Other ideas include: instructions for building Noah’s Ark; an explanation of where to find the treasure; a report of a magical animal… You can choose anything that fits in with the work you have been doing. '''

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Creative games with stories

2012-02-15T18:56:56Z

Bh213: Created page with "{{IPLT}}"

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups TOC

2012-02-15T18:56:38Z

Bh213:

*[[Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Games to establish a creative mood|Games to establish a creative mood]]
*[[Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Using images|Using images]]
* [[Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Creative games with stories|Creative games with stories]]
* [[Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Writing games|Writing games]]
* [[Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Sentence and Grammar games|Sentence and Grammar games]]
* [[Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups/Write aloud (say it – write it) whole lesson activity|Write aloud (say it – write it) whole lesson activity]]

Template:IPLT

2012-02-15T18:55:28Z

Bh213:

[[Category:CCE]] [[Category:Interactive pedagogy in literacy teaching]]
<div style="border: solid 1px blue; float:right; padding: 10px;margin:10px;">
[[Interactive teaching in literacy and language]]

[[Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups, games, and introductions|Section 1. Warm ups, games, and introductions]]
{{:Interactive teaching in literacy and language/1. Warm ups TOC}}

[[Interactive teaching in literacy and language/2. Talk for writing|Section 2: Talk for writing]]

[[Interactive teaching in literacy and language/3. Group work|Section 3: Group work]]

[[Template:IPLT|Edit]]
</div>

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/2. Talk for writing

2012-02-15T18:37:16Z

Bh213:

{{IPLT}}

<center>'''2. TALK FOR WRITING'''</center>

'''What is ''Talk for writing''?'''

'''Good writers:'''

'''• '''enjoy writing and find the process creative, enriching and fulfilling;

'''• '''read widely, recognise good writing, and understand what makes it good;

'''• '''are aware of the key features of different genres and text types;

'''• '''learn about the skills of writing from their reading and draw (consciously or

unconsciously) upon its models in their own work;

'''• '''have ‘something to say’ (a purpose and audience);

'''• '''know how to develop their ideas;

'''• '''know how to plan and prepare for writing;

'''• '''make informed choices about what they are writing, as they write (for example, about

vocabulary, grammar, text structure, etc.);

'''• '''understand how to reflect upon, refine and improve their own work;

'''• '''can respond to the constructive criticism of others.

For '''experienced writers''', many of these processes are internal and automatic. For example, they can hold an internal dialogue with themselves about the language choices available and consider how effective a particular word or phrase will be or how well it reads.

However, for '''developing writers '''it is very helpful for these processes to be explored through talk in a supportive learning context. This involves externalising and sharing the thinking involved in the writing process so that ultimately it can be internalised and individualised again. It is this developmental exploration, through talk, of the thinking and creative processes involved in being a writer that we are calling ''Talk for Writing''.

To be productive, ''Talk for Writing ''needs to be extensively embedded in every phase of the teaching sequence for Language and Literacy, that is:

'''• During reading''': When familiarising with the genre/text type and its key features; when responding to, exploring and drawing on models.

'''• Before writing''': When generating ideas, preparing for and planning writing.

'''• During all stages of writing '''(teacher’s demonstration and scribing, and children’s supported, guided and independent writing): When making the choices involved in creating, developing and improving texts.

'''• After writing''': When reflecting on and learning from a writing experience. In this it will need to be structured at the following three levels.

'''• Teacher talk''': The verbalisation of the reader’s or writer’s thought processes as the teacher is demonstrating, modeling and discussing.

'''• Supported pupil talk''': Structured and scaffolded opportunities for children to develop and practise ''Talk for Writing ''through class and group conversations and activities.

'''• Independent pupil talk''': Opportunities for children to develop and practise ''Talk for Writing ''in pairs and small groups, independent of the teacher.

All of this needs to be applied in '''whole-class '''learning and teaching and in '''guided writing'''.

The precise nature of what is planned as ''Talk for Writing ''in any particular unit of work will obviously need to take into careful account:

• the purpose and audience of the writing;

• the key features of genre text/type;

• the learning objectives of the unit;

• the needs of particular children and groups

'''The teaching sequence for writing'''

The basis for the teaching sequence for writing was set out in the joint UKLA and Primary National Strategy publication ''Raising boys’ achievements in writing ''(2004). Based on the work of Bearne (2002), the research recommended a structured sequence to planning where the children and teachers began by familiarising themselves with a text type, capturing ideas for their own writing followed by scaffolded writing experiences resulting in independent written outcomes.

<center>[[Image:]]</center>

'''What does ''Talk for writing ''look like? Talk strategies'''

'''1. Book-talk'''

‘Book-talk’ is the extended opportunity to use '''talk '''to explore children’s personal and collective responses to a text '''as readers '''and uses open-ended questions to elicit and develop response.

After careful reading of a shared text, the teacher often best initiates ‘book-talk’ with open invitations such as,

‘Tell me what you thought/felt about...’,

‘What came into your mind when you read… ’,

or ‘Have you come across anything like this before?’

and then focuses on extending the children’s responses with prompts such as,

‘Tell me more about…’,

‘What led you to think that?’

or ‘Can you extend that idea a bit for us?’.

Frequently, groups of children can be supported and encouraged to feed off each other’s thinking and talking, with prompts such as

‘Do you agree or did anyone have a different response to that story/paragraph/sentence/word?’

In this way rich exchanges often occur, helping children to develop and extend their own responses.

'''2. Writer-talk'''

‘Writer-talk’ is the articulation of the thinking and creative processes involved in all stages of the act of writing; talk that helps children to think and behave like a writer (and indeed consider themselves to be one). It involves externalising and making explicit, through '''talk''', the thinking involved in both '''‘reading as a writer’ '''(understanding what response the writer wishes to elicit in the reader and how he/she achieves this) and '''‘writing as a reader’ '''(applying the same understanding when making the choices involved in planning, creating and improving one’s own writing).

‘Writer-talk’ is most helpful when focused on the purpose and audience of a piece of writing (that is, its intended effect on the reader). Although it will often rightly and importantly consider choices made at word and sentence level, these always need to be seen in this text-level context. It is a useful way of following up and reinforcing direct teaching of the features of a particular genre/text type.

'''3. Storytelling and story-making'''

This involves the learning and repeating of oral stories, building children’s confidence to develop them through telling and then extending that development into writing; later creating ‘new’ stories orally as a preparation and rehearsal for writing. The learning and development of stories through oral retelling builds up in children enormously valuable banks of language and narrative patterning that can be incorporated into later writing. It can also build towards a confidence to create ‘original’ stories (although even these often draw on or ‘magpie’ previously learned/read ideas) and to rehearse them orally. In this way, the development of storytelling is built through a sequence involving first imitation (the straight retelling of learned stories) then innovation (developing, extending and changing elements of a story) and finally invention (creating a ‘new’ story).

To build confidence, storytelling and story-making are often more effective if initially carried out communally, gradually working towards greater independence through group, paired and finally individual approaches.

'''4. Word and language games'''

Talk games and activities can be used to:

• stimulate and develop vocabulary (for example, word associations);

• ‘warm up’ the imagination and tune children in to more creative thinking (‘Crossing the river’<nowiki>;</nowiki> ‘Box of stars’);

• orally develop a character (‘Tell me more about…’);

• orally develop a setting (‘Painting the picture’).

'''Word association'''

Say a word e.g. storm, fire, summer. The children have one minute to write down as many words as possible that they associate with the word. Ask some to share then repeat the game and see if they can add more words. This game could be done with a picture or object as a stimulus too.

'''Crossing the river'''

Invent creative ways to cross a river, e.g. make friends with a frost giant and ask it to breathe onto the river, freezing it so that you can walk across.

'''The Box of Stars.'''

Split the class in two. One half makes a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, box, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, stars, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they wrote them down, e.g.

The room of memories.

The town or love.

The city of doom.

The village of sparklers.

The mountain of curtains.

The river of sunsets.

The star of wisdom.

The sun of jealousy.

The kitchen of disasters.

The alleyway of grass.

The box of stars

# '''Role-play and drama'''

Drama activities can be used effectively across the curriculum to promote high-quality thinking, discussion and written outcomes. Here are some examples of strategies.

'''Freeze-frame'''

Working in small groups or a whole class, the children create a moment that shows the action in a narrative frozen in time, as if the pause button has been pressed. This allows them to think about what is going on for each of the characters in the frame, or to consider what is happening from different points of view. The moment itself may be the interesting thing, or they may be asked to think about what has just happened or is about to happen. Make sure children have sufficient background knowledge of the context for the freeze-frame to understand their own role in the action or to discuss it.

Sequential frames can be used to represent key moments in a narrative with different groups representing different parts of the narrative.

'''Thought tapping'''

When the freeze-frame has been created, the teacher moves quietly and slowly between the characters in the scene. At the teacher’s given signal to an individual child, that child – in character – voices their thoughts aloud in a few words. This allows all the children to hear what some or all of the characters are thinking at that very moment. It gives clues about the role each child has chosen and can raise issues about different viewpoints. It also deepens children’s engagement with the learning context being established.

'''Thought tracking '''

Similar to thought tapping, this approach allows the class to follow one character’s train of thought through the action for longer. For example, one or two children move through the freeze-frame in slow motion, speaking their thoughts aloud as they continue to reveal their feelings, viewpoints and/or motivation. Alternatively, other children track the freeze-frame players’ thinking by speaking their thoughts aloud for them.

'''Slow motion'''

Select one of the characters in the freeze-frame and ask the child to begin the action again, showing what happened next for that person, but moving slowly so that the rest of the class, still ‘frozen’, has time to think not only about what is happening but why. Another option is for the teacher or a child to narrate the slow-motion action that is taking place for one character.

'''''From drama to writing'''''

These drama and talk activities support preparation and planning for writing by helping to establish the links between characters and their settings. They also help children to manage the interweaving of description (setting and minor characters), action (including background action) and dialogue (or ‘thoughts’). Children can use the drama as a source of ideas for writing.

'''Overheard conversations'''

The children hear a conversation that they would not usually have access to and can use this extra information to consider its impact on a narrative or a situation. For example, they have been using conscience alley to explore two different sides of an argument. The teacher introduces two or more characters who are in some way connected with whatever the situation is, and the class is able to listen to a conversation they have. For example, when the main character reaches the end of the conscience alley, the children all sit down and ‘accidentally overhear’ the conversation between two people walking along the road. An overheard conversation often needs to include specific information that impacts on the situation. The teacher can ensure that the right information is included, by taking part in the dialogue. Conversations can also be overheard to provide a range of different viewpoints about the same issue.

'''''From drama to writing'''''

Activities that allow children to rehearse two different sides of an argument or explore different viewpoints are useful preparation for discursive writing and persuasion texts.

'''Collective voice'''

The class sits in a circle and the teacher takes on the role of one speaker in a conversation. The whole class takes on the role of a single, second speaker. The teacher begins the conversation, talking to the ‘other person’ (the class) and any child can speak to continue the dialogue. A common purpose is for the children to find out some information from the first speaker or for them to give advice. This sounds complicated but is a powerful teaching convention and most children quickly adopt the strategy to take turns at speaking. If more than one child speaks at once, the teacher decides how to answer one or both. Children usually manage the ‘corporate role’ well because they are focused on what the first character (the teacher) has to say and they want to find out more. Once children are familiar with this convention, the class can take on the more responsible role of the character with information to pass on.

'''Character on the wall'''

A character is depicted and developed in a visual way using a large format note-making

strategy. The teacher can use a flipchart, whiteboard, large screen or a big piece of paper displayed ‘on the wall’. A simple character shape such as a stick person is drawn.

The character may already be partly developed, for example through reading the first chapter of a class novel (''What do we already know about this person?''), or the children may be creating the character from scratch (''What do we want this character to be like?''). As children contribute their own ideas, the teacher adds brief notes to the visual in an appropriate position. Encourage children to talk and think about different dimensions of the character. For example, if they focus on physical description ask them what kind of person this might be.

'''''From drama to writing'''''

Such drama or talk activities can support children in creating and developing characters when writing fiction. They demonstrate that characters are sometimes complex and have a history, a background, views and opinions, interests, hopes and fears. Activities such as ‘hot seating’ and ‘character on the wall’ allow children to ‘meet’ a character in role and to gather information about them in a drama context before writing. Children can use the information they collect as a resource to help them create a vivid and interesting character when they write.

'''Adapted from: Talk for Writing - '''nsonline.org.uk/node/163592

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/3. Group work

2012-02-15T18:36:36Z

Bh213: Created page with "{{IPLT}} <center>'''3. GROUP WORK '''</center> '''These techniques provided different ways of organizing group work and collaborative activities. They can be used during th..."

{{IPLT}}

<center>'''3. GROUP WORK '''</center>

'''These techniques provided different ways of organizing group work and collaborative activities. They can be used during the main part of literacy and language lessons.'''

'''Talk partners and thought-showering'''

Children are asked to turn to partners to: consult, try out an idea, formulate a response, discuss a point, raise questions, explain a point or share an anecdote from their experience.

For thought-showering, they quickly list ideas about an issue, topic or questions and then share them with a group or whole class.

'''Think-pair-share'''

Children are asked to consider an issue or problem individually (such as reading and preparing a response to an information text or a news item), then explain their ideas to a partner. After the pair has discussed the issue, they join another pair, share views and emerge with a group conclusion or perspective.

'''Snowballing'''

Children are organized to discuss something or to investigate an issue in pairs. The pairs then join another pair to form a group and share their findings. The small groups then join together to make a larger one, for example:

2  4  8  16  whole-class

This approach can be useful when controversial material is being read and evaluated, perhaps for bias or for portraying stereotypical images.

'''Information gap'''

Choose a topic that can be divided into two complementary parts, for example, a discussion of the pros and cons of experiments on animals. Split a small group into two sub-groups and give each group information related to one part of the topic. To complete the task,''' '''pupils will need to use talk to share the information and draw it together.

'''Statements game'''

A group is given a set of cards on which statements are written. The group is asked to agree, through discussion, how to categorise the statements, e.g. either agree or disagree with the statement or place them in order of importance or relevance, when some might be considered of equal importance, using the power triangle:

[[Image:]]

'''Rainbowing '''

Each member of a working group is given a colour. When the group task is complete the children form new groups according to their colours. Within the colour groups, children compare findings/discuss what they have achieved. This is a useful way of disseminating and sharing ideas. It helps children to clarify their own understanding and provides an opportunity for them to question others and to seek justification for any viewpoints. It is a useful technique for reading and critical evaluation of fiction or poetry. It can also be used for drafting and redrafting, when children work on a story starter in one group and then, in their colour group, pool ideas and draw out the best features. The process can then be repeated for the next phase of a story.

'''Jigsaw'''

Jigsaw procedure:

* Organise the class into home groups, preferably of equal numbers.

* Number each child in the home group: 1, 2, 3 or 4. If the numbers in a group are uneven, two children can be set the same individual task: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4.

* Assign each child with the same number (i.e. all the number 3s) to one area for investigation.

* The children now rearrange themselves to form expert groups (i.e. all the number 1s together, etc.) to undertake investigations, discuss their work and agree on the main points to report back to the home group.
* Children re-form into their home groups and each individual member reports back on the findings of the expert group

'''Envoys'''

This is a method of disseminating ideas and information that can overcome a more laborious and repetitive procedure of having each group ‘report back’ to the whole class.

Once each group has completed its initial discussion, it sends out one member as an envoy to the next group. Envoys move round all the other groups in turn explaining/sharing ideas gathered from the groups they have visited.

[[Image:]]

'''GROUP WORK AND DRAMA'''

'''Drama activities can be used effectively across the curriculum to promote high-quality thinking, discussion and written outcomes through group work. Here are some examples of strategies''' '''which can be used in lesson introductions or during the main part of literacy and language lessons.'''

'''Hot seating'''

Children work in pairs or a small group to prepare ideas and questions for a character from a book or someone with a particular viewpoint on an issue. The person in the hot seat could be a pupil working in role, a teacher or a member of the community.

'''Forum theatre'''

Forum theatre allows an incident or event to be seen from different points of view, making it a very useful strategy for examining alternative ideas. A small group acts out a scene while the rest of the class watches them. The class work as directors of the group in role, e.g. asking them to act or speak in a different way, suggesting that a character might behave differently, questioning the characters in role, or suggesting an alternative interpretation for what is happening.

'''Conscience alley'''

Conscience or decision alley is a means of exploring a character’s mind at a moment of crisis and of investigating the complexity of the decision they are facing. The class creates two lines facing each other. One child in role as a particular character walks down the ‘alley’ between the lines. Children voice the character’s thoughts, both for and against a particular decision or action that the character is facing, acting as his/her conscience. The child in role listens to his conscience before making a decision about the course of action to take.

'''Role on the wall'''

The outline of a body is drawn on a large sheet of paper, which is later stuck onto the wall.  This can be done by carefully drawing around one of the participants.  Words or phrases describing the character are then written directly onto the drawing or stuck on with post-its.  This drama technique can be carried out as a group activity or by individuals writing about their own character. You can include known facts such as physical appearance, age, gender, location and occupation, as well as subjective ideas such as likes/dislikes, friends/enemies, attitudes, motivations, secrets and dreams.

'''Soundscape'''

The leader or one member of the group acts as conductor, whilst the rest of the group is the 'orchestra'. Using their voices (and body percussion if appropriate!), the group paints a ''soundscape ''of a particular theme or mood, for example the seaside, a city, a jungle. The leader can control the shape of the piece by raising her hand to increase the volume or bringing it to touch the floor for silence. You may also use simple percussion instruments for this exercise.

Interactive teaching in literacy and language/2. Talk for writing

2012-02-15T18:36:07Z

Bh213: Created page with "<center>'''2. TALK FOR WRITING'''</center> '''What is ''Talk for writing''?''' '''Good writers:''' '''• '''enjoy writing and find the process creative, enriching and fu..."

<center>'''2. TALK FOR WRITING'''</center>

'''What is ''Talk for writing''?'''

'''Good writers:'''

'''• '''enjoy writing and find the process creative, enriching and fulfilling;

'''• '''read widely, recognise good writing, and understand what makes it good;

'''• '''are aware of the key features of different genres and text types;

'''• '''learn about the skills of writing from their reading and draw (consciously or

unconsciously) upon its models in their own work;

'''• '''have ‘something to say’ (a purpose and audience);

'''• '''know how to develop their ideas;

'''• '''know how to plan and prepare for writing;

'''• '''make informed choices about what they are writing, as they write (for example, about

vocabulary, grammar, text structure, etc.);

'''• '''understand how to reflect upon, refine and improve their own work;

'''• '''can respond to the constructive criticism of others.

For '''experienced writers''', many of these processes are internal and automatic. For example, they can hold an internal dialogue with themselves about the language choices available and consider how effective a particular word or phrase will be or how well it reads.

However, for '''developing writers '''it is very helpful for these processes to be explored through talk in a supportive learning context. This involves externalising and sharing the thinking involved in the writing process so that ultimately it can be internalised and individualised again. It is this developmental exploration, through talk, of the thinking and creative processes involved in being a writer that we are calling ''Talk for Writing''.

To be productive, ''Talk for Writing ''needs to be extensively embedded in every phase of the teaching sequence for Language and Literacy, that is:

'''• During reading''': When familiarising with the genre/text type and its key features; when responding to, exploring and drawing on models.

'''• Before writing''': When generating ideas, preparing for and planning writing.

'''• During all stages of writing '''(teacher’s demonstration and scribing, and children’s supported, guided and independent writing): When making the choices involved in creating, developing and improving texts.

'''• After writing''': When reflecting on and learning from a writing experience. In this it will need to be structured at the following three levels.

'''• Teacher talk''': The verbalisation of the reader’s or writer’s thought processes as the teacher is demonstrating, modeling and discussing.

'''• Supported pupil talk''': Structured and scaffolded opportunities for children to develop and practise ''Talk for Writing ''through class and group conversations and activities.

'''• Independent pupil talk''': Opportunities for children to develop and practise ''Talk for Writing ''in pairs and small groups, independent of the teacher.

All of this needs to be applied in '''whole-class '''learning and teaching and in '''guided writing'''.

The precise nature of what is planned as ''Talk for Writing ''in any particular unit of work will obviously need to take into careful account:

• the purpose and audience of the writing;

• the key features of genre text/type;

• the learning objectives of the unit;

• the needs of particular children and groups

'''The teaching sequence for writing'''

The basis for the teaching sequence for writing was set out in the joint UKLA and Primary National Strategy publication ''Raising boys’ achievements in writing ''(2004). Based on the work of Bearne (2002), the research recommended a structured sequence to planning where the children and teachers began by familiarising themselves with a text type, capturing ideas for their own writing followed by scaffolded writing experiences resulting in independent written outcomes.

<center>[[Image:]]</center>

'''What does ''Talk for writing ''look like? Talk strategies'''

'''1. Book-talk'''

‘Book-talk’ is the extended opportunity to use '''talk '''to explore children’s personal and collective responses to a text '''as readers '''and uses open-ended questions to elicit and develop response.

After careful reading of a shared text, the teacher often best initiates ‘book-talk’ with open invitations such as,

‘Tell me what you thought/felt about...’,

‘What came into your mind when you read… ’,

or ‘Have you come across anything like this before?’

and then focuses on extending the children’s responses with prompts such as,

‘Tell me more about…’,

‘What led you to think that?’

or ‘Can you extend that idea a bit for us?’.

Frequently, groups of children can be supported and encouraged to feed off each other’s thinking and talking, with prompts such as

‘Do you agree or did anyone have a different response to that story/paragraph/sentence/word?’

In this way rich exchanges often occur, helping children to develop and extend their own responses.

'''2. Writer-talk'''

‘Writer-talk’ is the articulation of the thinking and creative processes involved in all stages of the act of writing; talk that helps children to think and behave like a writer (and indeed consider themselves to be one). It involves externalising and making explicit, through '''talk''', the thinking involved in both '''‘reading as a writer’ '''(understanding what response the writer wishes to elicit in the reader and how he/she achieves this) and '''‘writing as a reader’ '''(applying the same understanding when making the choices involved in planning, creating and improving one’s own writing).

‘Writer-talk’ is most helpful when focused on the purpose and audience of a piece of writing (that is, its intended effect on the reader). Although it will often rightly and importantly consider choices made at word and sentence level, these always need to be seen in this text-level context. It is a useful way of following up and reinforcing direct teaching of the features of a particular genre/text type.

'''3. Storytelling and story-making'''

This involves the learning and repeating of oral stories, building children’s confidence to develop them through telling and then extending that development into writing; later creating ‘new’ stories orally as a preparation and rehearsal for writing. The learning and development of stories through oral retelling builds up in children enormously valuable banks of language and narrative patterning that can be incorporated into later writing. It can also build towards a confidence to create ‘original’ stories (although even these often draw on or ‘magpie’ previously learned/read ideas) and to rehearse them orally. In this way, the development of storytelling is built through a sequence involving first imitation (the straight retelling of learned stories) then innovation (developing, extending and changing elements of a story) and finally invention (creating a ‘new’ story).

To build confidence, storytelling and story-making are often more effective if initially carried out communally, gradually working towards greater independence through group, paired and finally individual approaches.

'''4. Word and language games'''

Talk games and activities can be used to:

• stimulate and develop vocabulary (for example, word associations);

• ‘warm up’ the imagination and tune children in to more creative thinking (‘Crossing the river’<nowiki>;</nowiki> ‘Box of stars’);

• orally develop a character (‘Tell me more about…’);

• orally develop a setting (‘Painting the picture’).

'''Word association'''

Say a word e.g. storm, fire, summer. The children have one minute to write down as many words as possible that they associate with the word. Ask some to share then repeat the game and see if they can add more words. This game could be done with a picture or object as a stimulus too.

'''Crossing the river'''

Invent creative ways to cross a river, e.g. make friends with a frost giant and ask it to breathe onto the river, freezing it so that you can walk across.

'''The Box of Stars.'''

Split the class in two. One half makes a list of places, e.g. room, town, city, village, mountain, river, star, sun, kitchen, alleyway, box, etc. The other half has to make a list of nouns and abstract nouns, e.g. memories, love, doom, sparklers, curtains, sunsets, wisdom, jealousy, disasters, grass, stars, etc. Then put children into pairs and they match the words listed exactly in the order they wrote them down, e.g.

The room of memories.

The town or love.

The city of doom.

The village of sparklers.

The mountain of curtains.

The river of sunsets.

The star of wisdom.

The sun of jealousy.

The kitchen of disasters.

The alleyway of grass.

The box of stars

# '''Role-play and drama'''

Drama activities can be used effectively across the curriculum to promote high-quality thinking, discussion and written outcomes. Here are some examples of strategies.

'''Freeze-frame'''

Working in small groups or a whole class, the children create a moment that shows the action in a narrative frozen in time, as if the pause button has been pressed. This allows them to think about what is going on for each of the characters in the frame, or to consider what is happening from different points of view. The moment itself may be the interesting thing, or they may be asked to think about what has just happened or is about to happen. Make sure children have sufficient background knowledge of the context for the freeze-frame to understand their own role in the action or to discuss it.

Sequential frames can be used to represent key moments in a narrative with different groups representing different parts of the narrative.

'''Thought tapping'''

When the freeze-frame has been created, the teacher moves quietly and slowly between the characters in the scene. At the teacher’s given signal to an individual child, that child – in character – voices their thoughts aloud in a few words. This allows all the children to hear what some or all of the characters are thinking at that very moment. It gives clues about the role each child has chosen and can raise issues about different viewpoints. It also deepens children’s engagement with the learning context being established.

'''Thought tracking '''

Similar to thought tapping, this approach allows the class to follow one character’s train of thought through the action for longer. For example, one or two children move through the freeze-frame in slow motion, speaking their thoughts aloud as they continue to reveal their feelings, viewpoints and/or motivation. Alternatively, other children track the freeze-frame players’ thinking by speaking their thoughts aloud for them.

'''Slow motion'''

Select one of the characters in the freeze-frame and ask the child to begin the action again, showing what happened next for that person, but moving slowly so that the rest of the class, still ‘frozen’, has time to think not only about what is happening but why. Another option is for the teacher or a child to narrate the slow-motion action that is taking place for one character.

'''''From drama to writing'''''

These drama and talk activities support preparation and planning for writing by helping to establish the links between characters and their settings. They also help children to manage the interweaving of description (setting and minor characters), action (including background action) and dialogue (or ‘thoughts’). Children can use the drama as a source of ideas for writing.

'''Overheard conversations'''

The children hear a conversation that they would not usually have access to and can use this extra information to consider its impact on a narrative or a situation. For example, they have been using conscience alley to explore two different sides of an argument. The teacher introduces two or more characters who are in some way connected with whatever the situation is, and the class is able to listen to a conversation they have. For example, when the main character reaches the end of the conscience alley, the children all sit down and ‘accidentally overhear’ the conversation between two people walking along the road. An overheard conversation often needs to include specific information that impacts on the situation. The teacher can ensure that the right information is included, by taking part in the dialogue. Conversations can also be overheard to provide a range of different viewpoints about the same issue.

'''''From drama to writing'''''

Activities that allow children to rehearse two different sides of an argument or explore different viewpoints are useful preparation for discursive writing and persuasion texts.

'''Collective voice'''

The class sits in a circle and the teacher takes on the role of one speaker in a conversation. The whole class takes on the role of a single, second speaker. The teacher begins the conversation, talking to the ‘other person’ (the class) and any child can speak to continue the dialogue. A common purpose is for the children to find out some information from the first speaker or for them to give advice. This sounds complicated but is a powerful teaching convention and most children quickly adopt the strategy to take turns at speaking. If more than one child speaks at once, the teacher decides how to answer one or both. Children usually manage the ‘corporate role’ well because they are focused on what the first character (the teacher) has to say and they want to find out more. Once children are familiar with this convention, the class can take on the more responsible role of the character with information to pass on.

'''Character on the wall'''

A character is depicted and developed in a visual way using a large format note-making

strategy. The teacher can use a flipchart, whiteboard, large screen or a big piece of paper displayed ‘on the wall’. A simple character shape such as a stick person is drawn.

The character may already be partly developed, for example through reading the first chapter of a class novel (''What do we already know about this person?''), or the children may be creating the character from scratch (''What do we want this character to be like?''). As children contribute their own ideas, the teacher adds brief notes to the visual in an appropriate position. Encourage children to talk and think about different dimensions of the character. For example, if they focus on physical description ask them what kind of person this might be.

'''''From drama to writing'''''

Such drama or talk activities can support children in creating and developing characters when writing fiction. They demonstrate that characters are sometimes complex and have a history, a background, views and opinions, interests, hopes and fears. Activities such as ‘hot seating’ and ‘character on the wall’ allow children to ‘meet’ a character in role and to gather information about them in a drama context before writing. Children can use the information they collect as a resource to help them create a vivid and interesting character when they write.

'''Adapted from: Talk for Writing - '''nsonline.org.uk/node/163592

File:ORBIT-wiki-logo.jpg

2012-02-15T17:41:22Z

Bh213: uploaded a new version of "File:ORBIT-wiki-logo.jpg": Reverted to version as of 08:56, 13 January 2012

Image by [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kynetyx/ Nick Kidd], by special permission:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kynetyx/3827294777/in/set-72157622800512360

File:ORBIT-wiki-logo.jpg

2012-02-15T17:39:48Z

Bh213:

Image by [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kynetyx/ Nick Kidd], by special permission:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kynetyx/3827294777/in/set-72157622800512360

File:ORBIT-wiki-logo.jpg

2012-02-15T17:38:37Z

Bh213: uploaded a new version of "File:ORBIT-wiki-logo.jpg"

User:Bh213

2012-02-15T17:37:18Z

Bh213:

To find out more about me, see http://www.sciencemedianetwork.org.

[[Special:ListUsers]]

Hello

* Bulleted list item
* Bulleted list item

[[MediaWiki:Vector.css]]

[[MediaWiki:Sidebar]]

[[:File:ORBIT-wiki-logo.jpg]]

File:Teachers working together.jpg

2012-02-15T15:20:53Z

Bh213:

OER4Schools/Designing interactive lesson plans

2012-02-15T15:20:31Z

Bh213: /* Reflections from your own trial */

{{OER4S}}

== Reflections from your own trial ==
Sharing your reflections through:

[[Image:teachers_working_together.jpg|thumb|300px]]
{{activity|snowball}}: pairs talk then join another pair.
* What was the objective of the new activity/lesson?
* How have activities/lessons been interactive?
* What lesson plans have you been creating?
* How do you think the lesson went? In particular, how did learners respond?
* What would you change if you taught this again?

{{ednote|text=
Encourage peer observation if possible, and teachers to suggest changes for themselves.
}}

'''<nowiki>[</nowiki>SKIP THE NEXT ACTIVITY if you feel participants already have a good grasp of what interactive teaching is like]'''

'''Moving towards interactive teaching'''

{{activity|Small group activity}}

We mentioned last time that interactive teaching involves moving from “telling” to “listening.” Discuss in a small group what other words you feel might describe the difference between traditional approaches and interactive teaching? What are the two kinds of classroom like? Can everyone come up and write a word or phrase for each approach?

{{ednote|text=
Some contrasts people might make (let them suggest their own terms):
* passive - active
* quiet - noisy
* individual - collaborative
Note: these are not value judgments - they can be positive or negative in different circumstances!
}}

== Lesson planning ==

In Section 2 you planned an ''activity''<nowiki>; now we will focus on planning a whole interactive </nowiki>''lesson'' – a series of activities together.

How do you currently plan your lessons?

{{ednote|text=
Check variation, discuss value of recording lesson plans.
}}

== An interactive lesson plan in action ==

Look at the lesson plan template and the example of a completed one: this shows the plan for the lesson you have seen the clips from – Eness’s lesson on vertebrates.

Watch the following 4 clips to see how the activities in that lesson are sequenced. (A couple of these you have already seen, the other two are new).

{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_1.mp4|duration=2:43|src=SQEoWYVAC78}}
{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_3.mp4|duration=1:17|src=cXyibsmbS3M}}
{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_5.mp4|duration=4:04|src=Q2jnT6w2ub0}}
{{video|name=Eness_vertebrates_12.mp4|duration=4:19|src=kY2Ow7PuseI}}

{{ednote|text=
The clips are from Eness' lesson on vertebrates, clips 1 (part), 3, 5, 12 .mp4. They demonstrate:
* 1 = start of lesson: brain storm with unique contributions, time to think first, no hands up technique too
* 3 = Instructions to set up the task and initiate group work<nowiki>; </nowiki>group enjoying themselves
* 5 = T gives detailed help to group: shows ICT use
* 12 = whole class discussion of ‘is a bat a bird?’ + T sets unresolved problem as homework
}}

Discuss these clips at the end; how did the teacher build up the sequence of activities? Look at her lesson plan again if you need to.

Notice how the teacher gave the children time to think before the brainstorm; she was very patient! This is called “wait time” and can be used any time when learners are asked a question or given a challenging task. Rather than jumping in to tell them an answer, it allows uncertainty and encourages deeper thinking.

{{ednote|text=
The lesson builds from (a) brainstorm to (b) groupwork using ICT and developing children’s own classifications, to (c) group presentations to the class, interspersed with (d) whole class discussion and follow-up homework.
}}

== Developing lesson plans using lesson plan "templates" ==
{{activity|Small group activity}} '''Working in small groups, each participant should complete a whole lesson plan for a lesson they will teach shortly. Spend quite a lot of time on this.

Think about incorporating interactive elements in your lesson plans. Discuss ideas with your group. Plan the lesson in detail, so every activity is described in enough detail that someone else could teach from your plan.

However, allow for some flexibility according to learners’ responses. Remember at the end of Eness’s lesson (Clip 12), she set the learners a research task for homework because they had not come to a consensus view about whether a bat was a bird or not.

'''Including all learners. '''How can you ensure that everyone is participating actively?

For example, you saw how Eness (Clip 1) required every child to think of their own example of an animal. Are there other techniques you can use, especially if you have a large class where that might be too time consuming?

Are there any learners that may have difficulty with the tasks?

'''Differentiation'''. Think too about how you will cater for slower and faster learners – can the faster learners get further or get more work done than the slower ones? Do you need to have additional, more challenging work ready for them to do if they finish an activity before their peers?

Choose one or more new ideas to add to the one you already tried last time, e.g.
* Brainstorm
* Mini-blackboard use, with or without student presentations
* A question-and-answer session with students as to what they might want to learn. (You would need to then take those requests seriously!)
* Think of a general question, that has many answers (e.g. name mammals) rather than a single answer. Ask children to come to the board one-by-one, and write (e.g. a mammal) on the board.
* A practical or outdoors activity

== Homework ==
Teach the lesson you have planned. Then '''REFLECT''' on it as you did before when you trialled a new activity. Use your dictaphone to record your reflections. You may want to write down a few brief notes too, so you can remember the issues arising when you come to the next workshop session, as you will be asked to share your reflections with others then (focusing on how the lesson went, how learners responded, and what you would change if you taught it again).