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Original article: LINK

By Nadia Behizadeh

People write to make and share meaning. This includes everything from social media posts to poetry and even exams. But what makes writing truly authentic?

In everyday life, businesses often advertise their services as ‘authentic.’ For example, an ‘authentic’ restaurant promises genuine cuisine. In education, however, authenticity means something different. It’s not necessarily about the task itself being authentic, but about how your students perceive it.

Research shows that students learn better when they find class writing projects genuinely engaging [LINK]. For instance:

• Students learn more when they are genuinely engaged [LINK].
• Authentic writing projects are crucial for learning different genres [LINK].
• Students can achieve a level of mastery by participating in authentic writing projects [LINK].

Redefining authenticity

Traditionally, educators have viewed authenticity as a feature of the writing task. For example, writing a letter to a pen pal is considered authentic because it’s a real-life activity. Similarly, authentic assessments are those that match real-world tasks. For example, writing a diary in role as a character from a book. However, some scholars argue that authenticity is actually subjective. It depends on how meaningful the student finds the class writing project. It could be said that a writing project is authentic only when students see it as being relevant and valuable to their own lives [LINK and LINK].

To make class writing projects more authentic, teachers can see authenticity as existing on a spectrum. Some class projects will be more authentic than others. Teachers (and children) can work together to think about how they can make certain class projects more authentic [LINK].

Structured choice of a valued topic

Giving students guidance and instruction on how to choose writing topics

Students often prefer having some agency over their writing topics but can struggle with complete freedom [LINK and LINK]. Students often comment that they like to be given some leeway in choosing what they would like to write about within the parameters of the class writing project [LINK]. This, as opposed to being assigned a specific topic or being given the opportunity to pick from a selection of teacher (or scheme) generated ideas [LINK]. However, too much freedom can also leave some students unsure of what to choose [LINK].

Helping students find meaningful topics

Children need time to think deeply about their writing ideas and to talk these ideas through with their teacher and friends. That’s what’s so great about having an Ideas Party and keeping a Writing Register [LINK].

Implementing structured choice in class

Ideas Parties and Writing Registers are just two examples for implementing structured choices in your writing classroom. Teachers can meet with students individually to discuss ideas while the rest of the class work on a personal writing project [LINK].

Students who may have been brought up on a diet of teacher or scheme-assigned writing topics can feel writing at school is disconnected from their lives. They feel alienated from writing as a result. While children who have been brought up on such a diet still desire choice, they often need instruction [LINK], guidance and feedback [LINK] to find their most meaningful and promising topics.

Even though many pupils feel their teacher will be accepting of their writing ideas, some children (particularly boys) can feel that their ideas are not always accepted by their teachers. Teachers need to understand and not shy away from real-world issues that students want to write about [LINK and LINK].

Balancing structure and freedom

To foster authentic expression, as educators, we must balance structure with freedom in topic choice [LINK]. We should be mindful of our own topic and genre biases, as limiting topics too severely or unnecessarily can hinder students’ heartfelt expression [LINK]. By guiding students toward meaningful and successful choices and being open to a range of topics, teachers can enhance the authenticity, independence, and engagement of their students [LINK].

Writing for impact: Making a difference through writing

In discussing writing with children, what becomes clear is that for them, authenticity is about more than just expressing themselves and having some choice over their writing ideas —it’s also about writing for impact [LINK]. Children often express a strong desire to write about issues that matter deeply to them [LINK]. In addition, young writers wish deeply for social connection. They want to witness or hear about their reader(s) reactions to their texts.

Authentic writing isn’t just about abiding by conventions and showing your teacher proficiency – it’s about connecting with and moving others [LINK].

Practical implications for teachers

Children’s perspectives on authentic writing show how choice, connection and impact are interconnected, creating a unique context for each class writing project. Children too often view school writing as separate from personal, purposeful, authentic or home writing. To turn the tide, and make writing more authentic, teachers can:

• Establish publishing goals for class writing projects with their class [LINK].
• Explicitly teach children idea generation techniques that writers use [LINK].
• Support children’s topic choices through verbal feedback [LINK].
• Create a Writing Realities classroom and school [LINK].

Following the success of last year’s training, we are collaborating with HFL Education and UK Literacy Association’s School Of The Year Elmhurst Primary School to bring you our training: Getting Writing Right: What The Evidence Says.

Join us for a day of learning on the 17th of September.

About this course

Held at Elmhurst Primary School in London, this training will equip teachers and leaders to understand what the latest evidence and research concerning quality writing teaching is.   

The day will consider how schools can ensure that all children make maximised progress in writing.  The essential features of writing teaching will be discussed, such as: 

• How to set rigorous writing goals
• How to plan a class writing project with the greater-depth standard as the standard
• What’s involved in delivering an effective writing lesson
• How to deliver sentence-level and grammar instruction
• How to connect reading and writing profitably.

Learning Outcomes

• Have a secure understanding of what the evidence and research says around effective writing teaching
• Be given practical ideas and strategies for writing teaching to use in the primary classroom immediately
• Be equipped with greater confidence and subject knowledge concerning the teaching of writing

Additional Information

Lunch & refreshments will be provided.

Schools will also receive a school license (worth £54.75) to our latest eBook How To Teach Writing.

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened – Anatole France

Why write poems about animals and pets?

Children love animals. They often ask each other what their favourite animals are and why. Many have pets. Regardless of where we live, we see a variety of animals, and they are important to us for many reasons. Poets write about animals in various ways, and many people enjoy reading or hearing such poems.

Writers sometimes simply focus on an animal in order to be playful and descriptive with language. Others use animals (such as snakes, wolves and foxes) as a metaphor to describe human behaviour, psychology and even philosophy. Some write odes to a particular animal. Poems can be memoir-based (prose poems). Of course, others will write about mythical creatures, as Lewis Carroll did in Jabberwocky.

Finally, if you read nonfiction texts about animals, you may notice that writers often use figurative language, or what we call painting with words, to classify and describe animals. With this writing project you can begin to introduce the idea that poetry and non-fiction can work in harmony.

Original article: LINK

By Elizabeth Jaeger

Jaeger’s study discusses the unique collaborative writing experience of a group of primary-aged students have during their writing lessons. Rodrigo, Ryan, Sam, and Paul, among others, spontaneously co-authored a superhero story over six weeks, which was distinguished by its intensity, creativity, and influence on their peers. This phenomenon occurred in a classroom environment focused on meaning-making and student agency, consistent with a communicative approach to teaching writing.

The purpose of Jaeger’s study was to explore the possibilities for student-centered co-composing practices in primary classrooms by analysing the children’s collaborative processes, their interactions, and the multi-voiced texts they produced [LINK]. The paper argues that the boys’ work was characterised by both heteroglossic (multi-voiced) discourse and a complementary outcome, demonstrating the potential of more fluid and responsive writing processes in education.

Interactions among co-writers:
The paper describes various ways young writers interact, including planning, negotiating, narrating, and using nonlinguistic modes of communication [LINK]. Students often engage in ‘reactive writing’, a process characterised by minimal planning and instead focus on frequent modification of texts. Turn-taking is also seen as essential, and negotiation of content, roles, and revisions is common. Conflict is ultimately seen as beneficial as it encourages deeper thinking and the refinement and justification of certain writing ideas. Keeping track of the evolving text is also a priority with frequent re-reading aloud together [LINK]. Finally, sound effects and drawings may also contribute to the creative process [LINK]. Occasionally, young writers will discuss and reflect on their writing process too.

Benefits of co-authoring:
The review identifies several benefits of co-authoring, including enhancing each other’s writing processes, improvements in final written products, better decision-making, and positive affect (feelings). Students tend to work harder and produce stronger texts when supported to co-write compared to writing alone. The process also promotes a community of writers and situational motivation in the writing classroom. This is because co-authoring naturally facilitates both cognitive and social development, as students must consider, reflect, justify and reconcile their authorial differences. Additionally, it offers affective benefits, such as pleasure, care for peers, and emotional support, which in turn can foster creativity [LINK].

Further CPD articles:

• Developing children’s talk for writing [LINK]
• A quick guide to class sharing and Author’s Chair [LINK]
• The impact of oral language and transcription skills on children’s early writing [LINK]
• The relationship between oral language, content knowledge, cognitive skills and writing [LINK]
• Comparing children’s oral and written storyretelling: the role of ideation and transcription [LINK]

By Anne McIntyre, Amy Scott, Brigid McNeill & Gail Gillon

Original article: LINK

Helping young children develop their language skills so they can become good writers is a key goal in early education [LINK].

This study examined six-year-old children’s abilities to tell a story both orally and in writing, aiming to understand how generating ideas and transcription interact in early writing development.

The relationship between speaking and writing

Studies show that teaching oral language skills improves children’s writing skills [LINK]. These skills should be central parts of early literacy education.

Generating writing ideas and oral language

Writing down ideas depends a lot on speaking skills because we need to translate our thoughts into spoken words before we can write them down [LINK]. Studies show that oral language plays a crucial role in helping children write. Oral language skills in the early years can predict writing quality in KS1 and beyond. Essentially, some research indicates that an ability to tell your writing ideas can predict your later writing success [LINK].

Generating ideas and transcription

Research comparing how children develop their ideas (ideation) and the technical aspects of writing (transcription) in both spoken and written forms is limited. However, it may be the case that improvements in oral skills doesn’t immediately transfer to writing. It may take time for oral language improvements to show up.

Key findings

• The quality of children’s spoken and written stories were similar but not identical. For instance, children used more adverbs in spoken stories, but the number of ideas (measured in what’s called ‘c-units’ which is a way of counting complete ideas) was not significantly different between the two.
• There was a strong positive relationship between the number of words children spoke and wrote. In other words, children who spoke more words also tended to write more words.
• The structure of their stories, sentence complexity, and vocabulary were highly correlated. This means that if a child’s oral story had good structure their written story typically did too.
• Children’s ability to tell stories orally is strongly related to their ability to write stories.

Implications

Telling and drawing their writing ideas prior to writing them down can play a significant role in children’s early writing success [LINK].

Original article: LINK

By Anne Haas Dyson

In her research paper, Anne Hass Dyson discusses a young boy named Ta’Von, who loves writing about blues guitarists. He spent a long time working on a piece in his personal writing book, which was much longer and more passionate than his earlier, shorter school writing. Ta’Von’s personal writing was full of pride and connected to his family’s love for music, showing his deep interest in blues musicians. Despite his enthusiasm, Ta’Von felt this writing wasn’t ‘real’ because it didn’t have an audience to respond to it.

In school, Ta’Von felt writing was just an activity that was administered to keep children busy during lessons. The school’s writing tasks were based on strict curriculum guidelines and tied to standardised tests. The teacher, though caring, had to follow these guidelines, focusing on the lessons supplied by the scheme.

Writing in school meant writing just to please official requirements and was evaluated by the teacher alone. Children weren’t to write about their own interests and intentions [LINK]. Dyson’s research asks how school writing can become more meaningful and be driven by students’ genuine interests, like Ta’Von’s love for music, rather than just fulfilling curriculum mandates [LINK].

***

It’s important for students to feel a sense of agency and intentionality in their writing to make it ‘real’ and meaningful. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Agency and intentionality: Agency means the power and ability to act on one’s intentions and interests. It’s crucial for pupils to feel that they have control over their writing intentions throughout their lives [LINK].
2. Composing and symbol making: Children’s ability to compose stories, whether through playing with toys, drawing and writing, grows from a foundation of intentional writerly experiences [LINK]. Children quickly learn that their emergent writing can do many things: entertain, question, persuade, and more [LINK].
3. Structured activities in schools: Traditionally, schools provide class writing projects where children can freely explore writing and share their compositions with peers, teachers and others. These projects are like a ‘writerly playground’ for their social and intentional selves to develop and express ideas [LINK].
4. Current educational rigidness: Some writing schemes have become too rigid, making it harder for young children to engage in this kind of intention-filled, meaningful writing.

Overall, there is a need to make school writing more aligned with children’s natural, intention-driven activities to foster genuine engagement with writing and being writers [LINK].

***

Strict writing schemes affect children’s ability to write creatively and meaningfully. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Embedded agency: While none of us have complete freedom, our identities are shaped by the institutions we are part of. Strict writing schemes impact children’s writing [LINK, LINK and LINK].
2. Presentational-skill oriented writing schemes: Writing mainly to practice skills isn’t the meaningful, intention-driven writing that helps children make sense of the world. Children need to practice writing in a way that’s purposeful and meaningful, similar to how professionals practice their skills [LINK & LINK].

There is a need for a more inclusive approach to teaching writing that values children’s interests and intentions, allowing their creativity and knowledge to be recognised and nurtured within the school environment [LINK].

***

How can we make writing more meaningful and real for children? Here’s a breakdown:

What is real writing?

• Real writing involves communicating ideas and sharing meaning(s) with the world. It’s driven by a child’s need and desire to express something meaningful [LINK].
• You can support children to find their intentions but intention must come from within the writer [LINK].
• Real writing isn’t just about practising skills – it’s about children using those skills to communicate something that they feel is worth communicating [LINK & LINK].

Challenges in teaching real writing

• Narrow writing schemes can make it hard to promote real writing because they often focus on rigid skill practice alone.
• However, teachers still have some control over how they respond to students and organise class writing projects [LINK].

Public sharing

• Having a time for children to share their writing with others helps connect their personal interests with the school’s curriculum [LINK].
• This public forum lets teachers understand their students better and helps students anticipate an audience for their compostions [LINK].

Flexible class writing projects

• Class writing projects should be flexible and allow children to participate in various ways using different writing ideas [LINK].

In summary, Dyson advocates for a more flexible and writer-centered approach to writing in schools, where children’s own interests and intentions drive their writing, and they have opportunities to share their compositions with others. This approach helps make writing more meaningful and engaging for students.

Original article: LINK

By Charlotte L. Land

Charlotte Land’s study aimed to answer the following question: How can teachers integrate critical and humanising teaching methods into their writing classrooms? Key findings show how teachers can use concepts like purpose and audience to value their students’ abilities and support them as makers of meaningful texts.

• Start with purpose and audience: Begin class writing projects by considering the purpose of the writing project and who the audience will be. This shift helps make writing tasks more meaningful and relevant to students [LINK].
• Recognise student capabilities: By emphasising purpose and audience, teachers can better recognise and value the unique knowledge(s) and perspectives that each student brings to the writing classroom [LINK].
• Support student agency: Encourage students to see themselves as capable and independent writers who can make decisions about their writing based on its purpose and intended future audience [LINK and LINK].

Humanising teaching approaches

Schools can often purchase writing schemes which dehumanise both children and teachers. Critical and humanising pedagogies aim to counter these effects by promoting a more inclusive, respectful, and empowering approach to teaching writing. An example of this is our free-access Writing Realities framework [LINK].

Core concepts of humanising writerly education:

1. Mutual learning: Humanising education involves teachers and students learning about writing and being writers together through dialogue, treating each other as equals in the learning process [LINK].
2. Resisting deficit views: Instead of seeing students through a lens of what they lack, educators should recognise and honour the strengths and knowledge(s) that students bring from their cultural and linguistic backgrounds to the writing classroom [LINK].
3. Disrupting power hierarchies: Teachers should aim to break down traditional power structures in the classroom and the broader society, fostering an environment where all students feel valued and empowered as young writers.
4. Applying critical literacy: Critical literacy involves reading and writing with an awareness of power dynamics in texts. It encourages students to not only understand and critique what they read but also to create their own texts that reflect their perspectives and push for social justice [LINK].

Making writing relevant and engaging for students

Today’s writers need to be adaptable and able to make complex decisions about how to effectively communicate their messages. However, schools often don’t spend enough time teaching writing, and when they do, it is frequently through uninspiring, scheme-assigned writing tasks that don’t connect with individual children or with real-world purposes [LINK and LINK]. Writing assignments are typically designed to meet a scheme’s requirements (not children’s needs).

To prepare students for the demands of writing beyond school, we need to give them opportunities to make their own writerly decisions. This includes deciding what to write about, why they are writing, and who their audience will be. Students should be seen as creators of knowledge rather than just consumers.

Historical and modern perspectives

The idea that writing teaching should consider audience and purpose dates back to Aristotle. Over time, scholars have explored how different types of audiences— whether real or imagined — affect the writing process. Today, as writing becomes more participatory, it’s important for students to develop skills for engaging with their readers and using their feedback effectively.

Challenges in current writing instruction

Research shows that giving students real reasons and audiences for their writing makes a big difference. And while the ideas of ‘purpose’ and ‘audience’ are common in both the National Curriculum and STA Writing Statements, they often become about following specific formats or fulfilling teacher (or scheme-generated) checklists rather than truly engaging with who the writing is for and why it matters [LINK and LINK]. This can make writing seem like a mechanical skill rather than a way to communicate with others [LINK].

Without a strong focus on purpose and audience, writing instruction can alienate children and become disconnected from the real-world. This leads to formulaic x30+ copies of the same writing that doesn’t inspire students (or teachers) to write for themselves. Students need to see writing as a tool to make and share meaning with others, not just as an academic exercise to endure. Unfortunately, for too many students in the UK at present this is the case [LINK].

• Standardised writing: Schools often conform to narrow definitions of what writing could (and should) be, especially when following narrow writing schemes, which can overlook the rich and diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds of students [LINK].
• Teacher-centered evaluation: Even in more inclusive classrooms, teachers are usually the main audience and evaluators, making most of the decisions about writing tasks [LINK and LINK].
• Pressure to conform: There is significant pressure to disproportionately prioritise getting children to write about their reading, and to stick to formulaic writing instruction, especially in schools serving marginalised and/or economically underserved communities [LINK].

Addressing these challenges

Teachers need methods that honour and build on students’ strengths, preparing them for teacher-assessment/moderation and the diverse writing contexts they’ll encounter when they leave school. This involves:

• Connecting writing to real life: Help students choose writing topics that are meaningful to them and connect to their own experiences, knowledge(s), passions and interests [LINK and LINK].
• Focusing on purpose and audience: Start with why students are writing and who they are writing for [LINK].
• Support student agency: Encourage students to see themselves as capable writers who can make decisions about their writing [LINK]. This helps them develop confidence and a sense of ownership over their writing.
• Dialogue and collaboration: Engage with students in meaningful conversations about their writing [LINK].
• Valuing student backgrounds: Invite children to incorporate their cultural and linguistic resources into the writing classroom to make their writing apprenticeship more relevant and respectful [LINK].
• Empowering students: Invite students to write about issues that matter to them, helping them see their potential to influence change [LINK].
• Critical text creation: Allow students to compose their own texts that challenge injustices and express their unique voices, promoting individual agency and action [LINK].

Conclusion

In summary, adopting critical and humanising approaches to writing helps create a more inclusive and engaging learning environment [LINK]. It prepares children as thoughtful writers who understand the impact writing can have and are ready to navigate various writing contexts effectively now and in the future [LINK].

Original article: LINK

By Victoria Purcell-Gates, Nell K. Duke, Joseph A. Martineau

Research indicates that teaching students about specific text structures can improve their understanding and ability to write those types of texts [LINK]. In Australia, a genre-based approach to teaching writing, influenced by Hallidayan linguistic theory, has long been popular. This method makes the ‘typical’ features of different genres explicit to children by reading as writers [LINK]. Proponents of genre-based teaching argue that students need explicit instruction to understand different genres, as relying on ‘luck’ alone is not enough. However, the approach has faced criticism for being too rigid and for ignoring cultural differences [LINK].

Despite disagreements, there’s a consensus that authentic class writing projects are essential for learning about the different purposes for writing [LINK]. Authentic writing class projects mean engaging with texts in real-life contexts rather than undertaking artificial scheme-assigned tasks.

Purcell-Gates, Duke & Martineau’s research study explored the impact of explicit instruction of genre features within the context of authentic class writing projects.

They aimed to answer two main questions:

1. How does explicit teaching of genre features in science texts affect children’s ability to read and write these texts? [LINK]
2. How is the authenticity of class writing projects related to children’s growth in reading and writing these texts? [LINK]

In essence, the study wanted to explore how to best teach writing by combining explicit instruction with real-world reading and writing experiences.

***

We can draw several important conclusions from their study:

1. Authentic class writing projects: Engaging children in real-life writing projects significantly helps them improve their understanding and writing of texts. This finding supports the idea that children learn language better when they use it in real, meaningful contexts rather than just through formal instruction [LINK].
2. Developmental considerations: The study suggests that explicit teaching of genre craft moves might not align well with the cognitive and linguistic abilities of very young children [LINK]. However, as children grow older and more experienced, explicit teaching might become more effective.
3. Combination of strategies: The study hints that combining explicit teaching of genre craft moves with explicit reading as writers strategies could be incredibly effective.

Original article: LINK

By Murray Gadd, Judy M. Parr

Imagine a primary school teacher in New Zealand who found a fantastic way to get his Year 5 and 6 students excited about writing. He started telling his students fun and adventurous stories about his mischievous dog, Baxter. Instead of just asking the kids to retell Baxter’s adventures, he encouraged them to come up with their own funny, naughty, or strange animal stories based on either their own experiences or their imaginations.

The students dove into their writing with enthusiasm. They wrote vivid descriptions, like a cat drinking from a used toilet bowl, a parrot sipping wine from its owner’s shoulder, and a peculiar dog winking mischievously at a child walking home from school. John then told his students that their stories would be published on a class blog for the local community to read.

Almost all the students said they loved the project, and their writing was as good as or even better than their previous efforts. John believed the success came from the nature of the project itself – it was meaningful, open-ended, and connected to the students’ own lives [LINK].

This approach is called ‘task orientation.’ It means carefully planning the content and structure of a class writing project so as to engage students effectively [LINK]. When done right, as John demonstrated, it can significantly boost students’ interest and academic performance. The study highlighting John’s method shows how essential task orientation is for effective writing instruction and how it helps teachers positively impact their students’ learning and engagement.

***

Projects are the cornerstone of a writing classroom, whether they are created by teachers [LINK] or students [LINK]. These tasks can vary widely: some might be the same for everyone, while others offer choice; they can be done alone or in groups; they can aim for one specific result or invite various outcomes.

Four key features make class writing projects more engaging and beneficial for students.

• First, the project must be meaningful to the student. When tasks connect to what students are interested in or already know, they become more engaging [LINK]. Students often feel more invested if they have a say. When students find class writing projects meaningful, they are more likely to feel empowered and motivated.
• Second, class writing projects should be linked to learning goals. Writing, in particular, should relate to the students’ own lives and other subjects they are studying [LINK and LINK].
• Third, there should be a variety of projects. Students need different types of writing projects to show their abilities in various areas and to keep them interested. However, tasks should not be randomly varied. They need to be thoughtfully planned to ensure deep learning [LINK].
• Finally, class projects should be appropriately challenging. They should be challenging but achievable to keep students motivated and help them build confidence. When students successfully complete challenging projects, it increases their self-efficacy and motivation [LINK].

Effective class writing projects should meet the students’ learning needs, be seen as purposeful and challenging by students, involve students in their creation [LINK and LINK], consider the diverse backgrounds of students [LINK], and be open-ended, allowing for extended engagement.

This study looked at how these principles of effective unit planning are used by exceptional writing teachers. It examines which strategies are most closely linked to student progress and what these strategies look like in practice. By understanding and applying these strategies, teachers can create tasks that significantly boost student engagement and achievement.

***

Teachers who excel in planning class writing projects are more likely to see their students make significant progress in writing. Specifically, two strategies stand out:

• Planning projects that students find purposeful and challenging [LINK]
• Involving students in the selection or construction of these projects [LINK and LINK].

In classroom practice, most teachers successfully planned projects that were purposeful and aligned with their students’ learning needs and diverse backgrounds [LINK]. The lessons observed included a wide range of topics and writing purposes, such as recounting personal experiences, describing imaginary moments, or explaining scientific concepts [EYFS, KS1 & KS2]. Teachers could articulate why they chose specific projects and how these were relevant to their students’ experiences and interests.

In terms of project organisation, most teachers ensured a variety of class projects, often making them open-ended to accommodate personal or imaginative writing. However, there was variability in how much choice students had in selecting topics. About half of the lessons observed involved some degree of student choice within broad parameters set by the teacher. For example, students might be asked to explain how something works but could choose what to explain [EYFS, KS1 & KS2].

Only one lesson demonstrated full student involvement in project construction. Students not only selected their topic but also the purpose and audience for their writing [LINK], fostering greater engagement and ownership of their writing.

Overall, this study highlights the importance of purposeful and challenging class writing project, student involvement in project construction, and thoughtful task organisation [LINK] in promoting effective writing instruction.

Original paper: LINK

By Anne Elrod Whitney

We all yearn for genuine connections [LINK]. Authenticity means being real and honest, not pretending.

As teachers of writing, we need to aim for this authenticity. When we ask students to write, we want their purposes to be real and meaningful. We want their writing processes to be genuine. When they compose texts, we want these to reflect real-life writerly situations. The audiences we source for our students should be genuine too, with real readers providing real reactions [LINK]. And in our relationships with students, we should strive to be authentic, encouraging them to be their true selves as well [LINK].

The challenge of maintaining authenticity in school

We often separate school writing from the ‘real-world’ too sharply [LINK, LINK and LINK]. School writing is too often seen by children as preparation for the future, where writing tasks are ‘just practice’ until you’re allowed to do it for real. However, for children, school is their real world. Children arrive at school with a belief that everything they do there is real and important work [LINK]. They don’t initially worry about academic recognition or question the value of writing tasks. But over time, this sense of reality fades [LINK]. Why does this happen?

Schools often overlook what is most real and immediate to students, like their daily experiences, concerns, hopes, fears, and relationships. Instead, we focus on alienating and detaching children from writing, asking them to write about teacher or scheme-assigned topics for no reason at all [LINK]. To keep writing meaningful, we need to connect it to students’ lives and genuine interests.

Making authenticity a practice in the writing classroom

Most of us understand what it feels like to write something truly meaningful – when it serves a real purpose or gets an important job done. There is a sense of pleasure and satisfaction that comes from that. But do our students experience writing in the same way, or do they just see it as another thing you have to ‘get done’ while you’re at school [LINK and LINK]?

As teachers, we want to provide our students with genuine writing opportunities, but how can we make this a reality? How can we create authentic writing experiences that help students see the true value of writing?

In her article, the Anne Whitney proposes that authenticity requires actions related to four areas:

1. Authentic genres: Use real-life writing forms that students might encounter outside of school [EYFS, KS1 and KS2].
2. Authentic processes: Engage students in writing processes that mirror what writers actually do [LINK].
3. Authentic audiences: Connect students with real readers who provide genuine reactions, social-connection and feedback [LINK].
4. Authentic relationships: Be a genuine writer-teacher and help students express their themselves [LINK & LINK].

By emphasising these aspects, you help students see writing as something more than just a school-based task and help them build more meaningful connections with their writing and with each other.

Using real-life writing genres in the classroom

Authenticity means inviting children to make real, successful and meaningful writing rather than artificial stuff. To making class writing projects more authentic, try these strategies:

1. Use real-life language for genres. Look at how different types of writing are presented in bookstores, magazines, and online [LINK and LINK].
2. Encourage observing real-world writing: Have students track every instance of writing they see over a few days and then discuss these observations as a class. Highlight the purposes behind different writing activities to show that writing has value and use outside of school.
3. Provide real-world examples: Whenever you plan a class writing project, offer examples from outside the classroom [LINK]. If you can’t find a real-world example of what you’re asking students to write, perhaps this is telling you something. Perhaps you need to reconsider whether it’s a worthwhile project.
4. Define genres authentically: Use examples from the real world to teach students about different genres. Read as writers. Analyse what makes a review a review, an essay an essay, or a blog a blog. Also, be open to the idea that genre definitions and conventions change over time.
5. Consider the context of genres: Look beyond just text features. Discuss the purpose, audience, and context that led to the creation of the text [LINK]. Genres are nothing more than purposes for writing. They are a response to a specific situation, so help students identify similar scenarios where they might use the same genre in their lives [LINK].
6. Answer questions with real examples: When students ask questions like “How long does it need to be?” or “Can I draw a diagram?” refer to real-world examples [LINK]. This approach not only grounds your teaching in authentic content but also teaches students how to make these decisions on their own.

Using authentic writing processes in the classroom

Here’s how we can make the writer’s process more authentic:

1. Allow flexibility: Writing doesn’t always go as planned, and that’s okay. Encourage students to adapt and change their plans as needed [LINK]. If a draft takes them in a new direction, give them the space to explore those new ideas rather than sticking strictly to their initial plan.
2. Share your process: Keep a journal of your own writing processes, strategies and techniques. Share these strategies with your students before inviting them to give the strategy a try for themselves that day [LINK].
3. Write alongside students: Occasionally, write in front of your class, thinking out loud about your decisions [LINK]. This shows students that writing is a social and dynamic process, not just about producing a ‘first-shot perfect product’.
4. Set process goals: Set very specific goals for writing time [LINK].
5. Teach specific strategies: When you give verbal feedback, explain the strategies you use when you’re writing and how they might be useful in their situation [LINK]. For example, show them how you use show don’t tell to create a ‘film’ in your readers’ minds.
6. Create posters: Throughout the year, create posters of the different writing strategies you’ve taught that have really helped your students. Display these in the classroom as a reference.
7. Discuss process in sharing time: After writing sessions, ask students about their process. Invite them to discuss their top-tips and any other exciting outcomes. This helps them reflect on their own writerly experiences.
8. Focus on planning, revision and proof-reading: Occasionally, have whole-class or small-groups discussions about specific aspects of the writing process. For example, discuss your favourite planning strategies [LINK], undertake revision checklist sessions [LINK] and proof-read using CUPS [LINK].
9. Include process narratives: When students produce their final published pieces, also have them write about the making of the piece. This could be a letter to their readers or an explanation to their classmates.
10. Review and reflect: Throughout the year, ask your class what mini-lessons have been most useful to them? [LINK]

Securing genuine audiences for children’s writing

Understanding your audience is crucial in writing. When we write, we’re not just putting words on paper – we’re often attempting to connect with people. We are wanting to make and share meaning with others. It’s important for students to write for real audiences who will connect socially with them and show their reaction(s) to their writing. We don’t want children only writing for their teacher’s evaluation nor do we want them writing for phantom hypothetical readers [LINK].

Here’s how you can make writing more authentic and engaging by focusing on real audiences:

1. Start with the audience: At the start of a new class writing project, have students consider who the audience(s) could be for their writing. This is best done by setting a publishing goal together [LINK].
2. Write for different audiences: Throughout the academic year, and across a Key Stage, ensure children write for a variety of different audiences. This way, they learn how to tailor their writing (and voice) for different readers. For instance, writing to a local government official (a stranger in a position of power and influence) is different to writing a picturebook for younger students.
3. Class sharing: Have students regularly exchange their pieces to get their friends’ reactions and feedback. Have them read their pieces aloud to their friends [LINK]. This practice helps them consider the different reactions people have to their writing and they can make changes accordingly.
4. Engage with the community: Use the community outside of school as audiences. For example, host a Writer’s Tea where students can read their stories to community members and see their reactions. This provides the valuable social-connection that writers need and makes the writing experience more meaningful [LINK].
5. Explore online audiences: Help students understand how their writing might be seen by others online. Discuss who might read their class blog or watch their video, and explore tools that show how their writing can be digitalised, found, and shared with others. This teaches them about the impact of their writing and the importance of online privacy and ethics.
6. Continually discuss audience reaction: Discuss with students what kind of reaction they want from their audiences and always share your reaction to their manuscripts [LINK].

By incorporating these strategies, you will help your pupils understand the importance of writing for real audiences and give them practical experience in tailoring their writing to meet different needs and expectations.

Being genuine with students in the classroom

To truly connect with pupils in the writing classroom, it’s essential that both teachers and students embrace authenticity. This means showing our true selves as writer-teachers (both our strengths and weaknesses) rather than just presenting polished, perfect writing products.

1. Show your real writing: Share your own writing with students, including plans, drafts revisions, proof-reads and abandoned pieces. Let them see that writing is a process.
2. Be yourself: Don’t try to be a perfect writer-teacher (it’s impossible). Instead, be open about your own writing struggles and successes. Let students see you as a real writer, complete with excitement and doubts [LINK].
3. Respond with empathy: When a student is facing a difficulty, let them know you understand. Share the strategies you use when you experience what your student is experiencing [LINK].
4. Focus on the writing processes not ‘one-shot perfect products’: Rather than aiming for a one-shot perfect outcome, value the journey of writing [LINK].
5. Make writing a shared and socially connecting experience: Build a classroom community where everyone, including you, is actively engaged in the writing processes. Let students see that writing is a collaborative effort, and that everyone’s contributions are valued [LINK and LINK].