What makes a publishing house great? The easy answer is the consistency with which it produces books of value over a lengthy period of time. – Robert Gottlieb
Description of the principle
Good classroom organisation is absolutely vital as it facilitates learning, ensures focus and builds writing confidence. It also saves time – time that can be used beneficially by the teacher and the children. Resources will be visible and consistent across classes and the whole school and will communicate strategies clearly. Children need the reassurance of knowing how a writing lesson is expected to proceed.
A typical routine of mini-lesson, writing time and class sharing is the most effective routine teachers can adopt. A mini-lesson is a short piece of direct and explicit instruction on an aspect of writing which is likely to be useful to the children during that day’s writing time. During writing time, teachers conference with groups or individuals. A well-organised classroom ensures children are writing largely independently. For example, children will know the routines for working on class writing projects and that, once finished for the day, they should concentrate on their personal projects.
What Writing For Pleasure teachers do
- Teachers show excellent classroom organisation and behaviour management. There is a strong emphasis on routines, promoting self-regulation, expectations and focused collaborative learning among their children.
- Teachers have a clear routine of mini-lesson (1-20 minutes), writing time (30-40 minutes) and class sharing/author’s chair (10-15 minutes).
- Their mini lessons are a short direct instruction on an aspect of writing which was likely to be useful to the children during that day’s writing.
- Teachers teach from their own craft regularly – sharing their writing ‘tips, tricks and secrets’; alternatively, they will share examples from literature taken from the class library.
- In the class-sharing / author’s chair session, children will share their developing pieces and discuss with their peers the writing goals they have achieved that day.
Reviewing your practice: questions to consider
- Do you follow a similar, efficient and easy routine of: mini-lesson, writing time and class-share/author’s chair?
- How do you set manageable time allocations for different parts of the lesson to ensure children undertake the act of writing for a sustained period every single day?
- How do you ensure routines, access to resources, and behavioural expectations are clear?
Examples from the classroom
Write a little – share a little
Supporting resources
- Our writing development scales and assessment toolkit [LINK]
- Our BIG BOOK of writing mini-lessons: Lessons that teach powerful craft knowledge for 3-11 year olds [LINK]
- A QUICK guide to teaching writing in the EYFS [LINK]
- A QUICK guide to teaching writing in KS1 [LINK]
- Real-World Writers: A handbook for teaching writing with 7-11 year olds [LINK]
- Progression of key genres, including: narrative [LINK], non-fiction [LINK] and poetry [LINK]
- Long-term planning advice for Writing For Pleasure schools [LINK]
Suggested further reading
- Young, R. (2023) The components of an effective writing unit [LINK]
- Kaufman, D., Young, R. (2022) The components of an effective writing lesson [LINK]
- Young, R., Ferguson, F. (2022) Getting writing instruction right [LINK]
- Young, R., Ferguson, F., (2021) What can we learn from Writing for Pleasure teachers? Primary Matters (2) pp.21-25 [LINK]
- Young, R., Ferguson, F., (2020) What if almost everything we thought about writing was wrong? [LINK]
- Young, R., Ferguson, F., (2020) Creating a ‘Writing For Pleasure’ pedagogy: one teacher’s practice English 4-11 69 pp.2-5 [LINK]
- Young, R., Ferguson, F., (2019) Writing For Pleasure and the new Ofsted framework [LINK]
This chapter begins by unpicking the effectiveness of the writing workshop routine: mini-lesson, writing time, pupil conferencing, and class sharing. Comparisons are made between the early conceptions of the writing workshop approach and more contemporary manifestations. How teachers can give responsive teaching, ensure children receive a good balance between direct and explicit instruction, and ample time to write are also shared. Discussion about writing as a mastery-based approach, including the importance of repeated meaningful practice, is offered. Suggestions for classroom organisation and routines are also given. The chapter concludes with examples of effective practice from the classrooms of high-performing Writing For Pleasure teachers.
This chapter discusses the importance of a reassuringly consistent routine for individual writing lessons. It explains how a good writing lesson will typically follow the writing workshop routine of mini-lesson, writing time and class sharing. It explains how a good mini-lesson is short and responsive to what the class’ learning needs are presently. Using research evidence, it makes clear that the most effective writing instruction includes teaching writing study and writing craft mini-lessons so as to increase children’s level of independence through self-regulation strategy development (SRSD). These lessons involve teaching techniques and strategies children can use independently to navigate the writing processes. It discusses how, for children’s knowledge and skill in grammar and punctuation use to improve, children should be taught to use it functionally through functional grammar lessons. Next, the chapter discusses how, as children become more experienced, they should be given agency to set their own process goals and deadlines. A rationale is given as to why children must have daily and sustained time for writing. Advice is given about what teachers should be doing whilst children are writing. Finally, it is explained how teachers can allow time for class sharing and how to conduct an effective ‘author’s chair’.
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