'The Write Stuff' is an exciting scheme we use to teach our children to become excellent writers.

Each unit is based on a high quality book.  Children journey through the book with their class and identify key 'plot points' as the story unfolds.

At each plot point, children are carefully guided by their teachers to use the ‘Writing Rainbow’ to identify

• FANTASTICS – key language features such as  feelings, what you notice and questions
• GRAMMARISTICS – key grammar features such as sentence structures, paragraphing and punctuation
• BOOMTASTICS – key technical features such as similes, metaphors, rhyme and alliteration

Children then have an opportunity to practice developing their writing, sentence by sentence.  This is called sentence stacking and the work is displayed on the wall for reference.

Sentence stacking lessons run alongside ‘experience sessions’. These may be based on a practical activity for example using drama to help deepen children’s understanding of what they are finding out in the class book.

Children then use their new skills to write independently.

Write Stuff lessons are taught daily from years 1 to 6. Ashfield Primary's Long Term Curriculum plan shows the coverage of non-fiction and fiction genres across the school year for each age group. 

Children access a modelled text in the sentence stacking lessons and write their own version of it incorporating the range of skills provided by the Fantastic, Grammaristic and Boomtastic lenses. The children then plan, prepare and edit a final piece of independent writing.

Children's writing is assessed using the National Curriculm criteria for their year group. We encourage children to apply writing skills and knoweldge in other curriculum subjects. 

Key benefits of The Write Stuff:

• Pupils who understand how to apply sentence scaffolds to their independent writing as they develop their expertise.
• Standards improve because many worked examples are provided over the year that extend understanding through a wide range of genres and non-fiction text types.
• Children have a clear view of what high quality writing looks like and their learning is structured clearly and misconceptions dealt with.
• Pupils know how to improve their writing and make it more focussed and actionable feedback is provided to guide their learning.
• Children have a concept of how to build, plan and complete a piece of writing due to narrative maps and non-fiction shapes.