Keynote for Education Scotland's National Literacy Network

2. Do we value writing?
• Why do we ask students to write?
• Do we actually value the writing?
• If we don’t value it, why will students?

3. • We can only write what we can
say.
• We can only say what we can
think.
• But, if you can say it, you can
write it.
• What does this tell us about
speech?

4. Spoken language “forms a
constraint, a ceiling not only on
the ability to comprehend but
also on the ability to write,
beyond which literacy cannot
progress” Myhill and Fisher

5. Robin Alexander
“One of the reasons why talk is
undervalued is that there is a
tendency to see its function as
primarily social… but... talk in
classrooms is cognitive and
cultural as well as social.”

6. Conclusion: to improve
writing we need to
improve speaking.
How do we do that?

7. Why aren’t we
supposed to talk?

8. What not to do

9. Independent
learning
vs.
independence

10. Teaching
sequence for
developing
independence
3. Joint
construction
2. Modelling &
deconstruction
1. Setting
the context
& building
the field
4. Independent
construction

11. EXPLAIN
• Clear
– As simple as possible but not simpler
– Abstract to concrete
• Relevant
– ‘Anchored’ in prior knowledge
– Knowledge gaps
• Memorable
– Unexpected - “Huh?”
– Construct narratives

12. Functional Grammar
• Concerned with meaning:
– Participants
– Processes
– Circumstances
• The old man enjoyed riding his new
bike up and down the corridors of the
old people’s home.

13. Functional Grammar
• Concerned with meaning:
– Participants
– Processes
– Circumstances
• The old man enjoyed riding his new
bike up and down the corridors of the
old people’s home.

14. Explicitly teach processes
• Explicitly teach processes:
– Doing, saying (show)
– Sensing, being (tell)
• George’s parents gave him an axe
and told him to be careful. He
absolutely loved it and decided to
test his strength by chopping down a
tree.

15. Explicitly teach processes
• Explicitly teach processes:
– Doing, saying (show)
– Sensing, being (tell)
• George’s parents gave him an axe
and told him to be careful. He
absolutely loved it and decided to
test his strength by chopping down a
tree.

16. • Deconstruction
– High quality, subject specific texts/
examples
– Make language visible – talk about what
it’s doing
• Modelling
– Teacher shares ‘expert’ thought
processes: “I’m doing this because…”
– Show how to use knowledge

17. • Writing frames can both constrain and
give choice
• Never put up scaffolding unless you
have a plan for taking it down
• How can we get students to move
away from ‘everyday speech’ to
‘academic register’?

18. Lexical density & black space

19. Lexical density & black space

20. Lexical density & black space

21. • Turning up & turning down
High Moderate Low
Is
Are
Will
Likely
probably
Might
Could
Can
Unlikely
- = +
hate don’t like like love

22. The
writer
has
used
the
phrase
_
_
_
_
_
_
to
imply…
This
might
mean
…
because…
This
could
also
suggest…
because…
The
word
_
_
_
_
is
effec9ve
because…
The
writer’s
inten9on
is…
Thought stems for
English

23. Nominalisation
• Turning verbs (actions) into nouns
(concepts/ideas) makes you sound
more confident and authoritative

24. Spot the difference
Crime
was
increasing
rapidly
and
the
police
were
becoming
concerned.
The
rapid
increase
in
crime
was
causing
concern
among
the
police.
Germany
invaded
Poland
in
1939.
This
immediately
caused
World
War
Two
to
break
out.
Germany’s
invasion
of
Poland
in
1939
was
the
immediate
cause
of
the
outbreak
World
War
Two.
hFp://theplenary.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/34/

25. • Practice does not make perfect,
practice makes permanent
• Don’t allow mistakes to be embedded
• The problem with feedback

26. Proofreading
• Don’t write, draft
• Use a simple proofreading code
• Don’t mark work that’s not proofread
• If it’s not perfect, it’s not finished

27. The Proofreading Code
“If
it’s
not
proofread,
it’s
not
finished!”
C
–
Capital
le*ers
S
–
Spelling
P
–
Punctua3on
//
-­‐
Paragraphs
?
–
doesn’t
make
sense

28. Teaching
sequence for
developing
independence
3. Joint
construction
2. Modelling &
deconstruction
1. Setting
the context
& building
the field
4. Independent
construction

29. Focus on how not what
• Use a mix short & long sentences
• Avoid ‘and’ & ‘but’ (except at the
beginning of sentences!)
• Vary your discourse markers: as,
although, while, despite

30.
Adding: and, also, as well as, moreover, too
Cause & effect: because, so, therefore, thus, consequently
Sequencing: next, then, first, finally, meanwhile, before, after
Qualifying: however, although, unless, except, if, as long as,
apart from, yet
Emphasising: above all, in particular, especially, significantly,
indeed, notably
Illustrating: for example, such as, for instance, as revealed by,
in the case of
Comparing: equally, in the same way, similarly, likewise, as
with, like
Contrasting: whereas, instead of, alternatively, otherwise,
unlike, on the other hand
Know your discourse markers
@RealGeoffBarton

31. Slow Writing

32. Slow Writing
Write an account of your day so far...
1. Your first sentence must be a question
2. Your second sentence must be 3 words
exactly
3. Your third sentence must being with
“Although…”
4. Your fourth sentence must be 22 words
exactly
5. Your final sentence must begin with an
adverb (__ly)

33. Crafting beautiful sentences
• Write a sentence in which above is the
introductory word.
• Write a sentence in which above the house is
the introductory phrase.
• Make it a sentence describing the weather.
• Now make it the first sentence of a ghost
story.
• Now redraft the sentence so that the
phrase above the house comes at the end.
• Challenge: re-draft the sentence so that the
phrase above the house comes in the middle,
the sentence describes the weather and
comes from a ghost story.

34. Slow Writing
Crafting analytical sentences:
Despite _______________, ____________
____________________________________
Explain something positive about
George & Lennie’s relationship
Explain the consequences of
Lennie’s actions

35. Crafting beautiful sentences
• Farm animals give off large amounts of
methane. Explain the effects of adding
large amounts of methane to the
atmosphere.
‘Considering that _______________, ____
_____________________________________

36. Write a sentence describing the picture
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, Pieter Bruegel

37. Now, start the sentence with the phrase, “At
first glance…”
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, Pieter Bruegel
@Doug_Lemov

38. Writing Essentials
• Focus on how not what
• Proofreading & redrafting is important
• Teach students to move away from
‘everyday speech’ to ‘academic
register’

39. David Didau
@LearningSpy
learningspy.co.uk
ddidau@gmail.com
There’s nothing good or bad but
thinking makes it so