Writing for the new GCSE by Sally Barfoot (AST / SLE / Lead Practitioner MFL) s.barfoot@theredhillacademy.org.uk

“Writing is the most important skill.” Quick fire – agree / disagree / comment worthy you have 20 seconds to comment…. “Writing is the most important skill.”

Quick fire – agree / disagree / comment worthy…. “Writing is the most difficult skill to master.”

Quick fire – agree / disagree / comment worthy…. “Writing needs to be developed as a separate skill – not simply a drilling, summarising or assessing tool.” by ‘summarising’ I mean summarising the language learnt in key phrases (e.g. plenary) to prove learning has taken place.

Quick fire – agree / disagree / comment worthy…. “Writing needs to be practised regularly.”

Quick fire – agree / disagree / comment worthy…. “Pupils need to move towards independent writing (beyond writing frames and books).”

Quick fire – agree / disagree / comment worthy…. “Writing should be a creative and stimulating experience for teachers and students.”

How do your pupils feel about writing?

How do your pupils feel about writing? Pupils confident with literacy love it, others often hate it A frequently clear boy / girl divide in attitude Some rush to get it done like a ‘necessary evil’ Some suffer from a general lack of ideas (even in English) and this intimidates them Some hate committing things to paper in case they are wrong

I rush my work and make mistakes Who are you? I rush my work and make mistakes I write very slowly and struggle to write enough I am dyslexic I just lack confidence with my writing I struggle to come up with ideas My literacy is not good in English I am not very good at organising my work I am OK in class but when the teacher is not there I get stuck I rarely use my class work or dictionaries when I write Is it worth having this conversation with your pupils when they start the course (and along the way where necessary). Your perceptions may differ to those of the pupils so it is a good starting point for a conversation – useful for parent’s evenings too.

I always worry that my work will not be accurate enough Who are you? I love writing I always worry that my work will not be accurate enough I often think of things in English and try to translate it There are always more mistakes in my work than I thought I have too many ideas and I find it hard to keep it simple I worry my ideas are too simplistic I can say things quite easily but can’t write it down I can write things down but can’t say them I check EVERYTHING and this slows me down

How do you get your pupils interested in writing? I hate writing! I am rubbish at writing

How do you get your pupils interested in writing? Use talk as a medium to get the ideas flowing. Focus on accuracy and get them excited about constructing phrases and sentences which are correct. Keep it short and tightly focussed to start with then build on what they can do well. Give them a focus about which they have something to say or is quirky or triggers an emotion.

How are things changing?

GCSE pupils are going to have to….. write without support be able to adapt and think strategically retain vocabulary productively over a longer term understand + manipulate tense and sentence structure be able to apply knowledge and skills across a range of topic areas write creatively whilst remaining accurate and logical

Student survey – why do you think we do writing in class? Why write? To test accuracy To practise language taught To put things down books that can be learnt / revised To test understanding Student survey – why do you think we do writing in class?

Student survey – what would you like to do with writing in class? Why write? To test accuracy To practise language taught To put things down in books that we can learn To play around and experiment with language more To create ‘stuff’ (e.g. people / funny stories / scenarios) To enjoy the language To gain confidence To practise accents and apostrophes(!) To impress the teacher / peers and show off what we can do To read + listen to each other’s work Student survey – what would you like to do with writing in class? some of these are paraphrased to summarise what I understood they meant

How do we prepare them?

Progression is key Key stage 2 Key stage 3 Key stage 4 write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly describe people, places, things and actions in writing apply basic grammar to build sentences write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar + vocabulary, write creatively to express their own ideas +opinions use + manipulate a variety of key grammatical structures and patterns, including voices and moods develop + use a wide-ranging + deepening vocabulary that goes beyond immediate needs + interests give and justify opinions and take part in discussion about wider issues complete more than one writing task in a final writing exam at the end of year 11, based on a more ‘stretching’, essay-based system demonstrate knowledge and application of grammar  apply languages in personal, academic and employment-related contexts

Progression is key How much continuity and progression is there from How much + what types of writing activity do your KS3 pupils do? How much + what types of writing activity do your KS4 pupils do? How much + what types of writing activity do your KS5 pupils do? How much continuity and progression is there from and to each Key Stage + is there space for more creativity?

Writing at KS3 Assessing Note-taking Drilling Responding to L+R Practising responses Creating inventive text Playing with structure Manipulating grammar Creating L+R Writing with genuine purpose Creating poetry / stories

Where are the opportunities to do more creative writing? Year 7 This is me! (Creative collage) Colours (Portrait chinois) My year (Janvier je…..) – present tense verbs Descriptions (Mr Men) Brothers + sisters (Sibling for sale!) My family (Superheros – les indistructibles) My house (My ideal home – Rightmove) 100 words I know

Extending writing can be reinforced through listening and reading……… Objectives are great for getting pupils used to the future tense

Extending writing can be reinforced through listening and reading……… Objectives are great for getting pupils used to the future tense

Extending writing can be reinforced through listening and reading……… Objectives are great for getting pupils used to the future tense

Extending writing can be reinforced through listening and reading……… Objectives are great for getting pupils used to the future tense

http://bouche-a-oreille. pagesperso-orange http://bouche-a-oreille.pagesperso-orange.fr/fichiers%20Word/Portrait%20chinois.htm

Where are the opportunities to do more creative writing? Year 8 Diary of a famous person Holiday club timetable Hobbies collage Dieppe - a fantasy / factual tourist guide Profile of a favourite singer / actor The Queen – fashion icon Designer for a week Last meal menu Postcard from Dieppe

Where are the opportunities to do more creative writing? Year 9 Why I chose my options Film review Life without my mobile phone / x-box My life as your trainers! Environment collage Hello magazine article on Year 11 prom Survival kit

Survival Kit The Shelterbox Challenge There has been an earthquake in Haiti and many people have lost their homes. Design a Shelterbox for a family choosing 15 items the 15 items that you think will be crucial to help that family get back on their feet after this natural disaster. Justify your choices. How will every single item make a difference? Remember to write in French! You can choose how to present your Shelterbox (poster, PPT, video)

Key messages: What CAN I write? What do I WANT to write but can’t – can I adapt / rephrase it? What do I NEED to write in order to score the highest marks possible?

INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT WHAT CAN I WRITE? INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT Having ideas is the key to good writing so we need to allow students to play around with ideas and express basic ideas building them up to more complex, sophisticated concepts. The next few slides explore ways of doing that.

Foundation + Higher Writing exam 2018: Tackling content Foundation + Higher Writing exam 2018: 3. ‘Free writing’ on a given topic e.g. Say what you watch on TV Describe a recent visit to the cinema Say what type of music you like Say what you do to keep fit Say what you will do next weekend 2 sentences per bullet point / 2 opinions overall / variety / 90 words Do this as a teacher and then do it as a pupil – they often get it completely wrong

4. ‘Extended writing’ on a given topic e.g. Tackling content Higher Writing exam 2018: 4. ‘Extended writing’ on a given topic e.g. Write a leaflet to advertise and promote your school. You must include the following: The subjects you enjoy What you would like to improve A school trip you went on + your opinion of it Why you think your school would be a good choice for others 3 sentences per bullet point / 2 opinions + reasons overall / variety / 150 words Do this as a teacher and then do it as a pupil – they often get it completely wrong

e.g. KS5 mark scheme – 20 points for content but 5 for accuracy. Tackling content Content Suggestions: Pupils often think accuracy is more important. Emphasise the low marks for accuracy and high marks for content e.g. KS5 mark scheme – 20 points for content but 5 for accuracy. 1. – i.e. they should get 3/5 for accuracy anyway so if they get everything right they will only get 2 extra marks!

Constrict them – bizarrely it frees them up! Often if you give pupils parameters they will concentrate so hard on meeting the task requirements they lose some of their inhibitions around thinking of ideas. I have found by giving them a word count they think of ANYTHING to fill the boxes and often write things they would have previously thought too simplistic or basic or they might have worried they were writing the right thing rather than just filling the space provided.

20 words……..

50 words……..

100 words……..

200 words……..

Restricted Writing 20 words Der Schneemann Ist weiß Und er trägt einen roten Schal. Er hat eine Karotte für Nase. ist süß

Restricted Writing 50 words Der Schneemann hier heißt Bob, und er ist sehr freundlich nett. Er hat einen Bruder namens Bill. Sie wohnen in Corfu aber manchmal es zu heiß dort. Ich finde Bob genail denn lustig. mag Fußball findet schwierig keine Füße!

Nice homeworks + ties in to the drive for spontaneous speaking

Add words they HAVE TO include und aber ich sehr dann er Der Schneemann hier heißt Bob, und er ist sehr freundlich nett. Er hat einen Bruder namens Bill. Sie wohnen in Corfu aber manchmal es zu heiß dort. Ich finde Bob genail denn lustig. mag Fußball findet schwierig keine Füße!

Use these words….. Ich mag liebe hasse nicht sehr den Sommer denn die Sonne und aber mein Bruder er schwimmen gehen essen trinken spielen fahren machen toll wunderbar fantastisch prima schrecklich heiß gut interessant doof Spaß lustig meine Familie wir immer manchmal wenn es regnet zum Park in die Stadt ins Café mit meinen Freunden alleine zu Hause besser als nicht so gut wie glücklich traurig Schwimmbad

Writing at KS4 – pupils need to ask themselves…… What CAN I write? What do I WANT to write but can’t – how do I adapt / rephrase it? What do I NEED to write in order to score the highest marks possible?

What I WANT to write? WANTING to write what you CAN write requires a new way of thinking for most pupils Having ideas is the key to good writing so we need to allow students to play around with ideas and express basic ideas building them up to more complex, sophisticated concepts. The next few slides explore ways of doing that.

Writing at KS4 – pupils need to ask themselves…… What CAN I write? What do I WANT to write but can’t – how do I adapt / rephrase it? What do I NEED to write in order to score the highest marks possible? This is about training pupils to use the language they have rather than trying to say things they instinctively think of in English and then desperately try to translate.

KS3: Think in primary school English…... Christmas – give me 10 basic ideas Its great I love the presents I love the food Grandad is always annoying I eat too much I watch too much TV I go to church Mum cooks On Boxing Day we go for a walk My best present last year was my X-box Encourage pupils who struggle for ideas to think about what little children would write in their own language and then see if they can say those things in the TL. This could form a great shared translation exercise to be done as a whole class.

Give it a go….. Mobile phones – give me 10 basic ideas Encourage pupils who struggle for ideas to think about what little children would write in their own language and then see if they can say those things in the TL.

Use phrases and words they know on a daily basis but in a contrived way…… Datum: Mittwoch den 15. Juli Titel: Meine Schuluniform Datum: Heute ist Mittwoch den 15. Juli, und ich bin froh, denn die Sonne scheint und ich fühle mich wohl. Titel: Meine Schuluniform ist blöd, und ich würde viel lieber eine Jeanshose und ein T-shirt tragen. Make your titles and dates a starting point for translation and discussion – introduce key lexical items – if you repeat them they will stick eventually.

Use phrases and words they know on a daily basis but in a contrived way…… Objectives: wir werden Schuluniforme diskutieren – magst du deine Uniform oder nicht? wir werden viele verschiedene Adjecktive benutzen wir werden männliche (m)/ weibliche (f) / sächliche (n) Wörter diskutieren Objectives: on va discuter l’uniforme scolaire on va utiliser des adjectives variés on va discuter la différences entre masculin, feminin et pluriel Objectives are great for getting pupils used to the future tense

Give them chance to experiment and get creative so they can see how they can manipulate the language they have……… Was können die Kätzchen sehen? Was denkt die Katze ganz links? Wie heißen die Kätzchen? Wie findest du die Kätzchen? Objectives are great for getting pupils used to the future tense Was werden die Kätzchen nachher machen? Was haben die Kätzchen vorher gemacht?

Give them chance to experiment and get creative……… Es war Sommer und die 6 Kätzchen, Bruno, Bilbo, Bernd, Barbara, Bettina und Boris waren im Garten. Sie wollten spielen und Spaß haben. Sie haben ein Flugzeug gebaut und das Flugzeug war fantastisch. Boris wollte Pilot sein und er ist überall im Garten herumgeflogen. Es war ein fantastischer Tag und die 6 Kätzchen haben viel Spaß gehabt. Sie werden es nie vergessen. Ich denke, dass Boris sehr mutig war. Could use this: as a basic gap fill as a prediction task give options and ask the pupils to choose as a way of introducing past tense / ich wollte or future tense – (spot the one tense that is different – what do you think it is?) Could lead to them writing a different story – imagine it is not an ‘catplane’ in the sky………

How to support the writing to help pupils realise what language they CAN use…..

Writing frames are a good place to start building writing skills….

Use initial letters to lead the way….. School: J’____ m____ c ____ , c ____ c’____ t ____ i ____ J’adore mon collège, car c’est toujours intéressant M____ j____ p____ e____ l____ v_____ p____ j’____ l____ b_____. Objectives are great for getting pupils used to the future tense Mon jour préféré est le vendredi parce que j’ai la biologie

Missing vowels…. Objectives are great for getting pupils used to the future tense

Alternative word writing task….. School: Quand ____ suis ____ collège, ____ porte ____ uniforme ____. En ____ je ____ mon ____ scolaire ____ je ____ porter ____ jean ____ un ____, mais ____ sais ____ l’uniforme ____ pratique. ____ déteste ____ blazer _____ mon ____ car ____ ne _____ pas _____. Objectives are great for getting pupils used to the future tense

Annotate! schwierig zu leben ohne Handy zu viele Leute verbringen zu viel Zeit auf dem Handy eine Sucht unsozial - ironisch blöd nervig sinnlos gesellschafts- feindlich man kann Informationen leicht + schnell finden eine Mode nützlich soziale Medien ein Statussymbol man kann simsen man kann Freunde anrufen

Writing at KS4 – pupils need to ask themselves…… What CAN I write? What do I WANT to write but can’t – how do I adapt / rephrase it? What do I NEED to write in order to score the highest marks possible?

What exactly will the pupils have to do well to get the marks they need…..?

EITHER Your teacher has asked you to prepare a description of your home town or area to send to your partner school in Switzerland. • Describe the area where you live. • Say whether you like living there. • Describe what you have done recently in your local area. • Say what there is for tourists to do in your area. • Say where you will live in the future. Remember: in order to score the highest marks, you must write at least two sentences for each bullet point. You must give at least two opinions in your piece of writing overall. You must use a variety of vocabulary and structures. You must write approximately 90 words in German. [16 marks] 90 words – not much – about 10 sentences 2 sentences per bullet point 3 tenses. Simple – Accurate - Logical

OR You are writing about your school and your future plans for your German friend who reads your blog. • Say what your favourite subject is. • Describe what you do during the lunch break. • Describe one of your teachers and say whether you like him/her. • Say what you did in a lesson last week. • Explain what you will do after your GCSE exams in September. Remember: in order to score the highest marks, you must write at least two sentences for each bullet point. You must give at least two opinions in your piece of writing overall. You must use a variety of vocabulary and structures. You must write approximately 90 words in German. [16 marks]

This is a possible response (indicative content): Ich wohne in einer Stadt in der Nähe von Leeds in Nordengland. In meiner Stadt gibt es ein altes Rathaus und einen großen Park. Ich wohne sehr gern in meiner Stadt, weil meine Freunde auch hier wohnen. Letztes Wochenende bin ich im Wald wandern gegangen und ich habe meine Großmutter besucht. Meine Gegend hat viel für Touristen – es gibt ein historisches Schloss und die Landschaft in der Gegend ist wunderschön. In der Zukunft werde ich in London wohnen, denn ich möchte eine gute Stelle haben. (85 words) [16 marks] 3 tenses – quite simple – only 3 connectives – only 1 subordinating connective

EITHER Question 2.1 You are taking part in a German internet forum about food and healthy living. You must include the following information. • What you like to eat and whether you have a healthy diet. • A description of a recent occasion when you ate out. • How in your opinion we can lead a healthy life. • What you think the biggest health problem facing young people today is. Remember: in order to score the highest marks, you must write at least three sentences for each bullet point. You must give at least two opinions, with reasons, in your piece of writing overall. You must use a variety of vocabulary and structures. You must write approximately 150 words in German. [32 marks] Biggest scoring question 150 words 3 sentences – some complex 2 tenses mentioned More general question at end to encompass a bigger theme Lots of opinions

OR Question 2.2 Your teacher has asked you to write about traditional media (eg television or cinema) and new media (eg the internet). You must include the following information. • A description of a recent visit to the cinema. • A description of a television programme that you like. • How you use the internet in your daily life. • Whether you prefer traditional media or new media. Remember: in order to score the highest marks, you must write at least three sentences for each bullet point. You must give at least two opinions, with reasons, in your piece of writing overall. You must use a variety of vocabulary and structures. You must write approximately 150 words in German. [32 marks] 150 words 3 sentences – some complex 2 tenses mentioned More general question at end to encompass a bigger theme Lots of opinions

Higher level of vocab and structures – flow – very fluent Not about individual structures but a clear understanding of language and how it works

Translate the following passage into German: I get on very well with my brother. We went last year to Spain together and we swam in the sea and ate in many restaurants. Next September I will go to another school. In the future I would like to be a doctor, although I do not like biology. [12 marks] Tenses – word order – subordinating conjunctions

No errors allowed; accents, however, should not be penalised unless they change the meaning of the word. Missing punctuation, eg hyphens, apostrophes, capital letters should not be penalised

Key grammatical areas which will need development : Adjectives Adverbs Verbs and tenses Connectives Idiom Word order (especially in German)

Verbs will be vital!

Ich werde ins Kino gehen Ich werde nicht ins Kino gehen Ich muss ins Kino gehen Ich möchte ins Kino gehen Ich möchte nicht ins Kino gehen

I will not go to the cinema I will go to the cinema I will not go to the cinema I have to go to the cinema I would like to go to the cinema I would not like to go to the cinema

Ich würde gern ins Kino gehen Ich würde nicht gern ins Kino gehen Ich würde lieber ins Kino gehen Ich würde am liebsten ins Kino gehen Ich darf (nicht ) ins Kino gehen

I would like to go to the cinema I would not like to go to the cinema I would rather go to the cinema I would like to go to the cinema most I am (not) allowed to go to the cinema

Questions……? Willst du… Möchtest du… Kannst du… Wirst du… Magst du… Darfst du… Wolltest du… Willst du… Würdest du gern….

Questions……? Can you…. Will you… Do you want to… Would you like to… Do you like… Are you allowed to…. Did you want to…. Do you want to…. Would you like to…..

in meiner Freizeit Geschenke Geschäfte teuer Zeit Spaß mit Freunden am Samstag mit meiner Mutter einkaufen Geld eine Zeitverschwendung

Key grammatical areas which will need development : Accuracy will come from: Understanding Practice and repetition Confidence Racing Translations Peer Dictations Word for word reading Learning text by heart Translation Maze

Key grammatical areas which will need development : Generic phrases and learning mats will be very useful! A good starting point might be to review these: Adjectives Adverbs Connectives Time phrases When Where With whom How Present Past Future Conditional Idiom

The Wonderous Translation Maze Fill the grid with the numbers 1 to 37. Your objective is to find your way out of the maze by shading a path of correct answers. The winner is the first to get out. But beware… correct answers will be numbered randomly. Good luck!

Translate ONE of the following sentences: Question 1 Translate ONE of the following sentences: Last week I went to the cinema Next week I will go to the cinema Past - 13 Future - 8

Translate ONE of the following sentences: Question 2 Translate ONE of the following sentences: Yesterday I went swimming Tomorrow I will go cycling Past – 1 Future – 20

Translate ONE of the following sentences: Question 3 Translate ONE of the following sentences: On Friday I played tennis On Tuesday I will play badminton Past – 6 Future – 11

Marking matters: Always copy the best response in the class and share it (or at least the good bits). Always Examine common errors in detail with the class. Using a literacy code can support pupils in finding and correcting errors. Peer and self assessment is vital Regular and reliable testing is imperative for predictions and intervention.

Literacy Code

Marking matters Plan the first writings at KS4 in detail with the pupils and often the plan needs to be done in ENGLISH – especially with weaker pupils. In the beginning give every writing a SINGLE grammatical focus and grade that rather than everything – this can help build confidence and prevent pupils feeling overwhelmed.