Further Writing Techniques relies on the strong developmental base and exploratory knowledge gained throughout the earlier stages of this resource. The purpose of this section is to use the skills and language creativity discovered and apply them to create authentic authorial texts. Further Writing Techniques provide opportunities for children to delve deeper into the aspects of story writing and text creation; it allows them to understand how to engage their audience and achieve their purpose. It focuses on the different parts of text construction so that children know the different areas that they need to zoom in on when reviewing and reworking their pieces of writing.
If you read any books on the subject of writing with an aim of improving your style of writing, you will find the majority of the concepts found in Further Writing Techniques suggested as a strategy to improve writing. In this section, the aim will be to explain what the technique is and how it adds impact to writing. Then a strategy will be provided to assist student development and help them improve their understanding of the technique.
Merely assigning these the strategies in this section will not be enough to engage students and help them improve. A rich culture of exploration and effective feedback will need to be established within the room. Students will require an environment where everyone is working as a community of writers with the goal of providing rich, engaging language with the purpose of capturing their audience. Students will need to feel comfortable experimenting with their work and with providing open and clear feedback on their text creation and how it can be improved.
Teachers should not pre-program and work their way through this section throughout the year. Teachers need to use the formative assessment strategy of writing fluency to gauge where the students in the room are at and which strategy will be required for them to take the next step in their writing developmental journey. By providing students with ample opportunity to write in the classroom, teachers will discover where the children need to go next. This is not a linear line, but a judgement made from teacher judgement and student discussion.
Further Writing Techniques aim to provide teachers with the ideas to help them lead students on their continual discovery of the authorial voice.
If you read any books on the subject of writing with an aim of improving your style of writing, you will find the majority of the concepts found in Further Writing Techniques suggested as a strategy to improve writing. In this section, the aim will be to explain what the technique is and how it adds impact to writing. Then a strategy will be provided to assist student development and help them improve their understanding of the technique.
Merely assigning these the strategies in this section will not be enough to engage students and help them improve. A rich culture of exploration and effective feedback will need to be established within the room. Students will require an environment where everyone is working as a community of writers with the goal of providing rich, engaging language with the purpose of capturing their audience. Students will need to feel comfortable experimenting with their work and with providing open and clear feedback on their text creation and how it can be improved.
Teachers should not pre-program and work their way through this section throughout the year. Teachers need to use the formative assessment strategy of writing fluency to gauge where the students in the room are at and which strategy will be required for them to take the next step in their writing developmental journey. By providing students with ample opportunity to write in the classroom, teachers will discover where the children need to go next. This is not a linear line, but a judgement made from teacher judgement and student discussion.
Further Writing Techniques aim to provide teachers with the ideas to help them lead students on their continual discovery of the authorial voice.
An Overview
Rule of 3
This is general rule that should be acknowledged as often as possible. The principle of this concept is that texts work better in sequences of three. Therefore, try to stick with three main character, three events or three obstacles. The rule of three has been sustained throughout history and has satisfying and effective impacts on the audience.
Word Selection: Connotations & Precise Language
Understanding the implied meaning of words and their impact on a reader is important; especially if we link the connotations to verbs to take on the role of creating description. E.g.
The boy walked home. VS The boy trudged home. Both of these sentences tell us about the same event; however, the change of the verb implies more about the boy’s day and current physical and emotional state. Choosing verbs for their connotations can add to the context of texts.
When we talk about precise language, we are talking about accurate words to help paint the picture in the reader’s mind. If we are writing about a scene with trees, rather than using the general word trees, we can use more precise language such as pine trees or palm trees to make the image clearer. By the same token, rather than saying the man drove his car, we could say the man drove his corvette. Precise words create clearer pictures.
Modelled/Mentor Texts
Modelled texts provide an opportunity for students to explore well written texts that use some of the further techniques. The texts should be deconstructed to emphasis the techniques that were used by the author. Exploring how the writer uses language such as word selection and sentence structure can guide students into the art of crafting.
Active Voice vs Passive Voice
In general, we want children writing creative stories in the active voice where the characters are actively involved in the story – this helps to engage the reader. A passive voice can distant the reader and make more difficult for them to become engaged in the text.
Mood
Effectively creating mood through subtle description is a challenging art to master: word choice, imagery and setting help establish the mood. Understanding how different colours, weather patterns or symbols can paint the mood you want the audience to experience which enables the writer to be able to position the reader. A grey cloudy day in a quiet town paints a different mood to a warm sunny day with people hustling and bustling around the streets.
Moods: Cheerful, Gloomy, Sad, Peaceful/calm, Excitement, Romantic, Mysterious, Light-hearted, Hopeful, Angry, Fearful, Suspenseful, Lonely, Danger, Happiness, Love
The mood of the text helps the reader resonate with the theme of the writing and the experiences of the characters. It helps the audience connect, which leads to a more engaging piece of writing.
Emotions
Showing emotions and giving insight to a character’s current state of mind is essential to connecting with the reader. Ensure that in the big moments, the audience understands the emotion that the characters are experiencing.
Teacher Modelling
A simple but effective strategy to engage students and continue to build their knowledge. Teacher talk and demonstration around the creation of text will show students how to be a writer. Seeing the teacher struggle with ideas and breakthrough using different processes helps children apply the same strategies. Rich, authentic conversation can be held as a community of writers when students and teachers are working together as writers.
Rewriting
Rewriting is real writing. This is a common theme among successful authors. The fact is that real writing can only occur once the bones of the story is out of the mind. Writers can create their story outline, but if they are truly to create a piece that is a true reflection of themselves, they need to learn how to effectively rewrite their compositions.
Feedback
Continual and effective feedback is the most important strategy to help develop young writers. Children need to be willing to give and receive feedback so that they can understand where the next steps on their journey of writing discovery will take them.
Point of View
This is the perspective the text is written from or narrated from. It could be first person (common in younger writing) or third person (with a view from a specific character all or characters). Third person creates a distance between the reader and the text while first person is much more intimate.
This is general rule that should be acknowledged as often as possible. The principle of this concept is that texts work better in sequences of three. Therefore, try to stick with three main character, three events or three obstacles. The rule of three has been sustained throughout history and has satisfying and effective impacts on the audience.
Word Selection: Connotations & Precise Language
Understanding the implied meaning of words and their impact on a reader is important; especially if we link the connotations to verbs to take on the role of creating description. E.g.
The boy walked home. VS The boy trudged home. Both of these sentences tell us about the same event; however, the change of the verb implies more about the boy’s day and current physical and emotional state. Choosing verbs for their connotations can add to the context of texts.
When we talk about precise language, we are talking about accurate words to help paint the picture in the reader’s mind. If we are writing about a scene with trees, rather than using the general word trees, we can use more precise language such as pine trees or palm trees to make the image clearer. By the same token, rather than saying the man drove his car, we could say the man drove his corvette. Precise words create clearer pictures.
Modelled/Mentor Texts
Modelled texts provide an opportunity for students to explore well written texts that use some of the further techniques. The texts should be deconstructed to emphasis the techniques that were used by the author. Exploring how the writer uses language such as word selection and sentence structure can guide students into the art of crafting.
Active Voice vs Passive Voice
In general, we want children writing creative stories in the active voice where the characters are actively involved in the story – this helps to engage the reader. A passive voice can distant the reader and make more difficult for them to become engaged in the text.
Mood
Effectively creating mood through subtle description is a challenging art to master: word choice, imagery and setting help establish the mood. Understanding how different colours, weather patterns or symbols can paint the mood you want the audience to experience which enables the writer to be able to position the reader. A grey cloudy day in a quiet town paints a different mood to a warm sunny day with people hustling and bustling around the streets.
Moods: Cheerful, Gloomy, Sad, Peaceful/calm, Excitement, Romantic, Mysterious, Light-hearted, Hopeful, Angry, Fearful, Suspenseful, Lonely, Danger, Happiness, Love
The mood of the text helps the reader resonate with the theme of the writing and the experiences of the characters. It helps the audience connect, which leads to a more engaging piece of writing.
Emotions
Showing emotions and giving insight to a character’s current state of mind is essential to connecting with the reader. Ensure that in the big moments, the audience understands the emotion that the characters are experiencing.
Teacher Modelling
A simple but effective strategy to engage students and continue to build their knowledge. Teacher talk and demonstration around the creation of text will show students how to be a writer. Seeing the teacher struggle with ideas and breakthrough using different processes helps children apply the same strategies. Rich, authentic conversation can be held as a community of writers when students and teachers are working together as writers.
Rewriting
Rewriting is real writing. This is a common theme among successful authors. The fact is that real writing can only occur once the bones of the story is out of the mind. Writers can create their story outline, but if they are truly to create a piece that is a true reflection of themselves, they need to learn how to effectively rewrite their compositions.
Feedback
Continual and effective feedback is the most important strategy to help develop young writers. Children need to be willing to give and receive feedback so that they can understand where the next steps on their journey of writing discovery will take them.
Point of View
This is the perspective the text is written from or narrated from. It could be first person (common in younger writing) or third person (with a view from a specific character all or characters). Third person creates a distance between the reader and the text while first person is much more intimate.