Writing in EYFS and KS1

 

Drawing Club

Drawing Club is a wonderfully innovative approach we use in Willow Class and Beech Class to teach literacy, masterminded by Greg Bottrill. It brings enchantment to the classroom through storytelling, transforming learning into a magical experience. This method nurtures skills such as fine motor abilities, mathematical concepts, early writing, vocabulary development and imagination!

Each week we introduce a captivating text, ranging from picture books to quirky cartoons or charming short films. We discuss elements like the front cover, title, make predictions about the story, and explore it’s beginning, middle and end. For visual texts, we engage in lively discussions about the unfolding narrative, linking it to our termly learning themes when appropriate.

To enhance vocabulary, we learn five new words weekly related to the text. The children collaborate to create actions for each word, making vocabulary fun and dynamic. This approach introduces exciting terms while encouraging their use in play.

We spark discussions about the central character and imagine what happens when they activate the ‘magic button’ on their drawings. We then illustrate setting and embark on imaginary adventures, altering story elements with a sprinkle of magic!

The essence of Drawing Club lies in nurturing our little ones’ imaginations and enhancing their writing skills, making for a delightful journey.

 

The Curious Quests

In Year 1/2, our children begin their ‘Curious Quests’ journey after October half term. The Curious Quests is an immersive adventure into story, poetry, make-believe and gives our children endless possibilities to invent, imagine and story dream.

The Curious Quests combines short carpet sessions, group work, and children exploring open-ended resource such as junk modelling, construction, playdough and role play to transform our English learning. The children use quests and key characters to provide joy in the learning of SPAG content as well as applying their phonic understanding.

The Curious Quests builds on the liberation of Drawing Club, showing our children the joy of writing and teaching them that the pen is a magic wand with endless possibilities!