Teaching in the gaps of the writing process

Adrian explores ways in which the writing process can be taught more effectively by analysing what should be placed between each part of the learning sequence. I often picture the strategies we use to teach the writing process as building blocks. We, as teachers plan these blocks really well. We make brilliant mentor texts (WAGOLLs), we help learners come up with great ideas, deconstruct reading, sentence structure, plan the writing, powerful verbs, synonyms for said and so on. How many of you sit there having done your weekly English plan and think – Yes! That will be amazing? How many of you sit there on Tuesday and think, why didn’t they get that link? How come they couldn’t see that they can use that language in their work? The answer, I think, goes back to the building metaphor. They need cement! Having spent a year as a builders’ labourer, I can fully appreciate the power of cement. Cement joins the blocks together, it connects them, it helps them make sense of one another. In my book ‘Thinking for Primary Writing’, I have a section called ‘The importance of cement’. Adrian Copping, with over 25 years in primary education, has taught in contrasting schools and now heads the Primary PGCE at the University of Cumbria. His research and writing on primary English culminated in a PhD, which informed his book, Thinking for Primary Writing: Improving Children’s Writing Through Creative Thinking, published by Critical Publishing.