The Pilot Class Team
Project Coordinators: Jan Millington (HT), Sharon Knight (DHT)
PL method: Same-age peer tutored Paired Writing
Year 5 - 3 parallel classes, n=30 in each. 9 pupils with special educational needs included. Pupils set across classes into Literacy Groups. Pair matching to be within these groups.
The Pilot Class Team
Possible to block time allocated to writing within the National Literacy Strategy, taking a year-long perspective.
Completed. All staff attended.
A Whole-School Plan for Paired Writing was developed at the training day. Key Points from each Year were:
Paired Writing to operate in 2 Literacy Hours each week. The initial focus to be Traditional Tales. A combination of same-ability reciprocal role and cross-ability fixed role tutoring to operate within the class. Middle-ability children to be involved in same-ability reciprocal role; high-ability children to be cross-ability fixed-role tutors for children with lesser writing ability. Start by stimulation through Role Play/Drama and Picture Sequencing, with writing to commence next day. This to be modelled and scaffolded as in "Guided Writing" - whole class work on initial sentence and then on middle two sentences, with pairs independently creating their own ending sentence. Children to use their own whiteboards. Pairs then to read out sentences to the whole class. "Best" sentence to be included in a large shared class book. The same format to operate with a new Traditional Tale the next week. Content focus to move on from Traditional Tales to other areas.
Paired Writing to operate in 2 Literacy Target Writing Groups. Initial main focus to be upon Ideas Generation and Mapping step (#1). The standard Step 1 Template to be adapted. Start by stimulation through Role Play/Drama and Retelling of the story, the latter in both pairs and the larger group. Story-mapping and Guided Writing to offer further scaffolding. The subsequent Steps in Paired Writing to be developed through application to topic work across the curriculum.
Main initial focus to be on first 2 Steps - Ideas Generation/Mapping and Drafting. Children to be trained in talking one-word notes, since this skill not necessarily well developed. Both note-taking and questioning to be modelled by teachers. Each of the subsequent Steps to be modelled and trained separately. Children to use whiteboards. Vocabulary of Praise to be explicitly developed, through use of Dictionary of Praise, Praise Displays, individual Collections of Praise.
Paired Writing to operate within Writing Sets (i.e. groups of relatively homogeneous ability). Given this, same-ability matching with reciprocating roles seems appropriate. Teacher modelling of each stage to the whole class to be undertaken.
This is the main target Year for the pilot, and involves more intensive planning and evaluation. Objectives to focus upon enhancing Creative Writing and Attitudes to Writing. Initial topic focus to be Myths and Legends (up until the Easter break). Children currently write in 5 groups, each of relatively homogeneous ability (A-E; A = most able). Initially, A to cross-ability tutor B, C to cross-ability tutor D; E to be same-ability matched within the group for reciprocal-role tutoring. Teachers will model the method, train, monitor and coach the children.
Paired Writing will operate for 2 days per week for 3 weeks initially. Having developed some fluency in the method, the children will switch to a focus on Reading in Literacy lessons for 3 weeks, then return to Paired Writing for a further 2 weeks (with a mini-refresher training on the method). This second session of Paired Writing will result in the collaborative creation of books for Year 3 pupils to read. At least one whole-class lesson to be devoted to developing Praise. The standard PW flowchart was considered usable without adaptation for this age range. After Easter, the focus will be upon another topic, and the format will switch to same-ability reciprocal-role tutoring in all groups A-E.
Evaluation to focus upon outcomes for the Writers (Tutees) in the first instance. In Attainment, National Curriculum test results were available from earlier in the year. Accordingly, these tests would be applied again just before the project commenced (pre-test) and again as the project came to an end. Subsequently the children's rate of gain in writing skills during the baseline-pre period would be compared to their rate of gain during the pre-post test period, in proportion to the relative chronological lengths of time. In Attitude, a questionnaire concerning Attitudes to Writing to be developed/adapted from the samples on the TRW website, and administered to the children at pre-test and post-test.
Initially main focus to be upon Ideas Generation/Mapping, and Planning writing. (considered a useful skill for secondary transition) - Paired Planning of Writing rather than full Paired Writing. The standard Ideas template to be adapted and arranged in two dimensions. Year 6 children in Writing Sets of relatively homogeneous ability. Same-ability reciprocal-role tutoring to occur within these sets. As development into considering the other stages of the Paired Writing process unfolds, the Drafting Step to be modelled (this felt to be particularly good for explanatory text). Higher order Editing Levels to be introduced beyond the standard four. A Circle Time on the development of Praise to be conducted, together with a local Dictionary of Praise with currently fashionable words in the vernacular.
In subsequent years, this to be developed into narrative text, incorporating specific work on endings. It would also be extended across the curriculum. As the pupils in Year 6 next year will already have experienced Paired Writing in Year 5, a higher degree of sophistication might be expected. Also, the longer planning window would enable a more systematic progression to be developed. However, it was felt that a small minority of pupils might still find Paired Writing with a peer too challenging, and might need support from an adult, for additional detailed and personalised modelling. Within the Writing Sets, the PW work was seen to offer exciting challenges for the higher achieving pupils.
A further onward development would be cross-school tutoring, with pupils familiar with Paired Writing who had departed to Secondary School returning to the Primary School (and/or Primary pupils visiting the secondary) to engage in cross-school PW tutoring as a means of facilitating impending transfer.
National Curriculum writing assessment the subject of an Inset January 7 in school. This to be used on pre-post test basis, with reference to a mini-portfolio of individual writing activity and products gathered within a 2-week window before and after the project. Collaborative writing composed during the project may also be assessed (preferably around mid-point, within a 2-week window). Additionally, subjective feedback from children and staff, particularly regarding potential use of PW across the curriculum.
The Paired Writing project in year 5 was successful. Children's writing levels are shortly to be re-assessed. Year 5 teachers have found a need to adapt the Planning stage to meet the requirements of individual writing tasks. Children have observably made strides in the ability to edit their work. Drama helped to make the writing real for the children. Children benefited from having writing blocked i.e. large blocks of time/literacy hour devoted to writing. The PW process did not work well for poetry. Year 1 have trialled Paired Writing in same ability pairs.
The School susbsequently sustained its use of Paired Writing and extended it across many year groups in the school. Possibility of deploying Year 5 pupils experiencing special educational needs as cross-age tutors in Year 1 (some Year 5 pupils with special needs already deployed as tutors/play-leaders in Nursery and Foundation Year, to consolidate own learning and raise self-esteem). Year 6 pupils, including those with special needs, already involved in leading Circle Time and acting as peer mediators.