Writing Zone

At Cossington School , we follow the Talk for Writing approach that was developed by Pie Corbett, supported by Julia Strong. It is powerful writing curriculum because it is based on the principles of how children learn. It enables children to imitate the language they need for a particular topic orally, before reading and analysing it, and then writing their own independent versions.

The Talk for Writing process consists of the following three stages:

Stage 1: Imitation

Stage 2: Innovation

Stage 3: Independent Application

The movement from imitation to innovation to independent application can be adapted to suit the needs of learners of any stage. The Talk for Writing approach enables children to read and write independently for a variety of audiences and purposes within different subjects. A key feature is that children internalise the language structures needed to write through ‘talking the text’, as well as close reading. The approach moves from dependence towards independence, with the teacher using shared and guided teaching to develop the ability in children to write creatively and powerfully.

At Cossington School our writing curriculum works on a two-year rolling programme, where the children have the opportunity to write across a variety of genres, audiences and purposes.