Topic “Writing”  

Access to areas for role-play e.g. a pretend cafe area, a pretend train or station.

Scrap paper for writing tickets or menus.

(1) In a train /station area can the child write for tickets e.g. '2 tickets please' or ' tickets to London'. The message can be posted or given to the station manager/train driver. The child may need a model to copy the phrase at first or you can write half the phrase for the child and allow the child to finish the writing on their own.

(2) In a pretend caf can the child order a meal e.g. write 'burger and chips please' and give this message to the 'waiter'.

(3) 2 children can work together - one child orders food and the other child is the waiter and writes the order down. You may need to provide models for the writing child to copy e.g. a number of food items written on a pretend menu. The child ordering can then copy his/her choice and hand it over.

(4) Children can be encouraged to make their own menus maybe using a picture of food items with the food name written by the child underneath. The 'customer' child can then point and ask for food items.

Letter tiles or letter cards, clear simple pictures

1. Stick the chosen picture into a book.

2. Draw short lines under the picture to stand for the letters of the picture.

3. Help the child select letter tiles or alphabet cards to put on the lines. Can you do some of the letters and the child finishes off the last letter?

4. Can the child copy the letter tiles to write about the picture?

5. As the child becomes familiar with the activity make 2 word descriptions of pictures etc

Photos of child engaged in clear actions e.g. going into dinner, playing outside, reading a book

1. Look at a photo with the child and encourage the child to talk about it. Write down 3 or 4 words about the photo using words the child is very familiar with.

2. Print out child's descriptive words in large type on computer.

3. Cut the printed words up. Can the child sequence the words to match the photo and stick the words under the photo.

4. Encourage the child to draw a picture of the photo and to copy the matching descriptive print.

5. Select a photo and encourage the child to talk about it. You start the writing to describe the photo e.g the first word. Can the child finish off the writing? It may help to draw dots for the child to write over to begin with.

Photo copies of some favourite pictures

Photo copies of the pictures' matching print

A black and white picture to colour.

Colouring pens

Letter tiles and alphabet cards

Play people, bricks, etc. as required

Can be done 1:1 or in a small group

Suggestions for stories:

1. dad, mum, baby, bike, bricks: dad: bye bye baby, bye, bye mum, etc., gets on bike, drives into bricks, falls off;

2. helicopter rescue: helicopter comes and rescues those on an island;

3. dog eats picnic when others aren't looking;

4. fire!: children spot a fire in a building - make a story about what they do next;

5. swim across crocodile infested river.

1. Show the child a story with the miniatures;

2. Get child to redo the story using the miniatures;

3. With the child make simple drawings for each key part of the story (the drawings do not need to be works of art);

4. Cut the pictures up and get the child to put them back in the right order;

5. Check if the story still works if you follow the sequence of pictures.

The stories can also be physically acted out.

For example:

1. getting materials required for an activity;

2. lining up;

3. making a drawing;

4. a simple game you play;

5. going to assembly;

6. turning on and listening to a tape recorder/CD/MP3 player;

7. Switching on a computer and doing something on it;

8. opening a pot of bubbles and blowing them;

9. making a sandwich;

10. (a little more complex): playground games such as 'had', 'hide and seek', 'football'

Materials as required.

1. Do the activity;

2. With the child make simple drawings for each key part of the activity (the drawings do not need to be works of art);

3. Cut the pictures up and get the child to put them back in the right order;

4. Try to follow the sequence of pictures to see if it works.

Familiar book

Photocopied pictures

Published sequencing cards (e.g. LDA cards)

Or worksheets with 3-4 picture sequences (Black Sheep have some ready made ones)

Photos of the child doing an everyday activity (i.e. a sequence of them)

Packet of counters

Board with six square boxes - in a horizontal grid

Lists of short phrases and sentences

e.g. from 'Sound Linkage' (P. Hatcher, available from www.amazon.co.uk ) p.21

help me (2)

she shouted (2)

I can't get down (4)

1. Place the counters and board on the table.

2. Ask the child to tell you a word (any word at all) then together add more examples of single words

3. Tell the child that you will now say two or more words in a row, which they will have to repeat and count the number of words.

4. Ask child to repeat what you say. They push a counter into a box as they say each word.

Model this as much as necessary - and give as much help as needed to begin with.

A suitable text

Optional - 'Magic finger' puppet or a small stick or ruler

Flat ice-lolly sticks - painted ice-lolly sticks (can be bought in supermarkets) - using a stick ensures that the spaces between the words are even.

Or:

If a child has smaller writing try using a smaller tool than an ice-lolly stick to place between words.

Stories that involve going shopping, e.g. The Shopping Basket by John Burningham.

Real food/plastic food/pictures of food.

A clear label for each piece of food.

Notebooks and pencils.

Pretend toy till and money if easily available but not essential (optional).

Hats/dressing up clothes and bags for shopping (optional).

1. Read stories about children who are going shopping.

2. Explain that when we put the hats/dressing up clothes on we will be pretending to be getting ready to go shopping/be the shop keeper.

3. Model what you want the child/children to do. Put a hat or other dressing up clothes on. Ask the child/children to help you to choose 2 of the foods you are going to buy from the shop.

4. Tell the children you are going to write a shopping list to help you to remember. As you write the objects down, say the name of the item then exaggerate the sounds within the words e.g.

r-i-ce, ch-ee-se.

5. Show the children your list and read it back to them.

6. Choose a child to be the shopkeeper. Go to the shop and 'buy' your 2 things. Pretend you have forgotten what to buy so you need to read your list to remind you.

7. Take off your hat/dressing up clothes. The child/children dress up and write down at least 2 of the things they want to buy from the shop in their notebook. They can copy from the labels.

8. Child/children go to the 'shop' and 'read' what they want from their notebook to the shopkeeper and then 'buy' it using plastic or pretend money.

2 white cards with the words 'I' and 'like' written on them and 1 piece of card with 'I like' written on it.

Whiteboard or individual books made with 2 sheets of A4 paper folded in half.

Pencils

Scissors/glue

Pictures of food that can be cut up e.g. from magazines.

It would help the child if you had made a little book in advance to show.

Camera to make the picture sequences (or alternatively you can draw them or use a commercial resource).

Resources as appropriate to carry out a simple sequence

Examples of sequences (with suggested steps to make pictures for):

Putting on a jumper (get jumper, put head through, put arms through);

Drinking a drink (jug and cup, pour water into the cup, drink it)

Peeling and eating a piece of fruit (fruit, peel fruit, eat it)

Going to the door and lining up

Sitting down and eating dinner

Drawing a picture (pencil and paper, child drawing, finished picture)

Bubbles (unscrew lid, remove wand, blow bubbles)

Looking at a book (get it, open it, look at it)

1. Carry out the activity without the pictures;

2. Do it again, showing the relevant picture for each part of the activity as you do it;

3. Get the child to do the sequence, tell them what to do by showing them a picture for each part of the sequence;

4. Get them to show you what to do by giving you a picture for each part of the sequence. Try to do exactly as the picture you are given indicates, for example if they give you a picture of someone blowing bubbles without having given you the step for opening the bubbles container, try to blow the bubbles anyway (and act being disappointed when you don't get any bubbles).

Catalogue pictures of toys or favourite food

Glue

Cut pictures from catalogues that you know interest the child, stick one picture onto a page and spend some time looking and talking about the picture e.g. say 'What's that?' Use the child's words to write a label under the picture.

Make up a small book of favourite things which can be shared with a teacher or a parent.

Can the child take this to an adult and show them with comments on the pictures?

Photos of everyday school life

Glue

Home made pictures

Glue

Stickers any glitter/cotton wool etc

Paints

Glue

Pencils and paper

Magnetic letters or letter shapes.

Help the child copy round the letters of their name.

Play a game matching the letter shapes to the drawn letter shapes of the child's name.

Reward and praise all attempts.

Can the child arrange the letters of their name without copying a written template?

Set out most of the letters of the child's name so that to start with they have only to complete the last 2 letters - then the last 3 letters etc.

Overwriting the name