Developing Writing with Year 8

 You already met my Year 8 French group, with a Ready Steady French lesson that went a bit wrong, but turned out all right in the end because they really got the idea of using your French ingredients to make something good.

I've had a look through their books to see how we have developed their writing over this unit of work.

Of course, there was plenty of speaking too. With activities like Being Ben and Connectives Dice (in the second half of this earlier post).

The Connectives Dice involves throwing dice to get and, especially if, because, so, for example, but... to keep talking ad infinitum, without worrying too much about making sense. Just concentrating on really getting the French flowing. The written equivalent is World Record Sentences.

A world record attempt (unsuccessful)

In World Record Sentences, I ask pupils to write 99 words without a full stop. Instead, whenever they finish an idea, they use a conjunction to carry on. And on. And on. Except without the full stops. Some students love the anarchy of this. They enjoy using their French to write and write. To try out bizarre ideas or humorous contradictions. Other pupils cannot bring themselves to do it. They want to use full stops. They want to make sense. Both these alternatives are great. Because incoherent long sentences are just a first step. Once pupils see that they can write in French, then from now on we work not on the French, but on the quality of the piece of writing.

Coherence, convincing personal detail, variety, logic, and paragraphing. From linking ideas together, we move to taking one idea and developing it.

The next step on this journey is Pimp My French. I give the pupils a piece of simplistic French. Repetitive. Short sentences. Incoherent. And it is their job to transform it. With a budget of exactly (in this case) 55 words.

Pimp My French

Pimp My French

Both of these examples started with the same piece of simplistic writing. And both pupils have done their best to rearrange and re-write it. It is a very powerful process, where they start to work on the quality of the writing. It can be done just by adding conjunctions and removing repetition. For example by replacing j'aime... j'aime... j'aime with "J'aime... parce que je peux... et j'adore..." Or it can involve more sophistication in developing ideas or adding coherence.

We work on model answers on the board. And practise translating model answers in and out of French. We annotate model answers in colour and talk about which one reads the best.

Then we wrote the piece of work from last week's post, just writing "French out of my head". Again to prove that the French isn't the problem. And to make sure everyone has their ingredients ready. Here's a reminder:

French Out of My Head

You can see from the feedback, that we are again moving from focusing on the French, to focusing on the quality of the writing. So this week, the pupils wrote their "Excellent Paragraphs". Trying to take one idea at a time and develop it.

This is the sort of thing we got.

Excellent Paragraphs.

Read their Paragraph!

Add convincing personal detail...

The pupils are now very aware of their own progress. The end of unit Listening and Reading assessments show them how well they know the French they've been learning. And they understand that what happens in their books (and in Speaking) isn't about the French anymore. It's about how well they can use their French. In Speaking, it's increased spontaneity, fluency and self expression. In Writing, it's increased coherence, self expression and detail.

There are so many important things happening here. There is a strong oracy and literacy role that Languages plays in the curriculum. And an important self-efficacy impact, with pupils able to see how to improve their own work and take a pride in what they can do. It is structured and also open ended, for all pupils to move from mechanical and incoherent writing, to something personal, coherent and organised. And in that process, of successive iterations, the language learning happens. Pupils have practised speaking and writing over and over, trying out ideas, improving their work. Until they know it well enough to use accurately and spontaneously.

I can't believe that we are going to have to stop working on how well pupils can use their language. And give all this up, so we can work on testing what they know. These Year 8s will be the last year group to have the Conversation in the GCSE Speaking Exam. The last year group to be assessed on how well they can show off their ability to express themselves, develop answers and use their language.

Looking at their progress this year, or across this unit on Free Time, and how it's boosted their confidence and their grasp of the language, I don't think I can or should stop doing this. Even if we are told that it's not what's wanted anymore.

Pupil Feedback

 In our new KS3 assessments, we always have a section for pupils to reflect on their learning and give us feedback.

So impressed with this pupil's ideas about their own language-learning

It's useful for me to have feedback, but I also want the pupils to feel engaged. The more we can get them thinking about why they are learning a language, how they are learning, and how they are doing, the better they will get at thinking of themselves as language-learners.

Of course, I love it when they pick out as important things like phonics, gender, high frequency words, opinions. Or developing a core repertoire to express themselves. And often I think it is because they recognise the importance. Not just because they've heard me say it so many times and give me the answer they think I want to hear.

Phonics. And "I am a squirrel".

And one thing that hasn't come from me, is how frequently they talk about phrases for basic situations. Saying hello, finding the way, ordering food. It seems entirely natural to them that we should teach them what they need, to be equipped with some sentences ready for common situations if they travel abroad.

In case you are kidnapped. And it makes you look smart.

I think we do have to listen to this. And keep it in mind when balancing our curriculum. Lots of them do comment on the nitty gritty of powerful words, grammar, improving their speaking and writing. But they also think it is a perfectly reasonable expectation that we teach them useful phrases. Our pupils are a useful and sane counterbalance to the Ofsted diktats that language should be about exemplifying forms, not communication.

Then you get comments about pupils' view of themselves as language-learners, which are invaluable in building a shared sense of purpose and positivity:

Cats are French

Pride because he worked for it

Why wouldn't they?

Impress my mum