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Mill View Primary School
A guide to teaching non-fiction
writing (Y2 — 6) and more
Mill View Primary School acknowledges that much of this booklet was
based upon material from ‘Improving Non-fiction Writing at Key Stages
1 & 2: the Success Approach’ by Alan Peat and Margaret McNeil and
‘Writing Exciting Sentences, age 7 plus’ by Alan Peat. The books are
kept by the Literacy coordinator and are recommended to staff for more
detailed reference. Staff are also recommended to refer to the Focus
Education book ‘Success criteria for Writing on the server.
Introduction
Following the recent developments and staff professional
development in the teaching of Literacy and particularly
writing, this document aims to summarise how we teach
writing at Mill View. It is based upon the premise that a
consistent approach, particularly in terms of text structures
and associated language, is best for developing and
consolidating children’s learning. The following areas are
covered:
• Presentation
• Marking Codes
• Non-fiction text structures
It is essential that when teaching different writing genres,
as teachers we are using the same language across the year
groups. The pages set out the structure and language we use
for the text types. It also includes a range of tips (not rules)
and notes about sentence and word level features. These for-
mats are to be used, but can be adapted so that they are age
appropriate.
• Sentence Types
• Punctuation face
Recommended Reading
All these books can be found in the Y6 classroom by asking the Literacy
co-ordinator. If you borrow one it is essential that it returns so please
photocopy the relevant parts .
Presentation Guidelines
• The date must be written in full
(e.g. Thursday 24 June 2010) on the top left hand side
of the page
• New units of work start on a brand new page. Children
do not rule off under work when completed.
• No drawing / colouring on lined paper in Literacy books
• Absolutely NO doodling / graffiti on books or anything
else.
• ‘I can’ statements (marked) must accompany each piece
of work
• Books must be clearly labelled using the school agreed
labels and covered in plastic covering
• Marking code to be stuck in the front of Literacy books
(including independent writing book.)
• All new books given out during the year to be labelled
properly etc
KS1 Marking Code
KS2 Marking Code
- correct / a good point
- excellent idea. Well done.
_____ - word underlined spelling mistake
- incorrect or missing punctuation
/ - new line needed
// - new paragraph needed
- word missing
? - I don’t understand
V
S
T
Verbal feedback
Success
Target
- correct / a good point
- excellent idea
____ - spelling mistake (underline and model)
- capital letter is needed
- full stop missing
CT - Class teacher support
TA - Teaching assistant support
VF - verbal feedback
Ind - Independent work
Punctuation Face physical reminders to help pupils to remember punctuation
It is recommended that teachers display an amended version of this in
their classroom, deleting the punctuation not relevant for their age
Year 6 All year 2, 3, 4 & 5 sentences plus…
O.(I) (outside/inside)
He laughed heartily at the joke he has just been told. (at the same time it would be true to say he was quite embarrassed.) 3 bad- (dash) question?
Thirst, heatstroke, exhaustion—which would kill him first?
Some; others
Some people lover football; others just can’t stand it.
Irony
Our ‘luxury’ hotel turned out to be a farm building.
P.C (paired conjunctions)
It was both cold and unpleasant for him to work there.
If, if, if, then
If the alarm had gone off, if the bus had been on time, if the road repairs had been completed, then his life would not have been destroyed.
Noun, which/who/where
Cakes, which taste fantastic, are not so good for your health.
Sentence Types and progression 5 bare bums on a rugby post!
5 bare bums on a rugby post makes up the majority of most introductions
to non-fiction text types and is something the children tend to remember
if you show them this graphic.
W W W W W
H
O
H
E
R
E
H
E
N
H
A
T
H
Y
O
W
Non-chronological Report Text
Definition— an account of a wide range of natural, cultural or social
phenomena. It consists of the systematic organisation of factual
information.
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title
Try to use no more than
4 words.
Introduction
5 bare bums on a rugby
post.
Key features
paragraphs
Decide what each of your
paragraphs will be about.
WOW!
Paragraph
(optional)
Tell the reader some-
thing amazing about your
subject.
Summary
Short reminder of your
main points in different
words.
• Based on facts
• Omission of opinions
• Formal and objective
• Non-chronological
• Paragraphs to separate key
points
• Use of colon for listing
• Commas to separate items
in a list
• Continuous present tense
(could be past if writing
about historical
information)
• Subject specific words
• Language of classification
Year 5 All year 2, 3 & 4 sentences plus…
De:De (description: details)
The vampire is a dreadful creature: it kills by sucking all the blood from its victims.
3 _ed (3 related adjectives)
Frightened, terrified, exhausted, they ran from the creature. 2 Pairs (intro. as 1 pair sentences this year)
Exhausted and worried, cold and hungry, they did not know how much further they had to go. Ad, same ad
He was a fast runner, fast because he needed to be.
Emotion word, comma
Desparate, she screamed for help. IMAGINE 3 examples
Imagine a time when people were not afraid, when life was much simpler, when everyone helped each other: this is the story of that time. SHORT
Then it happened. The more, the more
The more upset she was, the more her tears flowed. Personification of weather
The rain wept down the window The win screamed through the branches
Sentence Types and progression
Sentence Types and progression
Year 4 All year 2 & 3 sentences plus…
Similie ...like a … ...as a …
The moon hung above us like a patient, pale white face. Although it was august it was as cold as a late December eve-ning.
Verb, Person
Flying, John had always been terrified of it. Walking, he seemed to have been walking for ever.
Double –ly ending
He swam slowly and falteringly. He rode determinedly and swiftly. -ing, -ed
Walking in the bushes, she stopped at the sight of a crocodile facing her. Running near the beach, he halted as the ground gave way.
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title
Tell the reader what you
are comparing and
contrasting.
• Based on facts
• Omission of opinions
• Formal and objective
• Non-chronological
• Paragraphs to separate key
points
• Use of colon for listing
• Commas to separate items
in a list
• Continuous present tense
(could be past if writing
about historical
• information)
• Subject specific words
• Language of classification
Introduction
Tell the reader what you
are comparing and
contrasting and why.
Similarities
Select the aspects that
are similar. Group
together as one
paragraph using
connectives.
Differences
Now select the aspects
that are different.
Summary
Sum Up: what are the
most important things
that are different?
What are the most
important things that are
the same?
Comparing and Contrasting Report Type 1
This is a simple format for a comparing and contrasting report which is
most appropriate for Years 2—4.
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title
Tell the reader what you
are comparing and
contrasting.
• Based on facts
• Omission of opinions
• Formal and objective
• Non-chronological
• Paragraphs to separate key
points
• Use of colon for listing
• Commas to separate items in
a list
• Continuous present tense
(could be past if writing
about historical information)
• Subject specific words
• Language of classification
Introduction Tell the reader what you
are comparing and
contrasting and why.
Similarity
and Differ-
ence 1
Think about the aspects
you have chosen to
compare and contrast
and select the most
important.
S &D 2 Select the next aspect
you want to compare and
contrast.
Summary
Consider ALL the
information and tell the
reader whether the two
things are mainly similar
or different.
S & D 3 Select the next aspect
you want to compare and
contrast.
Comparing and Contrasting Report Type 2
This is a more advanced format for a comparing and contrasting report
which is most appropriate for Years 5 & 6.
Sentence Types and progression In September 2009, the Y6 teachers began teaching different sentence
types to the class in order to develop the children's sentence
construction. These were embedded through all written work in Literacy.
Below sets out the sentence types, with examples to be taught to each
year group. It is expected that the sentence types will be displayed in
the classroom as part of a working wall to refer to on a regular basis. For
further details, it is strongly recommended that teachers refer to the
‘Writing Exciting Sentences, age 7 plus’ book by Alan Peat and
photocopy the relevant pages.
The recommended progression is shown below and on the following pages.
All sentence types for each year should be taught and those from previ-
ous years referred to.
Year 2 List
It was a dark, long, leafy lane. It was a cold, wet, miserable and misty morning.
2A (2 pairs of adjectives) start with 1 pair
He was a tall, awkward man with an old, crimpled jacket. It was an overgrown messy garden with a lifeless, leafless tree.
Year 3 All year 2 sentences plus…
BOYS But, Or, Yet, So He was a friendly man most of the time, but he could become nasty. He could be very friendly, or he could be miserable.
1 Pair (see 2 pairs and adapt)
Cold and hungry, they did not know how much further they had to go. Angry and bewildered, he couldn't believe that this was happening to him.
Biography Text
Definition— a specific form of recount. This is an account of a person’s
life, or a specific incident in a person’s life written by another person.
The same format should be followed for autobiographical writing,
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title Tell the reader who it is
about in no more than 8
words.
Overview Who is it about?
What are they best
known for?
When did they live?
Where did they live?
Why are they important?
Early Life Childhood events, things
that happened in early
life and how they
influenced his/her later
work.
Later Life The important things that
happened. Make sure they
are in order. Indicate if
they are more or less
important than the early
life.
Summary Tell the reader the
importance or impact of
what happened. What can
we learn? How did he /
she affect others?
• Condensed synopsis ay the
beginning
• Language appropriate to
time to link paragraphs
• Choice of tone and
• language appropriate to
audience
• Use of commas to mark
phrases of clauses
• Time connectives
• Consistent use of the past
tense
• Consistent use of the 3rd
person if biography
• Consistent use of the 1st
person if autobiography
Newspaper Report Text
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Headline
No more than seven
words.
By-line
Your name, title and
location if an interna-
tional story
Lead
5 bare bums on a rugby
post.
Body
More details about each
of the W’s. Some will be
more important.
Short paragraphs.
Balanced and factual
information.
Sources
Names and titles of
people who provided
information. Direct and
reported speech.
• Frequent short paragraphs
• Use of short sentences
• Factual and to the point
• 3rd person
• Tenses may change
• Sometimes use of emotive
language to provoke reader
• Exclamation marks for
emphasis (in headlines)
• Direct speech for quotes
• Use of causal connectives
• Event-specific language
Illustration &
caption
Definition— newspaper reports provide information about a single event
or series of events. Their purpose is to inform readers about events or
issues of interest.
Argument Text
Definition— a structure piece of persuasive writing for or against a
specific point of view. The main aim is to encourage the reader to agree
with the writer’s point of view.
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title Write the title as a
question
My POV
State your point of view.
Maximum of 2 sentences.
First argu-
ment sup-
porting my
POV.
New paragraph. Your
strongest argument.
Express in 1 or 2
sentences, then add
details.
Second ar-
gument
New paragraph. Your
next strongest argument.
Expand by giving details.
Third argu-
ment
New paragraph. Your
next strongest argument.
Expand by giving details.
Counter ar-
gument
New paragraph. Explain
why other people might
think differently.
Summary of
my POV.
Summarise the reasons
for holding your POV. No
details this time.
Repeat strongest
argument using different
words.
• Use of bullet points,
numbering to emphasis
points, especially in
summary
• 1st person
• Succinct sharply focused
sentences
• Paragraphs to separate
each part
• Commas to separate
clauses
• Timeless present tense
• Causal connectives
• Appropriate technical
vocabulary to support
viewpoint
• Words to link to
alternative viewpoint, e.g.
on the other hand • Reference to generalise
human agents e.g. dog breeders, motorbike owners
• Reference to groups e.g.
the poor, the rich etc.
Recount Text—historical
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title
Tell the reader what
historical it is about in no
more than 8 words.
• Condensed synopsis ay the
beginning
• Language appropriate to
time to link paragraphs
• Choice of tone and language
appropriate to audience
• Use of commas to mark
phrases of clauses
• Time connectives
• Consistent use of the past
tense
• Consistent use of the 3rd
person
Introduction
Past tense.
When, who, where, why.
What were the
consequences of the
events?
Try to use no more than 2
sentences.
Ordered
events and
consequences.
Tell the reader what
happened first.
Tell the reader the next
things hat happened in
order.
Tell the reader what
happened as a
consequence of this.
New paragraph for each
event.
Summary Tell the reader the end
result.
Indicate if the end result
was positive or negative.
Evaluate—what is
significant of interesting
about what happened?
Recount Text—trip / visit
Definition— a text in which the writer restless past experiences to
inform or entertain. They are written in chronological order. They can
related to activities such as class trips, historical events or biographies.
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title
Tell the reader what it is
about in no more than 8
words.
Introduction
Writ in the past tense.
Include
When, who, where, why,
what.
Try to use no more than 2
sentences.
Event 1
Tell the reader about any
planning or preparation
you did.
Think about what will
really interest the reader.
Events in
order
Tell the reader the first
interesting thing that
happened.
Then follow with other
interesting events in
order. New paragraph for
each event.
Summary
Summarise—pick out the
main points
Evaluate—what was the
most significant or
interesting?
• Condensed synopsis ay the
beginning
• Language appropriate to
time to link paragraphs
• Choice of tone and language
appropriate to audience
• Use of commas to mark
phrases of clauses
• Time connectives
• Consistent use of the past
tense
• Consistent use of the 3rd
person
Explanation Text
Definition— a text that says how something works, what causes
something to happen, or when or where something takes place. Often
linked to the Science and geography curriculum. Explanations can be of a
process, how something works, or how something happens, but the basic
structure remains the same.
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title
Tell the reader what the
explanation is about. Use
a question.
• Sequential language to link
paragraphs e.g. firstly,
secondly, furthermore etc
• Organisation devices such
as sub-headings
• Paragraphs to separate key
points
• Consistent tense use could
be past OR present
• Use of colon prior to listing
• Causal connectives e.g.
therefore, because
• Subject specific words
Introduction
Introduce the reader to
the subject of the
explanation.
Perhaps say what it is a
part of or what it
belongs to.
Perhaps include the
different parts of
stages.
Key Points
Paragraphs
Tell the reader how it
works or what happens.
You could use
sub-headings or
numbering to organise
your key points.
Summary
Tell the reader
something special or
important about the
subject.
Discussion Text Definition— a text that presents two or more opposing arguments with
equal weight and allows the reader to reach a balanced judgement in the
subject under discussion.
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title Short version of the
IFD.
IFD (issue
for discus-
sion)
Tell the reader the IFD
in as few words as
possible. Do not write in
1st person.
Different
POV.
Cover each point of view.
Don’t add supporting
detail.
Viewpoint 1
arguments New paragraph for each
argument. Strongest
argument first. Don’t
repeat earlier arguments.
Viewpoint 2
arguments.
New paragraph for each
argument. Strongest
argument first.
Use different sentence
starters. Don’t repeat
earlier arguments.
• Use of impersonal tone
• Summarising final
paragraph
• Paragraphs to separate
viewpoints
• Present tense
• Avoid use of the 1st person
• Use of additive connectives
• Words and phrases to link
to alternative viewpoints
e.g. on the other hand, although
• Technical language relating
to the issue for discussion
Summary A
or B
A—strong points on each
sides but give your point
of view.
B—strong points on each
side and invite reader to
decide.
Instructional Texts Definition— a text in which the writer spells out for the reader what is
needed and the stages to be gone through in order to carry out a task
successfully.
Structure Tips Sentence & Word Level
Title
Tell the reader what is
to be done in no more
than 7 words.
• Use of diagrams and
annotated sketches
• Short precise sentences
• Use of techniques for
emphasising words e.g.
emboldening, increasing
font size, block capitals
• Sequential connectives
• 2nd person
• Action verbs
• Adverbs to increase
precision
• Commas to separate items
in lists
• Consistent use of the
imperative.
What you
need.
List what is needed to
carry out the task.
Consider using
Numbering
Alpha ordering
Bullet points
New line for each new
item
Method
Tell the reader what o
do.
List the steps in order.
New line for each new
instructions
Conclusion
Tell the reader how they
will know they have been
successful.