Employing a variety of sentence structures to create more effective short stories

The concept

A teacher in a comprehensive school said "My level 4/5 borderline children in year 8 often find it difficult to improve their own short story writing.  They have problems in understanding how a variety of sentence structures  can affect the meaning and impact of the text and how to develop these techniques in their own writing."

In order to address this issue, the teacher devised a series of lessons using ICT to teach the following:

• Identifying types of sentence.
• How to recognise the effect and importance of these in writing;
• How this can improve the impact of their writing;

Why use ICT?

In the past, some children have failed to engage with this topic because they were unable to visualise the end result.  ICT enables students to re-draft easily and to see any improvements their work immediately.

Difficulties with access to laptops meant that the teacher was unable to have laptops every lesson and could only use them once a week.  Therefore, lessons in between were used to develop understanding of sentence structure and to draft their stories.

The teacher decided to use ICT in the following ways:

• Highlighting sentence types in a text.
• Collapsed text to understand how word order can affect meaning. 
• Pictures to evoke mood.
• Sentence starters to be used and developed in Word.
• Peer assessment of child work through use of the comment tool.

The lessons

Learning objectives and related assessment focuses
writing
AF5:  Vary sentences for clarity, purpose and effect
AF1:   Write imaginative, interesting and thoughtful texts
AF3:  Organise and present whole texts effectively, sequencing and structuring information, ideas and events

Year 8 sentence level
2:  Explore the impact of a variety of sentence structures

Vocabulary
11:  Appreciate the impact of figurative language in texts

Text level-writing
2:  Re-read work to anticipate the effect on the reader and revise style and structure, as well as accuracy, with this in mind
6:  Experiment with figurative language in conveying a sense of character and setting

Lesson one

Starter 
Recap sequence of events from short story read last lesson (‘KBW’ by Faroukh Dhondy).

Introduction 
All children to be issued with their own laptop.  They should open up the ‘Unscramble KBW’ piece from the shared area.  Their task is to use these words to form logical sentences using their understanding of sentence structures.

Development 
Children to be placed in pairs.  They must explain to each other how they each created their sentences and why.  In a different coloured font, amendments can be made based on peer assessment.

Plenary 
Teacher to show good examples of work on the interactive whiteboard and children to discuss appropriately. Draw out from students how they created effective and logical sentences. Move students on to a discussion of style and how writers choose to construct their sentences in order to affect the reader.

Questions for discussion/consideration:

• How much text should be selected to be manageable? Too much and the task becomes impossible. Too little and it becomes too easy.
• How could highlighting be used to secure understanding?
• How could the ‘insert comment’ tool be incorporated?
• Could the plenary be more child-led?

Lesson two

Starter 
Discuss ways to expand and improve sentences and model examples on the board.  Link this to understanding of sentence structure that was discussed during the previous lesson.

Introduction 
Each child to be issued with a laptop.  Children to open up, ‘Improving Sentences’ piece on shared area.  Using a different coloured font, they should expand upon these sentences in order to make them more interesting and effective. Read a few out and ask students to explain how they have changed them and to what effect.

Development 
Children to open up picture of ‘The Weeping Woman’ by Picasso.  Using comment tool, children annotate and list reasons why she could be crying.  Go on to create another sheet outlining things that she could be thinking.  This is a planning tool for the short story.  They will go on to use their understanding of sentence structure to improve their short stories.

Plenary 
Feedback ideas and model examples on the interactive whiteboard.

Questions for discussion/ consideration

• Would children benefit from seeing a short power point on sentence type for a starter?
• Could children improve their own sentences instead of sentences provided by the teacher?
• Could the planning of the story be developed around the picture?
• Could the plenary be more child led by articulating their ideas in story form?

Lesson three

Starter 
Recap ideas about the ‘Weeping Woman’ and plans for plots of their short stories.

Introduction 
Show a variety of photos on the interactive whiteboard that could be used as a stimulus for the story.  Complete planning chart and feedback ideas by using the interactive whiteboard pen.

Development 
Show short PowerPoint recapping key features of an effective opening.  Begin writing story openings.

Plenary 
Feedback and share ideas, using peer assessment to improve work.  The peer assessment should focus upon the use of a variety of sentence structures in their writing.

• Would it be useful to record children reading their finished product?
• Could the development section be more interactive with children picking out key points?
• Is there an opportunity for oral rehearsal of the opening before writing?
• Could the success criteria be made more explicit in order to aid peer assessment?

Evaluation

In future it would be more effective to block book laptops.

General opinion was that the use of laptops engaged them in the process of planning and writing their stories.  Reasons given included, presentation, learning new computer skills, and support for what they identify as a difficult area.

The insecure level 5 children made significant progress while some insecure level 4 children still had difficulty in transferring their understanding from reading into writing.

Developments

The following areas were considered for future development:

• More child-led activities
• The steps need to be made more explicit throughout
• Using child feedback and examples of their work to inform future lessons.
• More oral rehearsal could be used prior to the writing.
  

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