Teacher Interview

What writing genres does she try

to expose children to during the
year?

Non-fiction:
Non-chronological report
Instructions
Book review
Fiction:
Stories with familiar sittings
Egyptian mystery stories
Play-script
Letters (formal / informal)
Myths & Legends (Ancient Greece)
Poetry:
Shape poems
Riddle poems
Senses poems

Is there a whole school plan for

writing development?

Is there a policy for giving

feedback to children on their
writing?

Does the school have any criteria

for assessing childrens writing?

Yes.
The plan of the general writing follows the UK national curriculum
programs of study and the attainment targets and cover all year
group, starting from early years. Also, grammar is based on Alan
Peat.
For the feedback, there is the success criteria labels, where
students use them to do self-check.
The teacher comments, where smiling faces not achieved.
Yes.
There is an expectations list.
Each heading highlighted as per assessment grid.
There is marking policy:

How does she give feedback to

her students?

Blue no clue at all (4 points)

Pink just beginning to do it nut not really (3 points)
Yellow they do it but still not enough (2 points)
Green their excellent in it (1 point)

She give them feedback via their books, or verbally where she
discus their work if it is necessary.
Give them house points when they understand the concepts well.

Forms of Writing
Genres of Writing

Description

1. Non-fiction

It include the non-chronological reports,

instructions and book review.

2. Non-chronological reports

Volcanoes, parts of volcanoes, when and how does it erupt.

3. Instructions
4. Book review
5. Fiction
6. Stories with familiar
sittings
7. Egyptian mystery stories
8. Play-scripts

9. Letters (formal / informal)

10. Myths and Legends

11. Poetry

12. Shapes poems

13. Riddle poems

14. Senses poems

After reading a book (story) they have to write a brief review of

the book, including the auther.
It includes familiar setting of a story, Egyptian
mystery stories, play-scripts, letters, myths and
legends.
Children gets to write a story including the setting of the story,
the character and the plots (beginning, middle, and end).
They have to use different type of actions in the story.
They read books and comic books about Egypt, know more
about Ancient Egypt, what can they find there when they go for
a discovery.
Learn what is a play-script, the features of it, where can they
find one, when can they use it.
They did a play-script based on Ancient Egypt.
Learn the difference between the two letters, how do they
look like, when can these two letters be used, what are the
features of these letters.
They had to use the letters feature when they have to write a
letter.
Learn about Ancient Greece, when was it found, the
characters that can be found in the myths and legends.
Writing poems from their own words, the used
genres are: shape poems, riddle poems, and
senses poems.
Children have to write a poems forming a shape that is
recommended by the teacher, e.g. writing a poem about a
tree using the shape of a tree.
Children write a poem using some descriptive words
describing a thing or living thing, at the end of the poem, they
will hide the answer, and others need to guess the answer.
Children write few lines describing 1 sense out of the five
senses. Or they write a sentence for each sense.

others
15. Explanations
16. Retelling
17. Lists
18. Descriptions
19. Recount
20. Opinion

In science, they do experiments on plants, and write down

their explanation for what happens.
After reading a book or a story, children summaries the story
and they have to retell it and change the plot if they did not
like it.
They do a word list and write down the new words that they
took, or read in a text.
When they finished reading a book, they get to describe the
book, and write what they and disliked about the book.
They write small paragraph about what did they do in the
vacation or holiday, and express what enjoyment they had.
They can write their opinion about something theyve read and
give some suggestions if they want.

Reflection
Identify one writing sample and explain the stage of writing you think the student has
reached.

This sample for a child in the Sharjah English School. She is in grade 3 and
she wrote a formal letter. She wrote simple sentences and formed small
paragraphs that are required in a written letter. I think she is in the mastered
stage because she know how to spell, and didnt forgot to add a full stop at
the end of each sentence.