How To Engage Reluctant Writers!

Recent research undertaken by The National Literacy Trust reveals children and young people's enjoyment of writing and daily writing habits are at a crisis point.

The Trust conducted their 2024 Annual Literacy Survey of more than 76,000 children and young people in the UK and found that, 'Fewer than 3 in 10 (28.7%) of 8-18 year olds say they enjoy writing in their free time. This is the lowest level recorded by the charity since it first started asking children about their writing in 2010. 1 in 3 children (35.7%) say they rarely or never write in their free time.

In fact young people's writing skills are a cause for concern. Last year, 3 in 10 eleven year olds left primary school without the writing skills expected for their age while a third of 16 year olds did not achieve a grade 4 or above in English and Maths GCSEs.

Looking to the Future

As educators, it is vital that we help young people to discover a love of writing. We must stress the importance of writing for enjoyment in order to support children's cognitive, social and emotional development as well as providing pupils with the writing skills they need to thrive.

Writing is a powerful tool which allows children to recount experiences and express thoughts, feelings and ideas. If children are unable to write well this can have a damaging effect and may even limit options open to them as they progress into adulthood.

In my experience schools are modelling, sharing and guiding children to become independent writers. Written work is marked and assessed with points to improve and yet there is still something missing.

Are we actually over emphasising technique when children need to be encouraged to write freely and creatively? Are we in fact stifling children when we are met with exclamations of 'I don't know what to write?' Do children fully understand the power that writing has to entertain, explain, evoke emotion and inspire?

Drawing on Experiences

When we write, we draw on experience, not just technical skills. Our ability, enthusiasm and inspiration to write comes from what we have seen, heard, felt, smelled and tasted. Richness and diversity in experiences can certainly encourage writing skills.

Good writers are extremely observant, they draw us in by describing the small details, how a character stands and moves, particular sounds or interesting features of a setting. Effective writers are also playful with words on a page just like children can play for hours in vivid, imagined worlds of their own. The best writers have sufficient time to think, feel and reflect which requires time which is often lacking in our current curriculum.

Utilising the Outdoor Environment

Outdoor learning can provide activities and stimuli which inspire quality written outcomes. By allowing children to fully explore and observe changing seasons and weather conditions they are able to link learning with reality and writing can have a clear purpose.

When children can discover things outside they may feel freer to take greater risks with language. There is always a certain excitement to working outside which allows children to get their creative juices flowing leading to lively, interesting writing.

Discover and Describe

Children need to learn to examine the fine details and to develop descriptive language for the objects they will find outside. Pupils could be encouraged to look, touch and pick one item to describe in detail to a partner. Children can describe each curve, scratch, colour and texture found in their item.

Nature journaling is the practise of drawing and writing in response to observations in nature. Children are allowed to slow down and immerse themselves in their natural surroundings. Writing in a nature journal and including sketches and photographs can be used to then further develop ideas.

Writing Effective Descriptions

When children have developed a greater awareness of the world around them they will be able to accurately describe what they can see, hear, feel and smell in the outdoor environment.

Teach students to describe different surfaces and contrasting textures and to note small details on leaves, flowers and trees. They will notice particular sounds close by such as the crunching of their shoes on different surfaces or the sounds of birds and traffic in the distance. Encourage pupils to really think carefully about the adjectives they use to describe what they see instead of using words they may use everyday.

Emphasise to pupils that they are trying to paint a picture in the readers mind - to make them see what they see. Once back in the classroom children can display their words and phrases (on walls/floor spaces) collected outside. They can then walk around the space with a partner taking turns to narrate a descriptive story opening by threading phrases together.

Key words/phrases can now be added to a writing working wall ready for children to write a story of a character walking through their imagined landscape.

Avid Readers Lead to Avid Writers

Reading feeds writing. When writing is problematic, the best way to revitalise it is to feed your brain with more reading. Reading provides the writer with ideas for structure, rich language, ideas for character development and how to show differing viewpoints.

Schools who give a high priority to the teaching of writing will provide a plentiful supply of high quality literature for pupils to enjoy. There should be a rich and varied selection of reading materials including fiction and non-fiction texts for children to 'dip into.' Perhaps teachers could read and select new titles and share recommendations with each other during school in-service days.

Reading aloud to children should be a regular and valued part of the school day which doesn't stop as pupils get older. Particular texts will really resonate with different pupils and may spark an interest in literature as a natural and pleasurable part of their lives.

Simple ways that reading can become an exciting part of every day school life include:

• Creating a relaxed whole-class reading environment - sitting on cushions on the floor, lighting a candle.
• Have a pupil recommendation shelf/display.
• Encourage children to talk to each other about books and make recommendations.
• Introduce 'Poem of the Day.'
• For added excitement and anticipation wrap a new class novel in paper and give clues to encourage children to guess the genre/plot of a book even before it has been opened.
• Encourage children to take an active role and responsibility for the school library/class reading area.
• Have access to magazines, newspapers, riddle and joke books in class.

When children read widely their understanding of the world and their language skills progress. Students can draw upon this new knowledge in their own writing.

Reading opens up new worlds and experiences, transporting children through history and to places they can only dream of. Reading purely for excitement and pleasure can have a huge effect on any young writer.

The Power of Imaginative Play

Children are experts at taking on different roles whether a mum, baby, vet, police man or even a cat! Young children will enter willingly into the world of make believe, creating convincing characters. Having this kind of vivid imagination is essential to becoming a writer.

Role-play areas particularly in EYFS classrooms are busy hubs where through words and actions children tell stories. The question is how can we nurture this throughout primary education and beyond?

Linking Drama Activities and Writing

There are many links to drama activities and successful writing and for kinaesthetic learners the opportunity to use their whole bodies to bring a story to life is crucial. Many times I have asked a child how a character may be feeling and have been met with the stock responses of 'happy/sad.' If we allow children to 'live', share and experience different dramatic scenarios they will be more equipped to talk and write about them.

Writing in Role

Writing in role is particularly motivating for children and can cover a range of purposes such as letters, interviews, advertisements, secret messages and captions. Improvised drama is an exciting way of collectively devising a plot that can lead on to the writing of stories, monologues or play scripts.

Drama activities allow students to explore alternatives to the way known narratives develop. In drama lessons alternatives can be shown and talked about quickly and easily providing children with ideas and confidence in their own writing.

Writing can be woven into dramatised stories with the arrival of a letter, discovery of a secret note, diary entry or poster. Often in EYFS role play areas pupils will have written a poster to display on the wall advertising items in their shop and stating opening times which allows children to write in context for a real purpose.

Complex and Rich Language Choices

Children will often use more complex and rich language when engaged in drama activities in role. While posing as a builder, students will need to think about the specialised language and tone of voice needed.

When pupils have enacted being a Victorian pupil with the help of a teacher/teaching assistant to model language they will have had opportunity to explore the language needed to create a convincing and emotive diary entry.

Using Music as a Writing Stimulus

Quite often children can be presented with a perfect, finished article from a high-quality text as their only stimulus for writing. Whilst this can be useful, it can also be demotivating for struggling writers who feel that they will not be able to achieve the same standard in their own writing.

By using a writing stimulus other than a piece of text pupils may feel more liberated to fully engage their senses and to develop a writer's voice which has been hidden within. When carefully chosen music is combined with images pupils often respond with imagination, confidence and enthusiasm.

Free Writing without the Fear of Correction

Children need to be shown more examples of the drafting process and how 'real' writers may start their pieces. To expect neat, crisp, accurate writing as a first draft is often unattainable. We need to provide opportunities for children to become confident doodlers and mark makers without the fear of correction.

Once pupils can record what they can see and hear in their heads when listening to a piece of music they will begin to note down language which can be used effectively in writing.

Instrumental music with sound effects such as footsteps, dogs barking, a ticking clock, church bells or a moving train can generate a variety of responses in the listener's mind's eye. When listening to a musical piece children can close their eyes and identify a place where the sounds take them to.

Pupils can be given full ownership of what they write in response to what they can hear. They may choose to write a poem, story opener, a description, a play or a list etc. Children can be encouraged to write without 'thinking' as they immerse themselves in the music.

Reluctant writers can also be given instruments and sound-making props to create a variety of different sounds based on the setting they are exploring. Sounds can be turned into words and phrases which inspires children to think of interesting and original ways to describe.

Whole School Approaches to Inspire a Love of Writing

• Writers' Journals - Many writers have books in which they keep jottings, ideas, sketches, observations and cuttings. Pupils can be provided with a good-quality book which they can add thoughts and ideas to throughout their school years.
• A 'News' Bulletin Board - Usually children can't wait to tell their classmates about their lives and achievements outside school. An easily accessible bulletin board can be used by children, teachers and parents. Medals, certificates, family news and interesting days out can be supported and explained by writing examples.
• Writing Working Walls - A 'working wall' can be a valuable resource which supports throughout all stages of the writing process. The wall should showcase a build- up of skills and the editing process and will contain notes and ideas that learners have gathered. Spelling strategies, impressive vocabulary, sentence and text structures which children have developed themselves can all be displayed.
• Create opportunities for children to publish their work - Try to include different examples of children's finished works in the classroom. Books can include children's finished written pieces and there may also be examples of children's own mini-books, magazines or comics. Books from previous classes can also be displayed to inspire current students.
• Establish School Community Links - A school magazine or story anthology could include written pieces by pupils, teachers and members of the community. Students writing could even be published on community websites crating a larger writing community.

Children need to feel that their writing is a valuable means of expression and communication. We must strive to provide them with opportunities to write about their own feelings, experiences and interests. Writing has the power to connect people and we want our young people to learn to write not only to develop skills but because they love to do so.