A Guide to Teaching Writing
The Federation of Greenways Schools acknowledges that much of this booklet is 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 in the staff library in the staffroom and are recommended
to staff for more detailed reference. Please also refer to the Feedback and Marking Policy
and English policies for more information.
Introduction
Following recent professional development activities in the teaching of English and
particularly writing, this document aims to summarise how we teach writing at Greenways.
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:
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Presentation
Marking Codes
Punctuation face
Sentence Types
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. They also include a
range of tips (not rules) and notes about features of each text type. These formats are to be
used, but can be adapted so that they are age appropriate.
Recommended Reading
All these books can be found in the Staff Library in the Staff Room. Staff are free to borrow
books and photocopy any relevant parts, but it is essential that they are returned ASAP.
Presentation Guidelines
At the Federation of Greenways Schools, our approach to presentation is based upon both
pride in our work and clarity in appearance.
We encourage the date to be written in full as this ‘indexes’ the work. In some subjects,
such as maths, or on occasions where work is continued from the previous day, an
abbreviated version is fine. E.g. 01.01.15
New topics require new pages to highlight the new focus,
The interior and exterior of books, wall displays and board work should reflect our school
values of respect and aspire. It is both the child and teacher’s responsibility to reflect this.
Marking and Feedback codes
Please see the marking and feedback policy for full details of our marking codes.
 Green is used to highlight/underline something that has been done particularly well
 Pink is for think. This is an area that needs to be corrected or improved.

- verbal feedback

- co-operative feedback
 Children improve their work using a red pen/pencil of power
 Teachers use a purple pen
 Learning support assistants use a blue pen
 ? meaning unclear
 ^ words or letter omitted/insert
 // new paragraph
 / new line

Well done.
 Sp spelling mistake
 P punctuation error
 ABC capital letter mistake
Brilliant!
Punctuation Poster
It is expected that all teachers display and refer to the punctuation face in their classrooms
so that children have a continuous reminder of the different types of punctuation.
 Whole face displayed for aspiration- highlighted/colour coded for days/weeks focuse.g. green to show expected achievements, yellow for target area (See grid below)
 As pupils become familiar with use of poster they can progress to individualised
learning posters which may be placed inside English books.
 Punctuation marks to be displayed in context, not isolation, with examples next to the
poster.
Progression in Punctuation
Year
group
Early
Years
Skills Progression
Year 1
Capital letters for proper nouns, question marks,
exclamation marks
Year 2
Apostrophes for simple contracted forms/omission and singular possessions e.g.
don’t, the dog’s tail,
Commas in lists- instead of and/or
Avoid using conjunctions and full stops together e.g. And then it continued…
paragraphs
Direct speech,
inverted commas speech marks/quotation marks (Single/double “a” ‘a’??)
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Full stops,
capital letters,
finger spaces
Commas for fronted adverbials e.g.
The weather was horribly wet, dreadfully grim and thoroughly awful.
Apostrophes to show plural possession e.g. The boys’ house.
Commas for marking off subordinate clauses e.g. That morning, which would be
his last, the sun rose in a cloudless sky.
Commas to clarify meaning/avoid ambiguity e.g. If you trust my judgement, it’s
nonsense.
Parenthesis (round brackets) and square brackets- round the source of the
information
Dashes- dramatic punctuation marks,
Hyphen- shorter dash to join compound numbers/ single adjective before a noun
e.g. thirty-five, a one-way street.
Colons and semi colons,
 Bullet points
Ellipsis …
Forward slash/oblique
Progression in Sentence Type
The chart 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 previous years referred to. It is
important that children are given the opportunity to master the different sentence types in
a range of contexts. Children should not therefore be moved on to sentences from higher
year groups.
Year 2
List
It was a dark, long, leafy lane.
It was a cold, wet, miserable and misty morning.
2A start with 1 pair(2 pairs of adjectives)
He was a tall, awkward man with an old, crimpled jacket. It was an overgrown
messy garden with a lifeless, leafless tree.
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.
Year 3
1 Pair (see 2 pairs and adapt)
Cold and hungry, they did not know how much further they had to go.
All Y2
sentences Angry and bewildered, he couldn't believe that this was happening to him.
plus…
Double –ly ending
He swam slowly and falteringly. He rode determinedly and swiftly.
Year 4
Simile ...like a … ...as a …
All Y2/Y3 The moon hung above us like a patient, pale white face. Although it was August,
sentences it was as cold as a late December evening.
plus…
Verb, Person
Flying, John had always been terrified of it. Walking, he seemed to have been
walking for ever.
-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.
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.
Year 5
De:De (description: details)
The vampire is a dreadful creature: it kills by sucking all the blood from its
victims.
All
Y2/Y3/Y4
3 _ed (3 related adjectives)
sentences
Frightened, terrified, exhausted, they ran from the creature.
plus…
Ad, same ad
He was a fast runner, fast because he needed to be.
Emotion word, comma
Desperate, 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
Year 6
.
OI! (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.)
All
previous
sentences 3 bad- (dash) question?
plus…
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.
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.
O
W
W
W
W
W
W
H
H
H
H
H
O
E
E
A
Y
R
N
T
E
Instructions
Instructions tell the reader what is needed and the stages to go through in order to
complete a task successfully. They are a relatively simple form of nonfiction writing,
written in simple sentences using straight forward, direct language so most pupils can
usually write instructions for a simple task by the time they leave Key Stage 1.
Parts
Tips
Title
Tell the reader what is to be done in
no more than 7 words
Requirements/
Ingredients
(What is needed)
Method
(How to do/play/
make it)
Concluding
paragraph
List what will be needed to carry out
the task.
Consider using:
Numbering (1,2, 3..)
Don’t forget to start a new line for
each item
Tell the reader what to do.
Give the steps in order
Use imperative (bossy) verbs.
Include time connectives
Don’t forget to start a new line for
each new instruction.
Tell the reader how they will know
they have been successful.
Features
 Short precise sentences
 Use of techniques to
emphasise words
 Sequential connectives
 2nd person
 Action verbs
 Adverbs to increase
precision
 Commas to separate
ideas in lists
 Consistent use of the
imperative
Recounts (Visits/Trips)
Recounts tell the reader past experiences to inform or entertain the reader. They can be
written for different audiences which will influence the tone, style and formality of the
language used.
Parts
Tips
Title
Tell the reader what the recount is
about in no more than 8 words.
 Condensed synopsis at
the beginning
Overview
paragraph
Write in past tense
Tell the reader two or more of the
following:
When the trip happened
Who was involved
Where it happened
Why it happened
What you did
 Time connectives/
phrases to link paragraphs
Event 1
Write briefly in 2-3 sentences
Tell the reader of any
planning/preparation you did.
Think about what will interest the reader
Event 2
Next events
Concluding
paragraph
Start a new paragraph with a new line
What happened when you arrived-is it
interesting?
Start a new line when you start a new
paragraph
Start a new paragraph for each new
event
Describe all the interesting things that
followed in
Summarise-pick out the main points of
the trip.
Evaluate-tell the reader what was the
most significant or interesting.
Features
 Choice of tone and
language appropriate to
audience
 Use of commas to mark
phrases of clauses
 Consistent use of the past
tense
 Consistent use of the 1st
or 3rd person
Recounts (Historical)
The focus of historical recounts is writing events in sequential order, using the past tense.
They are generally written in the third person. The other major difference is the inclusion
of cause and effect. In most cases, pupils should be encouraged to explain the result or
outcome of the events they are recounting.
Parts
Tips
Title
Tell the reader what the recount is
about in no more than 8 words.
Write in past tense
Tell the reader two or more of the
following:
When the trip happened
Who was involved
Where it happened
Why it happened
What you did
Overview paragraph
Events and their
consequences in the
order in which they
happened Concluding
paragraph
Write briefly in 2-3 sentences
Tell the reader the first
interesting/exciting thing that
happened.
Tell the reader the next things that
happened on the order in which
they occurred.
Are they interesting?
Tell the reader what happened as
a consequence of these events.
Concluding paragraph
Start a new paragraph for each
new event.
What was the end result of all that
happened?
Indicate whether the end result
was positive or negative.
Evaluate – tell the reader what
was the most significant or
interesting event.
Features
 Condensed synopsis at
the beginning
 Time connectives/
phrases to link paragraphs
 Choice of tone and
language appropriate to
audience
 Use of commas to mark
phrases of clauses
 Consistent use of the past
tense
 Consistent use of the 3rd
person
Autobiography/Biography
Another type of recount, which requires research, is a biography-an account of a person’s
life written by a pupil or pupils. As the children get older, they should start to consider the
impact of the person’s life on others or on events. An autobiography, an account of the
author’s life, follows the same format.
Parts
Tips
Title
Tell the reader who your
biography is about in no more
than 8 words
Follow this order in your
paragraph:
Who is it about and what are they
known for?
When did they live?
Where did they live?
Why are they important?
Overview paragraph
Childhood events
Early life, events and
achievements
Later life, events and
achievements.
Concluding paragraph
Answer 2 or more in 1 sentence
Include any childhood events and
family details that you think are
important.
Tell the reader the important
things that happened in their early
life, linking to how these
influenced them.
What were the important events?
List them in chronological order
Indicate whether the
achievements in later life are more
or less important than the earlier
ones.
Tell the reader the importance or
impact of what the person did
during his/her life
What can we learn from them?
How did he/she affect others?
Features
 Condensed synopsis at
the beginning
 Language appropriate to
time to link paragraphs
 Choice of tone and
language appropriate to
audience
 Time connectives
 Use of commas to mark
phrases of clauses
 Consistent use of the past
tense
 Consistent use of the 3rd
person (biography) or 1st
person (autobiography)
Persuasive Argument
Persuasive writing is composed of structured arguments for or against a specific point of
view. The aim is to encourage the reader to agree with the writer’s point of view.
Persuasive writing can take many forms: essays, books, letters, review, adverts.
There are 3 models that Alan Peat describes, 2 of which are similar and dovetail into the 3rd
to form a progression in writing.
Courtroom Model
Aristotelian Model
State position
Statement of position
Back up with evidence
Range of arguments, backed up with evidence
Restate position
Acknowledgement of alternative viewpoints
Problem/Solution Model
Summary and Call to action
Problem
Possible Solutions
The Solution
The first 2 models feed in to the third as they don’t include an alternative viewpoint that
that 3rd does. For the Courtroom model, the same planning format that is detailed below
can be followed with the omission of the ‘what other people think’ paragraph.
There are several posters that can be displayed and referenced
when teaching persuasive writing contained in ‘Teaching
Outstanding Persuasive Writing’.
All sentence types marked by a coloured number can be found in
‘Teaching Outstanding Persuasive Writing’ with examples.
Parts
Tips
Features
What I think
(Statement of
opinion)
State point of view clearly in 1st or
1st 2 sentences.
L3: Negative/positive questions
13
1 viewpoint and opposing
view 12
Worried about…? 6
Opposite/ridiculous 7
L4: Expert friend 4
Them and US 3
They/We 9
Do not x4, Do x 1 8
Yoked opener 11
L5: Worried about…? No need!
However… 5
Multisensory 10
Story with could if… 1
Story + will all change if… 2
Dramatic heightening 2
How would you feel if… 5
Suppose x3 12
Multisensory language 16
I do not want/I only want 8
Named examples 6
Expert Witness 9
Statistics 7
Certainly words 17
We/They 5
L3: Use 1st person
L4+ Impersonal language
Why I think it 1 State strongest argument first
(First supporting Express in 1-2 sentences
reason)
Expand by adding detail and
examples
Use questions to involve reader
emotions
Why I think it 2 Start a new paragraph
(Second
State next strongest argument
supporting
Expand with details/arguments
reason)
Variety of linking words/phrases to
connect ideas
Why I think it 3 Another new paragraph
(Third
Reason stated clearly
supporting
Expand argument
reason)
Remember to include
details/examples
Varied choice of linking words
What other
Start a new paragraph
people think
Explain why other people might
(opposing
disagree/have a different point of
argument)
view
Why I still think Summarise the main reason – no
it
details or examples
(Summary of my Repeat the strongest argument in
argument)
different words
Use appropriate words to show final
paragraph
Multi-sensory language 16
Yoked sentences 3
Do we want…? No/yes 4
Surreal similes 11
Time is running out… 10
Puns 19
Contrasting connectives
L3: reiteration of main points 2
L4: Urgent action needed 1
Double bind 4
L5: Anecdote which is opposite to
opening 3
Explanation
Explanations provide the answers to questions such as how, why, when or where. They say
how something works, what causes something to happen or when or when something
takes place. They provide reason and analysis and some link cause and effect. Further
detail on specific structures can be found in ‘Improving Non-Fiction Writing at Key Stage
1&2: the Success Approach.
Parts
Tips
Features
Title
Tell the reader what the
explanation is about
Introduce the reader to the
subject of the explanation,
(perhaps what it is a part of or
what it belongs to)
Tell the reader the different parts
that make up the subjects
(OPTIONAL-do not include it if it
doesn’t work with your subject)
Tell the reader how it worked or
what happens
 Sequential language to link
paragraphs
General statement
(what is the
explanation about)
Parts (OPTIONAL)
This may be linked
to the general
statement
Key points
paragraphs
 Organisation devices such as
subheadings
 Paragraphs to separate key
points
 Consistent tense use-could be
past or present
 Use of colon prior to listing
 Causal connectives
Select important points
Consider using sub-headings or
numbering to organise the key
points
Summary
paragraph
Tell the reader something special
or important about the subject
 Subject specific words
Non-chronological Report
A non-chronological report is an account of a wide range of natural, cultural or social
phenomena, often made as a result of an investigation or research. It is the most common
cross-curriculum form of non-fiction writing that children are asked to produce. The key
features section will need teacher input to choose appropriate headings depending on the
topic of the report.
Parts
Tips
Features
Title
Tell the reader the subject of your
report in no more than four words
What they are
What group they belong to
Don’t forget where and when
(5 Bare Bums)
Decide on the key features of your
subject. Write about those which
are important
 Based on facts
Classification/
Context statement
Key Features for your
subject
(e.g. location,
appearance, purpose,
diet etc.)
Significance/ WOW!
(OPTIONAL)
Summary statement
Include appropriate vocabulary
 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
Start a new paragraph for each key
feature
 Continuous present tense
Use subject specific/ technical
vocabulary.
Tell your reader what makes the
subject special
Short reminder of main points in
different words.
(past if a historical report)
 Subject specific words
 Language of classification
Compare and Contrast Report 1
Non-chronological reports can also be used to compare and contrast. This simple format is
most appropriate for year 2-4.
Parts
Tips
Features
Title
Tell the reader what you
comparing and contrasting
Opening paragraph/
context statement
Tell the reader what you are
comparing and contrasting and
why
Select aspects of the two topics
that are similar.





Similarities
Group them together into 1
paragraph using connectives
Chose important/significant
similarities.
Differences
Select the aspects that are
different.
Describe what and how they are
different
Summary
Sum up: what are the most
important things that are
different?
What are the most important
things that are the same?





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
(past if a historical report)
Subject specific words
Language of classification
Compare and Contrast Report 2
This more advanced format for comparing and contrasting is most appropriate for
Years 5 and 6.
Parts
Tips
Features
Title
Tell the reader what you
comparing and contrasting
Opening paragraph/
context statement
Tell the reader what you are
comparing and contrasting and
why




Similarity and
difference 1
Chose the most important aspect
you are comparing and
contrasting.
Give details of how that aspect is
the same and different




Similarity and
difference 2
Select the next aspect to compare
and contrast

Further similarity and
difference paragraphs
Continue with a paragraph for
each aspect.


Summary statement
Consider ALL the information and
tell the reader whether the two
things are mainly similar or
different.
Based on facts
Omission of opinions
Formal and objective
Use comparing and
contrasting connectives
Non-chronological
Paragraphs to separate
key points
Use of colon for listing
Commas to separate
items in a list
Continuous present tense
(past if a historical report)
Subject specific words
Language of classification
Journalistic Reports
Journalistic writing proves information about a single event or series of events. Their
purpose is to inform. A key feature of newspaper reposts is their layout and use of
attention grabbing headlines to attract the reader.
Parts
Tips
Headline
Try to use no more than seven
words and include the main point.
By-line
Lead paragraph
Body
Features
 Frequent short
paragraphs
Your name, title and location if the  Use of short sentences
story is world news
 Factual and to the point
 3rd person
Include all the 5 Ws and maybe
 Past tense, although
How? in no more than three
there may be a tense
sentences
change
 Use of emotive language
Provide details about each of the
Ws-remember 1 or 2 will be more
to provoke the reader
important than others.
 Exclamation marks for
Write in short paragraphs
emphasis (title)
Give the information in a balances
 Direct speech for quotes
and factual way.
 Use of causal connectives
Keep in mind the audience when
writing.
 Event specific language
Sources
Include names and titles of people
who provided the information
used in the article
Use both direct and reported
speech when quoted what was
said.
Illustration and
caption
Draw a box to show and
illustration and write a brief
description of what the picture
would be.
Add a brief caption beneath the
box.
Balanced Arguments
Balanced arguments, or discussion texts, present the reader with two or more opposing
arguments with equal weight to allow the reader to consider both sides before making a
judgement on the topic.
Parts
Tips
Features
Title
Short version of the IFD
Issue for discussion
(IFD)
Tell the reader what the issue is
about in as few words as possible




Sentences stating
the 2 different
points of view
(Can combine 2&3 in
the same paragraph)
Supporting
arguments for
viewpoint 1
Cover each point of view
Don’t add any supporting details.
Supporting
arguments for
viewpoints 2
New paragraph for each point
Use strongest argument first
Use different sentence starters to
viewpoint 1
Avoid repeating earlier arguments
Alternative
organisation of 4 & 5
(for more advanced
writers)
Conclusion A, B or C
New paragraph for each point
Use strongest argument first
Use connectives to explain why
people think this
Avoid repeating earlier arguments
The argument can be organised by
alternating points from each
viewpoint (1, 2, 1, 2 etc.)
Use Contrasting connectives to link
paragraphs
A: summarise as strong arguments
on both sides but give your point of
view
B:Summarise and invite the reader
to make up their own mind
C: Summarise and suggest a
compromise





Present tense
Consistent 3rd person
Formal and objective
Paragraphs to separate
viewpoints
Use of additive
connectives
(Furthermore, moreover,
in addition)
Words and phrase to link
alternative viewpoints
(On the other hand,
however, although)
Use of impersonal tone
Technical language
relating to the issue for
discussion
Summarising final
paragraph
Notes