Talk for Writing, developed by Pie Corbett supported by Julia Strong, is powerful because it is based on the principles of how children learn.
Talk for Writing enables children to imitate the key language they need before they try reading and analysing it. Through fun activities that help them rehearse the tune of the language they need, followed by shared writing to show them how to craft their writing, children are helped to write in the same style.
Talk for writing is taught in 3 stages called the 3 I's, imitation, innovation and invention. The stages are explained below:
Each unit starts with an elicitation (cold) task so that the teacher is aware of what the children can do and therefore plan accordingly for the rest of the unit. Once the teacher has established a creative context and an engaging start, a typical Talk for Writing unit would begin with some engaging activities warming up the tune of the text, as well as the topic focused on, to help children internalise the pattern of the language required. This is followed by talking an exemplar text, supported visually by a text map and physical movements to help the children recall the story or non-fiction piece. In this way the children hear the text, say it for themselves and enjoy it before seeing it written down. Once they have internalised the language of the text, they are in a position to read the text and start to think about the key ingredients that help to make it work.
Each unit starts with an elicitation (cold) task so that the teacher is aware of what the children can do and therefore plan accordingly for the rest of the unit. Once the teacher has established a creative context and an engaging start, a typical Talk for Writing unit would begin with some engaging activities warming up the tune of the text, as well as the topic focused on, to help children internalise the pattern of the language required. This is followed by talking an exemplar text, supported visually by a text map and physical movements to help the children recall the story or non-fiction piece. In this way the children hear the text, say it for themselves and enjoy it before seeing it written down. Once they have internalised the language of the text, they are in a position to read the text and start to think about the key ingredients that help to make it work.
| Imitate |
Innovate |
Invent |
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Poppy who lives with her mother who was poor |
Teenage boy Jack lives with his Grandad who was very poor |
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Goes out for a bike ride |
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Helps an old lady who give her a magic porridge pot and tells her it works |
Helps a child who gives him a magic chicken which lays eggs and tells him the magic words |
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Takes it home to show her mother how it works and tries it out. |
Takes it home to show his Grandad how it works and tries it out. |
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Description of porridge and where it went |
Description of eggs and where it went |
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Poppy shouts ‘Stop, little pot, stop!’ |
Jack shouts ‘Stop, little chicken, stop!’ |
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They lived happily ever after. |
They lived happily ever after. |
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This stage continues to focus on the next steps needed to support progress so the children can become independent speakers and writers of this type of text. Shared writing also takes place at this point, focusing on areas which children have struggled with. The children can then have a go themselves on a related topic of their own choosing.
