Three Characteristics of a Supportive KS3 Curriculum

This article is now available at https://www.aidansevers.com/post/three-characteristics-of-a-supportive-ks3-curriculum

If you would like Aidan to work with you on developing the KS3 curriculum at your school, academy, trust or local authority, please visit his website at https://www.aidansevers.com/services and get in touch via the contact details that can be found there.

The Teachers' Point of View Podcast: Should we return back to an Education system that existed before the Pandemic?

Here are the links to my appearance on TJ Juttla's The Teachers' Point of View podcast where we discuss the question Should we return back to an Education system that existed before the Pandemic?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9EioGmbRYg

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-teachers-point-of-view-aidan-severs/id1541326231?i=1000513082118

https://open.spotify.com/episode/

If you would like Aidan to work with you at your school, please visit his website at https://www.aidansevers.com/services and get in touch via the contact details that can be found there.

Making Secondary Schools Primary-Ready

This blog post can now be read at: https://www.aidansevers.com/post/making-secondary-schools-primary-ready

If you would like Aidan to work with you on developing your transition offer either at your primary school or your secondary school, please visit his website at https://www.aidansevers.com/services and get in touch via the contact details that can be found there.

Further reading: 

True Transition Begins in September

Three Characteristics of a Supportive KS3 Curriculum

(School) Work is Wellbeing

School work, and work, is, or at least can be, a positive contributor to a child or adult's wellbeing.

Often, when wellbeing is spoken of, it is referred to implicitly as some kind of antithesis to working: you can either be doing something which constitutes work (whether that be your day job, life admin, being a parent etc) or something which constitutes wellbeing (insert your own personal example here).

But, as always, the dichotomy is false and unhelpful. If I were to draw Venn diagram to represent work and wellbeing, there should be an intersection: a place where the two meet in the middle.

And this should be true for adults and children alike.

Theory from Deci and Ryan suggests that threeinnate needs must be met in order for humans to achieve a sense of wellbeing: competence, autonomy and relatedness.

All of these needs can be met in the work or school environment.

The need to feel competent

When an adult feels like they have a purpose, that they are useful and that they are doing something worthwhile, this need has a better chance of being met. Work is one such environment where it is possible to feel these things. Of course, work isn’t the only place – lots of people undertake other projects and pursuits which can meet this need as well.

When a child’s work is correctly pitched, and when they know they are learning new things and getting better at things they could already do, this need to feel competent will be met.

The need to feel autonomous

Work has the potential to provide adults with a sense of autonomy – not in all jobs admittedly, but certainly for many teachers there is the chance to plan and teach lessons the way you want them, for example. Again, many of an adult’s other pursuits can also provide the feeling of autonomy.

One of the important aspects of learning is that children are brought to a point where they can practise what they are learning independently. Many schools’ pedagogy takes into consideration the idea that children can have an element of choice in their learning, particularly in the earlier years.

The need to feel relatedness

Being at work provides so many opportunities for relatedness – of course, it does depend on how well you get on with your colleagues. Often in schools there are plenty of opportunities for collaborative work which relies heavily on relationships so it isn’t just the fact that we see people at work, but that we work with people at work, too.

Whether children work collaboratively in school or not, being at school, as with the adults, provides great social opportunities. Even the fact that children are together in a classroom, learning the same things, can engender a feeling of relatedness through the shared experience they are having.

Hopefully, just those brief examples are a reminder that, in the same way that quality first teaching is part of a school’s safeguarding offer, work and school work is part of a school’s wellbeing offer to the staff and children.

When considering the return of all staff and children into physical school buildings on the 8^th of March we are right to think about their wellbeing. However, we must not forget that part of what will engender wellbeing in staff and children is the work that they do.

Wellbeing isn’t only served by lovely experiences, mindful colouring, off-timetable teaching and the like; wellbeing is more holistic than that. And I know that you know that – my point is just to remind you that it is OK to prioritise work for both staff and children, and that work in and of itself isn’t always detrimental to a person’s wellbeing.

Work is good for us – we are built to work in one way or another – and if we have a healthy relationship with work, it can actually serve to improve our wellbeing.

And, if any of us, staff or children, are suffering as a result of work, then the above three innate needs can be used to diagnose where changes might be made to the work that we are doing. The answer isn’t simply no work or less work; the answer really is better work – work which better helps to meet our innate needs.

If you would like Aidan to work with you at your school, please visit his website at https://www.aidansevers.com/services and get in touch via the contact details that can be found there.

Book Review: 'Front Desk' by Kelly Yang

'Front Desk' by Kelly Yang has already done its thing in the US, and now the excellent folk at Knights Of have brought it to the UK. As such it's already been reviewed plenty of times and has racked up 18,000 ratings on goodreads.com, averaging at 4.41 - all entirely deserved.

'Front Desk', a middle grade novel based partially on the author's own real life experiences as a child pairs the scariness of the immigrant experience with the optimism of a child. In parts the events are very bleak as systemic inequalities are exposed, albeit through the eyes of a young teenager who still has the power to hope for more. Indeed, Mia does more than just hope and this is a story of proactivity and camaraderie, one which celebrates the power and necessity of diversity.

Despite gut-punch moments - when Mia's parents receive the hospital bill after her mum is robbed and beaten, for example - 'Front Desk' is a joyful story, the reader always buoyed by Mia's resilience and fortitude. Her work ethic and ability to problem-solve are inspiring and, although tough to read, children will cheer Mia along through every adversity that she overcomes.

It is true, however, that some of Mia's solutions rely on dishonesty, and this should be discussed openly with young readers of the book. But, more important should be conversations around the harsh treatment of migrant workers, not only in the US but in the UK also. As well as an enjoyable read, this book could also serve as a call to action for children to find out more about the difficulties that people face when they move to a new country in search of employment. Mia and her family, as well as the 'weeklies' (the almost permanent residents of the motel), put a human face to the issue which will help children to understand and empathise with people in a similar position to that of Mia's family.

'Front Desk' is also a loud celebration of how working together, regardless of ethnicity, financial circumstances or age, should be, could be, the driving force behind society. In a world where so much of the media seems to be divisive and reductive in its messaging, it is a breath of fresh air to read something that gets it so right: with a little kindness, understanding and collaboration, things get done! And with a surprise ending that I didn't see coming, I'm all ready to read the next book 'Three Keys' which Knights Of have published simultaneously.

'Front Desk' is available on bookshop.org and is featured on my Stories From America booklist: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/children-s-fiction-stories-from-america

Book Review: 'The Graveyard Riddle' by Lisa Thompson

Ever since reading Lisa Thompson's first book 'The Goldfish Boy' I've been a fan of her ability to draw humour, mystery and real life together into something that children absolutely can't wait to get their hands on. In fact, in our house, she is one of only a few authors who the majority of us have read: Lisa is up there with JK Rowling in terms of how many of us have read her books!

'The Graveyard Riddle' picks up where 'The Goldfish Boy' left off, this time focusing a little more on Melody Bird as the main character. Again, Lisa deftly includes details of life's difficulties as the backdrop to the story: Matthew is still going to therapy for OCD, Melody's parents are splitting up due to a secret her dad has been keeping from them and the house has to be sold, meaning that Melody has to leave her home. Jake is being bullied by their neighbour and teacher and he is struggling with his behaviour at school - elsewhere in the book quite serious mental health issues are tackled too, as well as neglect of children. 

Although this all seems quite heavy, you'll know if you've read her previous books, that the author treats each issue carefully, sensitively, and in a way that children can relate to. In fact, if children have experienced similar things I think they would be comforted by seeing themselves in a book, and children who haven't experienced these things will have the chance to develop empathy for others who have.

But 'The Graveyard Riddle' isn't at all just a vehicle to tackle the above. Over and above that it is just a cracking mystery story, and one which really gets the reader guessing and then second-guessing themselves.

Melody meets Hal hiding out in an old plague house in a part of the graveyard that she's never visited before. Hal brings Melody into his mission: to apprehend the dangerous criminal, Martin Stone, and together they solve riddles and stake out the graveyard, spying on him as he visits. However, when Melody has to let Matthew and Jake in on what's going on, doubts are raised: is Hal really who he says he is? What is he really doing in the plague house?

'The Graveyard Riddle' is a great read for children and adults alike: Lisa is skilled at writing that dual-layer narrative that Disney does so well, ensuring that there is plenty to appeal to all. In fact, one great angle to this story is the interplay between adults and children: something which isn't always present when children are the protagonists.

Full of heart and warmth, this middle grade mystery is an easy and compelling read, perfect for children in Key Stage 2 and certainly not at all unsuitable for Key Stage 3 children either. And if you're a parent looking for a good read aloud, or a teacher wanting to stay in touch with children's literature, then 'The Graveyard Riddle' is the perfect title for you.

The Graveyard Riddle by Lisa Thompson is available on bookshop.org and features on my Read By My UKS2 Daughter list: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/read-by-my-uks2-daughter

Beyond SPaG: Advice For Parents When Writing With Children At Home

Teacher and author friends!

What tips would you give to parents and teachers for how to promote and aid children with developing their creative writing at home?

I would like to collate your ideas for an article.

Please RT.

— Aidan Severs (@thatboycanteach) February 11, 2021

Hoping for a more positive response, I tweeted the above after seeing a journalist hunting for authors who were 'surprised/angered by what their children are learning about grammar, English etc during home schooling or how they are being taught to write?'. And positive response I got. By all means, click on the above tweet and explore all the answers at your leisure, or stay here and read a summary of the advice that was shared.

Before launching into the advice though, I think it would be wise to give a bit of context. During partial school closure during lockdown, teachers have been providing a remote learning experience for children who are at home. This remote learning provision, however good, cannot mimic exactly the normal ways of working in a classroom that teachers have developed; it has had to be an adapted provision. As such, it would appear that many teachers have felt that SPaG-based activities have been easier for children to complete at home; the teaching of the creative aspects of writing relying more on teacher interaction.

So, what this blog post sets out to do is provide you, a parent at home, with ways of working with your child that will help you to help your children with creative writing rather than SPaG-focused English learning. The ideas below should allow you to work with your child in a way that mirrors more closely the work that their teacher would normally do with them at school.

Reading

Many people pointed straight to reading as the first step in helping children to write. Books can inspire children and they provide a model of what a good piece looks like so they make a great starting point. The theme of reading will reoccur throughout the advice under other headings.

Reading aloud more to their kids just for fun. And occasionally casually talking about the way the writer writes and how it's different to another book you read aloud would help.

— Melissa Jordan (@melissacreate15) February 11, 2021

I used wordless picture books in the library. Often ones they hadn't seen & only giving them 1/2 images so they wouldn't have a clue what the story was actually about. Also used my own street photographs to generate discussion and ideas, with some prompt questions to start them off

— Barbara Band (@bcb567) February 11, 2021

Imagining

Children already have great imaginations - the task for parents is to channel this imagination into their writing. People shared ideas about how to prompt children to imagine things to include in their writing:

I'd say daydreaming time as important as writing time. Visualise your landscape & make it real. It can be an incredible fantasy world but still needs to feel rooted in real experience. Put familiar objects in; think about weather, light, plants, sky..

— Nicola Penfold (@nicolapenfold) February 11, 2021

I play a game with my son: he has to describe a scene or place without naming it e.g. by writing about smells, sounds, textures, and I guess what it is. Make it extra hard by writing from a perspective of a blind person, a small child, or a spy who has to conceal certain details

— Svitlana (@SvitYarm) February 11, 2021

Inspiring

An extension of imagining is using pre-existing things to generate new imaginative ideas. If it is proving difficult to capture ideas from your child's imagination then they might just need a little prompting and there are innumerable ways to do that, here are just a few:

We keep a tin of Random Story-Starters in the library with opening lines to get them started. There are lots eg "Only the very oldest of them remembered a time when people could read ..."

— HVC Library (@HVCLRC) February 11, 2021

It can be difficult to get story ideas, so try writing stories based on books, films, tv shows, games. It's helpful to have a few parameters eg write an adventure story set in the jungle, a mystery set in a castle. No harm in imitating their favourites. Allow scope for enjoyment.

— Dan Smith (@DanSmithAuthor) February 11, 2021

Be positive & welcoming about all the tools & formats they want to use to make stories/songs/poems/characters, inc. comics, fan fiction, gaming, emoji, toys. They're all generative & valid.

— So Mayer (@Such_Mayer) February 11, 2021

Collect postcards and interesting pictures from mags/newspapers. Choose one that interests you - really look at it, maybe describe it. Think what’s going on in the pic, what happened just before, what might happen next. And off you go, with a story!

— Sue Purkiss (@sue_purkiss) February 11, 2021

Give alternative scenarios (and get them to come up with their own). What would have happened if... the slipper had fitted one of the ugly sisters; Harry Potter had been a ‘squib’; Hansel and Gretel didn’t find their way home...

— MrsR (@MrsR51710002) February 11, 2021

Keep a journal which includes copying lines from favorite songs, poems, and readings. Read different styles of authors. Listen to podcasts and old radio shows...

— Leticia Hallmark (@ushistorysage) February 11, 2021

Print out photos of unusual things or people and ask them to make up a story about what they can see. That's always a fun idea. Or a pick and mix where they pick one theme (ie space story) and three random words (ie banana, tree and cheese) and they must create a story from that.

— Author N J Simmonds (@NJSimmondsTPK) February 11, 2021

Writing 'fan fiction' - allowing children to get to writing and play with language with characters and worlds that have already been established. As a child my favourite things to write were my own stories based on the Zelda video games and A Series of Unfortunate Events books.

— Rob Laight (@ArticuLaight) February 11, 2021

Experiencing

Further inspiration for writing ideas can come from the experiences that your child has - it could be everyday experiences, remembered experiences or you could do something a little different to prompt their writing. Whilst experiences are limited during lockdown, getting outdoors should provide some inspiration, especially if whilst out you activate their imaginations with some 'what if' type questions e.g. 'What if this tree were the home to an army of ninja spiders?'

Start young. .

Encourage making up stories and collect favourite words. Stop on walks to wonder what faeries would live there. Think out loud about how to describe the feeling of a puddle splash or the taste of cake.

Write these down.

Gradually relinquish the pen.

— 🐾📚Mimi Thebo📚🌿 (@MimiThebo) February 11, 2021

loads of reading and then getting outside / to amazing places and having experiences to write about.

— David Rogers (@davidErogers) February 11, 2021

Go outside. Start noticing everything. Use a camera to zoom in to tiny details and then back out. Do mindfulness to learn how to fully notice and experience life. Good writing comes from mindfully experiecing the world around us.

— Mrs P (@thinker_teacher) February 11, 2021

Talking

Writing is about the written word but before the written word there was the spoken word. The spoken word is the best starting place as it provides an opportunity to play around with language, revise ideas and collaborate. Make talk an essential step prior to writing.

Read lots, discuss lots. Create together (orally & writing), play together, notice things that writers do/ be curious. Celebrate lovely things & funny things. Laugh together at things that don't quite work & wonder why. I think the words share, together & enjoy are important.

— Zoe Enser (@greeborunner) February 11, 2021

Read. Let them write about what they want, with what they want, where they want. Talk about imaginary things. Eg: If this was a magic leaf, where would you fly to? If you were 2cm tall, how would you get from the couch to the table? Encourage wondering.

— copycontentwriter (@copycontentw) February 11, 2021

Story telling. When we sit at the table for dinner, we always do a 'how was your day?' I started telling completely wild tales about fighting dragons or ogres and it's now a bit of a tradition to tell a wild tale at dinner.

— David Oates 🙋🏻‍♂️ (@Oates27) February 11, 2021

Imitating

Imitation can come in many forms and children can attempt to imitate all kinds of writing. You could also work on imitating language that children hear via other media forms: audio books and TV shows, for example.

Encourage them to copy their favourite writers. They're comfortable trying out footballers' and singers' techniques and making them their own: it's the same with writing.

— Tom Palmer (@tompalmerauthor) February 11, 2021

Practising

Not everything has to be a fully-blown story or piece of writing. Short bursts of writing can be a great way to develop children's writing skills and their enjoyment of writing. Keep these fun and inspiring and your child will most likely happily have a go.

Sentence starters! Often, the most difficult part of the writing process is just getting started - blank pages can be intimidating! (Talking from experience)

If you provide sentence starters, you might take some of that fear away and get their ideas flowing!

— Gwen Morris (@MGwenMorris) February 11, 2021

I do basic metaphor building activities that kids love. Eg make lists of abstract noun/gerund/body part and put them together in exciting ways (love was swimming in my toes, sadness was jumping in my spine, time was itching in my hands)

— Lewis Buxton (@LewisBuxton93) February 11, 2021

Planning

Planning isn't always the most exciting part of the writing process for children, but it can be made more enjoyable. Much of this can be done orally (see the Talking heading) and can be recorded in a number of fun ways (see the Recording heading).

I have to draw my characters, the landscapes and create a storyboard before I even find the words.

— Gill Lewis (@gill__lewis) February 11, 2021

Ask them to think of a character first, then what that character WANTS - that is key to every story. Then they encounter a problem, must solve it, then they do/don’t get what they want. Boom. I have a story worksheet on my website here: https://t.co/5eQfRhzLZR

— Maz Evans (@MaryAliceEvans) February 11, 2021

Do a lot of thinking and talking (or mind map/scribble) around ideas. The first idea you think of will be the same as everyone else's (see twitter jokes), the 3rd will be better but what if you try and reach for the 6th, 7th, 8th idea? That's the one that'll be uniquely you.

— Siân Rowland (@Sian_Rowland) February 11, 2021

Recording

Once all the ideas have been thought of, there's the sticky issue of the mechanical part of transcribing all the fantastic things that children have come up with. Some of this advice revolves around writing without concern for SPaG, other ideas are to do with where children write and there are even suggestions around transcription-free writing:

Keep a special book to note ideas, special words or phrases, experiences etc. and read, read, read...

— Helen Sampson (@helensampsonart) February 11, 2021

Also, write from the heart & let your imagination flow without getting bogged down in grammar. Get those imaginations on paper and the rest will follow. You can think about grammar when editing it afterwards.

— Author Kerry Gibb (@AuthorKerryGibb) February 11, 2021

2) separate the skills. At school he has to write neatly. This matters but not always. We focus on thinking of great ideas and writing them down, not handwritng. Practice hand writing, punctuation, spelling etc. separately. (2/?)

— Megaphone Write (@MegaphoneWrite) February 11, 2021

Keep a scrapbook - that's a project in itself - collect pix, stick 'em in - add bits of writing - poems - short descriptions - whatever comes to mind. This can then spark further ideas for longer pieces of writing. Make it FUN.

— Celia Rees (@CeliaRees) February 11, 2021

KEEP A DIARY! Fill it with stories, poems, film reviews, new words you discover etc! I kept a diary from 11-18 and still have them all!

— Ian Eagleton (@MrEagletonIan) February 11, 2021

Don't stop acting as a scribe once they start being able to write. Getting the handwriting and spellings right can feel laboriously slow for a child & really disrupt that feeling of a story flowing/bursting out of you. Get them to tell you a story & write it down for them 2/2

— Susannah Lloyd (@Susannah_Lloyd) February 11, 2021

Write freely, then record what you’ve written, listen back to it. Does it make sense, does it flow nicely, are you repeating yourself?

Then edit the text and repeat that process.

I think listening to recordings of yourself can build confidence, while developing critic and voice

— Mr Owl Head* 💙 (@sullieship) February 11, 2021

Reviewing

Even in school this bit can be difficult for teachers and children - often children need a break after writing before they are ready to return to what they have written, so bear that in mind. However, it should be possible to work through what has been drafted to make improvements.

..we spend a lot of time on the drafting, editing, cutting and trimming. We try and craft writing rather than spew it out and leave it. We are warm writers and cold editors; we don’t hold on to ideas, we are ruthless with jettisoning them😁
I am very passionate about this ❤️

— Lucy 🏳️‍🌈 (@honeypisquared) February 11, 2021

Celebrating

This is so crucial in the writing process for children - if you want them to write for enjoyment then they need to enjoy what they have written. Seeing other people enjoying their work is a great motivator too so sharing is essential! Send a copy to Granny, read it over Zoom to Uncle, drop a copy round to a neighbour - the options are almost endless and are bound to cheer someone up!

Get them to read their work aloud to you or read it back off the page out loud to them. Celebrate illustrations in books and by them of what they're writing. Storyboards can be great. So can mind maps. If it feels experimental and fun, they feel relaxed.

— Cath Howe (@cath_howe) February 11, 2021

Publishing

Having a purpose for writing is also a motivating factor - one that might be considered right at the very start of the writing process, rather than as an afterthought. If children know their work will be shared, published or entered into a competition even the most reluctant writer can be spurred on in their writing.

My 8-year-old is writing a book in @Canva. She loves decorating the pages as she writes. Kids love using the tools we use so let them.

— 👩🏻‍💻 Emma Page (@wordsbypage) February 11, 2021

Encourage them to enter young writing comps once they have written a good short story like The little BIG Book Comp https://t.co/IzpCQGRGUx

— Abiola Bello (@ABelloWrites) February 11, 2021

Other Resources

Thankfully, this blog post isn't the only source of advice in this arena. Several excellent experts have produced resources to help parents help their children with writing at home:

Supporting Children Writing At Home: https://writing4pleasure.com/supporting-children-writing-at-home/

Three Steps To Writing from SF Said: http://www.sfsaid.com/2017/01/three-steps-to-writing.html

It’s A Kid’s Life – Lockdown by Kerry Gibb: http://kerrygibb.com/its-a-kids-life/kids-life-lockdown/

Writing Prompts from Beverly Writes: https://www.beverleywrites.com/blog

5 Ways to Engage Reluctant Writers with Creativity from Now>Press>Play: https://nowpressplay.co.uk/engage-reluctant-writers-with-creativity/

Homewriting Workshops from the Candlewick Press YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEqVZlLgos-WN7boUH8tsFWNihT745u9u 

Michael Rosen's videos: https://www.michaelrosen.co.uk/videos/

If you would like Aidan to work with you on developing writing at your school, please visit his website at https://www.aidansevers.com/services and get in touch via the contact details that can be found there.