'Playing the game called writing': children's views and voices

Collects primary pupils' views of themselves as writers and their preferences, attitudes and awareness of the source of their ideas in the context of England's National Literacy Strategy. Underlines the importance of listening to pupils' views about literacy, in order to create a more open dialogue about language and learning, and to negotiate the content of the curriculum in response to their perspectives

Creativity and writing: developing voice and verve in the classroom

"This clear yet authoritative book affirms the vital role of creativity in writing and considers and encourages flexible, innovative practices in teaching. Importantly, the book reflects upon teachers' imaginative and artistic involvement in the writing process as role models, collaborators, artists, and as writers themselves. Arguing that children's creative use of language is key to the development of language and literacy skills, this book focuses on the composition process and how children can express their own ideas. In addition, the authors consider the many forms of creative language that influence the inner and outer voice of children, including reading, investigating, talking and engaging in a range of inspiring activities. Illustrated throughout with many examples of children's writing and drawing, this book also provides suggestions for classroom activities and is a source of inspiration and practical guidance for any teacher looking to deepen their understanding of literacy theory and practice.

Creative Activities for Plot, Character and Setting, 5-7

Get your Key Stage 1 children out of their seats and talking about stories. Explore literature through art, drama, puppets and other innovative techniques. Brings projects to life with colour photographs and samples of work. Helps you link reading and writing. Self-contained: comes with all the full-length texts you need. Shows you how to develop talk for writing

Teaching early reading and phonics: creative approaches to early literacy

This book supports teachers using phonics in their teaching of early reading. The authors show how important it is to ensure that children acquire a wide range of reading strategies, while also setting out practical 'pointers' which will enable teachers to translate the theory into effective practice

Connecting drama and writing: seizing the moment to write

This paper outlines research which examined the relationship between drama and writing, detailing the method of enquiry, theoretical foundations and emergent findings. The study sought to understand the nature of the support that drama offers children as writers and to identify features of writing which regularly surfaced in drama-related writing. The pilot study trialled two approaches to connect drama and writing: ‘genre specific’ which involved working towards a particular text type during drama, and ‘seize the moment’ which offered spontaneity and choice. The main study employed the latter approach and identified some elements of drama that impacted upon and supported children's writing. The research demonstrates that drama has much to contribute to the composing life of the primary classroom