‘Big Writing’ is a strategy used to teach writing; developed in England by Ros Wilson, its core principle is to improve the writing standards of our learners.

The purpose NOT to teach the features of fiction and non-fiction text, but to develop  the confidence of our learners in using ambitious vocabulary, varied connectives, powerful openers and sophisticated punctuation to produce effective pieces of writing.

Whilst using Big Writing I have found that:

• Learners thoroughly enjoy VCOP games and activities (Vocabulary/Connectives/Openers/Punctuation)
• The interactive software, which can be purchased through Andrell Education, supports practitioners when planning lessons
• The ‘Scottish Criterion Scale’, used to assess pieces of writing, gives you a shared standard in which learners can work towards
• Moderation with colleagues is KEY to ensure that we are assessing pieces accurately and with confidence, due to some subjective criteria in the scale
• A wealth of resources are available to support Big Writing, however they are not housed in one particular place

Visit the Andrell Education website below to find out more:
http://www.andrelleducation.co.uk/about-us/what-big-writing-is/

Are you using Big Writing? If so, we’d love to hear your experiences of using the strategy.