Writing Intent

At UET Pathfinder, storytelling and purpose for writing is key to our writing programme. Talk for Writing, developed by Pie Corbett, is an educational framework that helps children become confident and creative writers by internalizing language patterns through oral storytelling. The method, which can be adapted for all ages, moves students from supported writing to independent invention.

The process is structured around three main phases: imitation, innovation, and independent application.

Imitation phase

This phase focuses on learning and internalizing a high-quality model text.

• The “Cold Task”: At the beginning of a unit, students write a “cold task” to show what they can already do independently. This helps the teacher plan for specific teaching needs.
• Creative “Hook”: The unit begins with an activity that captures the students’ imagination and gives them a sense of purpose and audience.
• Story Maps and Actions: Students learn the model text by heart by creating a visual “text map” and using physical actions to strengthen their memory.
• “Reading as a Writer”: Students analyse the model text to identify key language features, such as sentence types and vocabulary. These are collected and displayed in the classroom for later use, sometimes called a “magpie” wall.
• “Boxing Up”: The class analyses the structure of the text by breaking it into sections, which provides a simple planning tool.

Innovation phase

In this phase, students adapt the model text to create their own versions.

• Guided Adaptation: With the teacher’s guidance, students change aspects of the original text, such as the characters, setting, or ending. Less confident writers may stick closely to the original structure, while others explore their own ideas.
• Shared Writing: The teacher models the writing process through shared writing, showing students how to craft sentences and edit their work.
• Oral Rehearsal: Students orally rehearse their innovated texts and plan their writing using their updated story maps or “boxed-up” structures.
• Short-Burst Writing: Students write sections of their text, focusing on specific skills and applying what they have learned.

Independent application (or invention) phase

Students now have the freedom to plan and write their own original texts.

• The “Hot Task”: Students apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the unit to produce a final, independent piece of writing. This can be compared to their initial “cold task” to show progress.
• Planning and Drafting: Students plan and draft their own independent pieces of writing.
• Editing and Publishing: Students edit and polish their work, often with support from peers and the teacher, before it is published or displayed.

Key benefits of Talk for Writing

• Encourages creativity and independence: By internalizing story structures, children overcome the fear of a blank page and develop the confidence to invent their own stories and ideas.
• Builds a rich vocabulary: The close reading of high-quality model texts and the process of “magpieing” words exposes students to a wide range of vocabulary.
• Accelerates progress: Many schools have found that the approach significantly accelerates students’ progress in writing, with some doubling their rate of progress initially.
• Engaging and enjoyable: The use of games, drama, and performance creates a fun and interactive learning experience that fosters a love of reading and writing.
• Improves attainment: The systematic approach, when implemented school-wide, has a proven record of raising writing standards and can lead to outstanding results.