Kate Shelley 00:00:15.255 --> 00:00:42.405 Hello, welcome back. In today's training, we're going to introduce you to the Tales Toolkit at writing resources, and all of these are available for you to download so you can start writing with your children from tomorrow. There's two parts to today's training. In part one, we're going to show you how Tales Toolkit sets children up for writing. And in part two, we're going to look at the Tales Toolkit, writing resources. So, let's get going with part one. 00:00:43.285 --> 00:01:24.525 I want you to think here about the Tales Toolkit, principles, safe space, child led, and fun. Safe space writing isn't easy, it's something that doesn't come naturally. And if children were left to their own devices, there are many of them who wouldn't choose to write. If you think back to the cavemen, it wasn't a skill they needed to survive. And it's only in the last 150 years that writing has been something that all children learn, and not just a rich privilege, but over the generations there's been a passion for mark making. Even the youngest children you'll see trying to communicate their thoughts and ideas through the marks they make. Dr Julian Grenier 00:01:25.115 --> 00:01:51.775 So, we see if you like natural history from the first time, maybe a baby traces marks in the food they're eating or in the sand or with a wet finger runs it along a window. Those are all early marks, and as children get more confident in making those marks, they'll often ascribe meaning to them. And as soon as they're ascribing meaning to a mark for us, they're on the journey. As Early Writers Kate Shelley 00:01:52.505 --> 00:02:23.975 Tales Toolkit provides lots of opportunities for children to be self-motivated to record their stories and ideas through Mark making, which is the first step in developing writing. Tales Toolkit believes children don't need to master the skill of writing before they develop their voices. Writers, in fact, it's really important you give them a storytelling voice early on, building their confidence and helping them believe their writers before they put pen to paper. 00:02:24.025 --> 00:02:54.135 Think back now to session one, when we talked about the children not getting quality interactions at home, children spending most of their time inside in front of a screen. Children who don't get to play, who come to school unprepared for writing, both in their fine motor, but also lacking in experience, language, and creativity. And add to this, the opportunities for writing have decreased. So, lots of children won't get to see their families write. Dr Julian Grenier 00:02:55.035 --> 00:03:28.255 So, with technological change, there's lots of very exciting play you can do now as a child without really having to move off your sofa if you like. Tablets, phones, video games, all of all of those sorts of things. And my own view is that that brings lots of exciting possibilities to childhood and that we shouldn't position ourselves to say that there is an intrinsic problem with technology in young children, but it has to be part of a kind of balanced and healthy development for the child Kate Shelley 00:03:29.355 --> 00:03:44.805 Without writing role models and the experiences to write about. Some children won't see the purpose in writing, and they'll be really reluctant to even have a go, take away the pressure and create a safe space where children can write at their own pace. 00:03:45.655 --> 00:04:38.565 Start by scribing their stories. Children learn a lot just from seeing you write. They learn that writing is a form of communication. Those words can be recorded on paper, and they see the mechanics of writing, such as writing left to right on the page and spaces between words. Scribe stories give you lots of information about the child, their language and vocab level, their imagination and creativity and their understanding of the story. Your children might start by drawing a picture or making a mark or begin by creating stories in foam where there isn't the pressure of permanent marks. By creating this safe space where there isn't a pressure to write, the children will gain confidence and will move from watching you write to making their own marks and eventually attempting to write their own stories. Natalie Ross 00:04:39.465 --> 00:05:04.245 In the writing area, you can see like massive changes with some of the children's, um, mark making that maybe before it might have been a mark, but now suddenly that Marks turned into a character and they, and then if you ask them a bit more about, oh, well, where, where is your character? They're used, they're understanding all that terminology about setting and character and problem and solution. Um, and so they, you're suddenly getting much more of a picture with their, with their marks that they've made Kate Shelley 00:05:05.705 --> 00:05:11.525 In the same way that children explore those ideas, who tell stories, they can do the same with writing. The children lead the story and there are no wrong answers. Child in the classroom 00:05:12 Say the fight together. But the monster caught the Lady Bird. Teacher in the classroom 00:05:16 The Monster caught The Ladybird. Poor Lady Bird. Bird. Child in the classroom 00:05:20 The ladybird had her gun. Teacher in the classroom 00:05:23 Oh, where was she hiding the gun? Child in the classroom 00:05:25 In the, in, in her, in, in her Kate Shelley 00:05:33 Child led. One of the easiest ways to motivate children to write is to make it about their interests. Child in the classroom 00:05:37 Spiderman was in Mr. Willy Wonka factory, but then a pen came. Kate Shelley 00:05:42 -> 00:06:36 You know your children; you know what makes them tick and you are the best person to know what's going to excite them to write. Whether it's writing a story about Elsa or writing a postcard to send to Spider-Man, you know the things that engage your children, so use them. And with the Tales Toolkit, you can easily write stories about anything fun when you tell group stories. I'm sure you are including lots of movement and action, having lots of fun, but also preparing the children for writing this strengthens and develops the muscles that children need to write. Louise Jones 00:06:37.125 --> 00:07:30.585 In order for children to develop those muscles they need for holding a pen and doing their writing, it's really, really important that they develop their gross mode skills first. So, it starts with the, with the shoulder pivot. And children need lots of opportunities to develop those muscles in their shoulders. So, swinging on the monkey bars, climbing, pulling themselves on all benches, and also opportunities for mark making that involve them using their shoulders. So standing back using big paint brushes on a, on a wall, and it should be upright at this stage, it then moves into the elbow developing the muscles in their elbow and that gives them more range, a wider range of movement and then the wrist and then down to the fingers. So there's lots of, lots of, uh, mark making that can be done with younger children to prepare them before they can really hold a pen or do any small drawings or interesting writing. Kate Shelley 00:07:31.335 --> 00:07:43.785 When you are telling stories, include action where possible tickly spider fingers or firework fingers for dropping meteorites. It all helps to build muscle strength. 00:07:44.245 --> 00:10:04.545 Can you come up with actions for the following? Suggestions given by children, noting the muscles that you use. Splashing playing basketball and making a potion Teacher in the classroom 00:10:05.765 --> 00:10:46.765 4, 3, 2, 1 splash, right? So I want you to get all, get your hands out, get 'em waving around. Boom. Be boom, be boom. And one more time. Beat. Boom. Let's play basketball with him. Ready? Bounce it. Bounce it, bounce it, bounce it. Yeah, bounce the basketball. And then ready, we're gonna throw the basketball in the hoop. Ow. Bounce it. We're down to the basket. Get ready. Hold the ball ready and shoot them. Yes. Kate Shelley 00:10:47.175 --> 00:11:18.025 Another aspect of tale's toolkit that's great for developing early skills for writing is the symbolic play involved. Pretend play is also known as symbolic play. And when I say symbols, I'm not talking about the Tales Toolkit, symbols. I'm talking about using an object to represent something else. In pretend play, children might use one object to stand for another, such as pretending a banana is a foam. This type of symbolic thought is also needed for language. Dr Julian Grenier 00:11:19.725 --> 00:11:47.065 You can't, for example, have any concept of reading. If you can't have a concept that one thing stands for another thing, you can't imagine that those squiggles on a paper stand for sounds you're never going to read. So symbolic play and role play are really, really fundamental to human development. But they're also fundamental to things we think are important in school, like burning to read or learning to write. Perfect. Kate Shelley 00:11:48.155 --> 00:12:05.945 Using the Tales Toolkit, you are modeling this or the children, moving from obvious items like a bear to abstract items like leaves and pine cones, showing them how they can use abstract items to represent their story ideas. All of this is preparing them for writing. 204 00:12:06.385 --> 00:12:36.685 So there's lots of elements in the Tales Toolkit that prepare the children for writing. And this is one of the reasons to keep telling those big group stories and encouraging independent storytelling. Make sure that writing is used as an add-on to the tells toolkit. Storytelling you are already doing. Children are going to find it a lot easier to write a story when they first experience that story and have lots of ideas about what they want to write. 00:12:37.605 --> 00:13:01.025 So in part one, I talked about how the Tales Toolkit sets children up for writing. And in part two I'm going to introduce you to the different resources. The resources I'm going to talk about today are large symbols, sheets of symbols, strips, booklets, postcards. All of the resources use the same four symbols,which the children are already familiar with. Rachel Lloyds 00:13:02.155 --> 00:13:16.625 They're really simple. Um, and that's supported them with their story recording afterwards. Um, because they can recognize the symbols, um, when they're, when they're recording, so they know which part comes next. Kate Shelley 00:13:17.485 --> 00:14:14.465 The resources I'm going to show you today must be left out in the writing area and around the setting, so children can freely access them whenever they want to record their own stories. Your role when using the writing resources is to model lots of enthusiasm for recording stories, remembering the three tells, toolkit, principles, safe space, child-led, and fun. Let's look at the different resources starting with the large symbols or sheets of symbols. There are a number of ways of using these. They're really useful as a reference point similar to the way you reduce the hangar, making reference to the story structure and linking with what the children are doing. But where these are different to the hanger is that it doesn't matter if they get messy covered in cauliflower or paint or cut up by the children. 248 00:14:15.775 --> 00:14:55.315 The large symbols are great for mark making, laying large sheets of paper on the floor, getting down to the child's level and creating stories together, or using mark making to add to the story you tell. In the same way that you use props to support group storytelling with the bags, you can do the same with Mark making stories by adding props or pictures to support the storytelling. As the children grow in confidence, they can then choose their own pictures and story elements. The symbols can be used as a reference for the Children to remember the structure, or you can cut them out and stick them on your creation. Kate in school 00:14:56.025 You're gonna use your pen to be a snake. So can you go slither, slither. What does Marshall like to do? Oh, so he's gonna go really, really fast to the river. Are you ready? Here he goes to the river. lip, oh, and here he goes. He's seen another bit of water. Whoa. Off he goes. And the river. Oh, shall we see where he's going today? On his adventure? What is this symbol for? Children in school 00:15:23 Um, setting is the setting. Kate in school 00:15:26 You nearly had it there, but I could see it was on the tip of your tongue, the setting. Ooh, I'm gonna have a look in my pot and see where Marshall, the snake, is going on his adventure today. Where is this? Children in school 00:15:45 Jungle? Jungle? Kate in school 00:15:47 He's going to the jungle. What does it look like in the jungle? Um, have a look. What does it look like? Children in school 00:15:53 Tree. There's trees. Kate in school 00:15:56 Should we draw some great big trees? I'm gonna draw a really tall tree with some branches at the top. And I wanna draw another really tall tree and put some branches at the top. Get your snake at the bottom of the tree and he's gonna slither up. And Marshall the snake was having a lovely old time slithering in the trees in the jungle and sliding it around drinking water when, oh no. What is this sign problem? Oh no, it's a problem. Why is birdie feather America a problem for our snake? Marshall? Children in school 00:16:36 He might peck him. Kate in school 00:16:40 Oh, he's gonna peck him. Are you ready? Get your pens on. We've got a problem coming in. Here comes our bird and he's flying starting from here. You can start from there. Be like swoop swoop. And he flies around the sky and he sees the snake and he swoops down and he goes, oh, no, says Marshall. I don't like that. What are we gonna do? How can we help him? Children in school 00:17:16 He can, he can, he can, he can jump up and bunk, right? Kate in school 00:17:20 - > 00:18:41 Are you ready? He's gonna jump up in the air and he is gonna go bunk onto the bird. So there he is, he slithers slowly behind the bird and he goes up in the air and he goes, bunk wow, you can't catch me. He says, the bird and the birds switch round and around and around in the sky. It's a solution. We're looking for a solution to our problem. Bubble bubbles. Pop pops. How are bubbles gonna help us? Alicia, I know he doesn't, grandma doesn't pop the ball. Oh, they're gonna pop on the birds. Oh, here they come and they're gonna hit the bird and they're gonna go pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. And then a great big bubble catches our bird. Look, there he is. Oh, and he's gonna go floating in the air. Can you make your bubble float? Where? Why are you taking me? Why are you taking me? And Marshall lives happily ever after and goes back to slithering in the jungle. Kate Shelley 00:18:43.225 --> 00:25:03.405 Now it is your turn to create a large mark making story. We've got some prompts to help you, but if you are feeling really creative, you can add your own. Kate Shelley 00:25:04.855 --> 00:27:16.395 Is there anyone brave enough to share their story? Kate Shelley 00:27:17.075 --> 00:27:34.975 It is also great to tell Tales Toolkit stories using shaving foam clay, soapy paint on tables, and a whole variety of messy mark making. Teacher in the classroom 00:27:35.635 --> 00:28:06.635 Oh, do you know what I think? I think it's gonna wash the beetle away. What do you think about the wind? Line up the water spout down came the rain and washed the beetle out. Out came the sunshine and dried pour the rain. And then in the sea wind, the sea spine climbed up the spout again. Kate Shelley 00:28:07.875 --> 00:29:00.815 All working to strengthen the muscles ready for writing. And the great thing about making marks in foam is that it isn't permanent, so there's no pressure to get it right. Children are involved in the process. It's not about the finished project. So it doesn't have to be neat and correct. This is all about having fun. The symbols can also be cut up and added to the children's work model for the children that they can use the symbols to add to the pictures they create, helping them identify different story elements using the symbols. In this way, the story is all happening on one page. Use the symbols with children to create stories anywhere. Create story writing dens, sticking the large symbols underneath tables or laminate the symbols and use them outside on the floor with large chalk. Natalie Ross 00:29:01.955 --> 00:29:39.695 Oh, we had like a child that was mute and he was using his car. So I drew a track and then the next thing I know he kind of got a different color and was making it out as if it was a fire. So then he was using his truck and we were building different things and, and so although there was no conversation from him, he was drawing his kind of picture and you could really see like that was really nice for his creative and his kind of like thinking about what he was doing and he was kind of really responding through, through chalk and, and that was really nice that was able to kind of use those, that terminology with him. 'cause he understood it all. He just didn't want to say it through words. Kate Shelley 00:29:40.085 --> 00:30:49.565 The second resource is the strips. The strips are a really useful resource. The main use is as a quick recording method for a child to remember their story or as a prompt for them to come back to later. One way of using the strip is when you tell a group story together. Create a strip beforehand with the four story elements that you used already on the strip. And at the end of the story, the children can take away a strip which they can use to retell the story to you, their friends and their family For their ingredients to play yucky reading you. And then it comes into polish. You can also give the children blank strips so they can draw or mark make a reference of their story. And if the child has just independently created a story, this is a quick way they can record it. Interestingly, the child often retells their own story in different ways, adapting and improving each time they use the strip to retell their story. Rachel Lloyd 00:30:50.205 --> 00:31:30.545 Um, the children, 'cause they're so engaged in the storytelling at the very beginning, I found that they wanted to retell the stories and do the role play with the props. Um, and that's developed now to recording. Um, and they love to record their story, so they give meaning to marks. Um, I annotate those marks and, and say what their story is. Most of them can draw a picture and they really do structure their story really well. Um, and the children who are ready to link letters and sounds, um, are now starting to actually sound out their character names, which I think is amazing. My children are in nursery and um, I think they're Mark making brilliant. Mm-Hmm. Kate Shelley 00:31:31.045 --> 00:39:37.465 Moving forward. If the child then later wants to spend time on a longer piece of writing, the strip is an easy reference point for them to remember their story. We often use this process in guided writing sessions with reception class. Step one, tell a story together using props. Step two, children record on their own strips. Step three, a longer piece of writing is created when you build the story up in stages like this. And the child starts by experiencing the story first. They produce writing. They're really proud of resource three, the booklets. The booklets are differentiated and available in four different versions, no lines for early mark making and drawing pictures. Wide lines for children starting to make marks. Narrow lines for children who are starting to write sentences and the full page booklet for children at all levels to create their own book with writing and pictures. Make sure all resources are available for the children to access. Provide the children with lots of pictures of things that will interest them to cut up and add to their writing. There are lots of interesting discussions that come up when the children are making choices about the story elements for their written story. After a group story, create a booklet with the four pictures of that story inside so the children can take that away, write the story and they might even take it home. Now it's your turn to write a Tales Toolkit story. Your facilitator has booklets for everyone and pictures that reflect your interest and the things you know. So in your groups, write a talk and tell it. Kate Shelley 00:39:38.035 --> 00:39:41.335 Is there anyone brave enough to share their story? Kate Shelley 00:41:54.385 --> 00:42:20.765 And the last resource is the postcard. The postcard is a really easy purposeful resource. The children can record their stories and you can put them in the post. Take the children with you to put the postcards in the local post box, post them home or to a friend or family member, or make links with another Tales Toolkit school and send them your stories. Now you are familiar with all of the resources. Kate Shelley 00:42:21.705 --> 00:43:00.725 Here's a few tips just to get you started. Resources. We've had two sessions where we've talked about the kind of things you can put in bags to get children really enthusiastic and motivated about story in the same way. Make sure all of these are available and picture format for the children to use in their writing, whether it's favorite, popular culture, characters, pictures of characters and settings from topics and core books, pictures of themselves and their friends, photos of settings from around the local area that they might recognize and visit postcards from holidays. Ceri Ann Knoller 00:43:01.655 --> 00:43:21.685 Jacob who you've seen this morning has been, he's run with it because he's so academically able. Um, and he's got so much creation but he struggles to hone that. So I think this has been a really nice way of sort of enabling him to get all those ideas funneled really and down on paper where before it was just too much going on in his little head. Kate Shelley 00:43:22.845 --> 00:48:33.445 Feedback. Think carefully about the feedback you give children on their writing. Your comments can have an impact on their motivation and confidence. Children need to see writing as enjoyable and purposeful and not something they do to win praise. Focus your feedback on content. This reinforces that writing is a form of communication and if you show that you can read and understand their marks, then they've been successful. If your feedback is vague about the content, oh that was a great story. But specific about other aspects. Remember your finger spaces and your full stocks, then the children often pick up that this is what's important to the adult. Focus on the content of the story and use comments such as, oh, I thought the witch in your story was really clever. I wish I could go to disco land. It sounds exciting. Your story told me lots of interesting things about Spider-Man. It's really important that the children have access to all of the different Tales Toolkit writing resources so they can freely access them and choose to record their own stories. And don't think you have to keep Tales Toolkit writing contained to the writing area. Think creatively about how you get the children to use it. Tells Toolkit writing resources right across the provision. You could create baskets or bags with the Tales Toolkit resources that children can transport around your provision. Think about where your reluctant writers play and how you can take writing to them. Share your ideas as a group and a facilitator can jot down some of your ideas. Will you create an outdoor superhero story using big boxes? Plan to create stories and chalk on the floor outside or Mark. Make big stories in mud using a small world mini Beast as characters. Kate Shelley 00:48:34.505 --> 00:48:37.485 So you're all set up, ready to use the Tales Toolkit,writing resources. We would love you to share your written stories with us on our forum. Just remember how important it is. You continue to tell stories with the physical props as much as possible. When the child is able to use props, they become immersed in the story and they're able to test and try out their ideas and really extend their language before they put pencil to paper. It's going to take a lot of practice before writing is perfected. Your children are on a long journey and at the core of writing is resilience and creativity. The activity of writing and the activity of creating what will be written are two separate things. Tales Toolkit, builds on both and sets children up with the skills that will help them to be successful writers all the way through school. I look forward to hearing your stories.