[senco-forum] levelling writing + questions

Hi Ruth

Levelled connectives
c= connective
oc= opening connective

  National curriculum Level 2 - and (c) but (c) s0 (c) then(c)
Level 3 - When (oc) Because (oc) If (oc) While (oc) After (oc) Before 
(oc) As (oc) AS well as (oc) also (c) plus (c)

Level 4 - Until (oc)Although (oc) however (c) Whilst (oc) In spite of 
(oc) Even though (oc) such as (c) Walking (oc)
Level 5 never the less (c) Despite (oc) In addition to (oc) Having (oc) 
Being (oc)

I have these on coloured card, one colour for each level, around my 
board. I have them on file if you want them.

Debbie

Ruth Newbury wrote:

 >
 > Dear All
 >
 > After reading this thread - and doing a bit of research on the
 > internet - I
 > do like those lovely little pyramids to put on your table to help with
 > writing.
 >
 > Now this is just the sort of thing one of my writing groups need - but
 > in a
 > very simplified form.
 >
 > I have one writing group - the bottom one of the class - that I do a
 > writing
 > activity - the same as the rest of the class but I write the help
 > materials
 > for them.
 >
 > They are a group still insecure about using those 122 first words -
 > and they
 > want to write either far more complex sentences than they have words
 > to use
 > or at the other end of the scale - are not too sure that they can write
 > anything at all.
 >
 > Our aim is 5 sentences in  half an hour - after a fair old chat about all
 > the things we might do from the pictures/story we start off with.
 >
 > So far we have been required to do to character studies and to retell a
 > story.
 >
 > Now - what I want to know - does anyone have a nice word template - or
 > any
 > other ICT one - that I could make them something helpful for our
 > writing.  I
 > like the fact that they stand up rather than being flat - and that
 > they are
 > four sided for the things we are already thinking about.
 >
 > However, the ones I have seen on the internet are far too complex for my
 > students needs.  For example - the only punctuation we are trying to
 > get to
 > grips with are full stops followed by  capital letters.
 >
 > We are already thinking about sentence starters because I won't let
 > them use
 > the same word twice.
 >
 > And every so often someone writes a sentence that uses a connective -
 > and I
 > give out "posi points" like confetti for people who try to improve on
 > what
 > they did last week - or any positive action that improves their writing.
 >
 > What I am after is a template that I can produce weekly for out writing -
 > that won't drown them in print - but I could produce 7 sentence
 > starters for
 > example - and that ambitious vocabulary would be targeted on the specific
 > subject - and because I only do this with 5 children I could produce
 > individual ones.
 >
 > I have found an "early" list of sentence starter words - but can't
 > find the
 > same for connectives - if anyone has a suggested list for this sort of
 > student I would be very pleased to receive it.
 >
 > I can offer a list of sentence starters for 13+ students for a variety of
 > types of writing.
 >
 > I must say that it shows when I think that I last taught 5 year olds in
 > 1966! (when I was paid to do it - and things have changed) - and I have
 > forgotten lots too - so any help from all you experts out there would be
 > gratefully received.
 >
 > And it is a real pleasure to be teaching "little ones" again - and
 > only 5 of
 > them - brilliant!
 >
 > Regards
 >
 > Ruth - who will also mention that her "wonderful - new (bought
 > December26th
 > 2006) - very expensive computer's operating system failed - and I had
 > to get
 > rid of everything and reload it.
 >
 > This time I did not lose everything - back up hard drive mostly worked
 > - but
 > it did not save my address book - or my list of favourite web sites -
 > so I
 > have no-ones addresses - please send them again!!!!!!!  It also lost the
 > quiz - all of it - that I was working on when it died!  I might add
 > that I
 > also had on my machine Acronis - Norton recover and Norton go back -
 > NONE OF
 > WHICH WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 >
 > And what is the exact address for the forum - the one with bounces -
 > or the
 > one without!
 >
 > And where is add to address book in the new version of Office - using
 > Outlook for emails - I used to be able to just add someone to my address
 > book with one click - and after lots of clicks - I have still not
 > found it
 > and I presume that it must be there somewhere!
 >
 >
 >
 >