Simple Sentences Writing

Overview

This 20-minute session supports Reception children in writing simple sentences, aligned with the Early Learning Goal (ELG) for Literacy from the National Curriculum for England. Using the book I Went Walking by Sue Williams, children will build their confidence in writing simple, readable sentences about animals they see, linking speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.

---

Curriculum Links

Early Learning Goal: Writing (Literacy)

Children use their phonic knowledge to write simple words in pseudo and real contexts. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others.

• Use their phonics knowledge to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds.
• Write simple sentences and phrases that can be read by others.

Development Matters 2021 - EYFS

• Use some of their print and letter knowledge in their early writing.
• Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.
• Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters.
• Write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, all children will:

• Recall and orally describe animals seen in I Went Walking.
• Write simple, phonetically plausible sentences about animals using taught keywords and classroom vocabulary.
• Form letters correctly and use spacing to make sentences readable.

---

Resources

• I Went Walking by Sue Williams (one copy for shared reading)
• Whiteboards and dry wipe markers (one per child)
• Large printed flashcards with key vocabulary (e.g., I, went, walking, saw, a, the, and names of animals from the book)
• Lined writing sheets with space for one sentence and a drawing
• Pencil grips to support proper pencil hold
• Visual letter formation charts

---

Session Structure

1. Engage and Recall (5 minutes)

• Gather children in a circle and re-read the story I Went Walking using animated voice and showing the pictures.
• Prompt children to recall and name animals in the story.
• Ask: "What did the person see?" "Can you say a sentence to tell me about an animal?"
• Model saying a simple sentence such as "I saw a cat."

Assessment: Observe children’s ability to orally recall and produce simple sentences.

---

2. Model Writing (5 minutes)

• Write the sentence "I saw a cat." on a whiteboard in front of the children.
• Talk aloud about each word: "I – that means me," "saw – that's what happened," "a cat – the animal."
• Highlight letter sounds, pointing out initial sounds (e.g., 'c' in cat).
• Show correct letter formation using the visual chart.

Assessment: Ensure children can recognise and match sounds/letters with words.

---

3. Guided Writing Activity (7 minutes)

• Give children individual whiteboards or writing sheets.
• Using flashcards, children select an animal from the story that they want to write about.
• Guide children to orally formulate the sentence "I saw a ___." and write it, encouraging phonetic spelling.
• Support letter formation, finger spacing between words, and sounding out words.

Differentiation:

• For children struggling with letter formation, allow drawing alongside letters or use magnetic letters for building sentences.
• For advanced writers, encourage adding a phrase, e.g., "I saw a big dog."

Assessment: Check each child’s sentence for simple structure, phonetic spelling, and legibility.

---

4. Share and Reflect (3 minutes)

• Invite each child to read their sentence aloud to the group.
• Praise effort, emphasising reading back their sentence to check it makes sense.
• Celebrate all attempts regardless of spelling accuracy, praising their expression and use of phonics.

Assessment: Confirm children’s ability to read their own writing aloud.

---

Additional Notes for Teachers

• Maintain a supportive tone to build confidence in early writers.
• Emphasise the connection between speaking, hearing sounds, and writing them down.
• Use positive reinforcement to encourage risk-taking in spelling and sentence creation.
• Be flexible and ready to adapt based on children’s responses, focusing on engagement rather than perfection.

---

Assessment Criteria (Formative)

Aspect	Emerging	Expected	Exceeding
Oral sentence construction	Uses familiar vocabulary to say simple sentences	Fluent in recalling and orally forming sentences related to the story	Extends sentences with descriptive words
Writing simple sentences	Attempts to write letters to represent words	Writes simple sentences readable by others with phonetic spelling	Uses spacing and some punctuation appropriately
Letter formation	Forms some letters with support	Forms most letters correctly and legibly	Consistently forms letters correctly and starts to use correct pencil grip

---

This session encourages young learners to experience writing as an enjoyable and meaningful tool for communication, firmly rooted in the National Curriculum’s expectations for Reception literacy development.