There’s been so much almost hysterical news around phonics and approved reading lists of late that we’re in real danger of losing focus. What is it that we want and need to do?
‘In my view, I wanted my pupils to engage and work hard on ...

their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and they did this when they enjoyed what they were doing and could see the purpose. Working with experienced primary teachers, we developed Kar2ouche Creative Writing in order to support children’s reading through familiar fairy stories with repeated structures and to encourage them to write by providing models, scaffolds and starters.

Creative Writing for Key Stage 1 (and the start of Key Stage 2) provides examples of just some of the ways Kar2ouche can be used to enhance your students’ learning through visualisation, discussion, speculation and exploration. In addition, lesson suggestions incorporate activities that can be used to develop ICT capabilities and could also be used to complement PSHE teaching.

So why use Kar2ouche? Students find Kar2ouche an easy-to-use, accessible and absorbing program that enables them to explore fictional texts in a way that develops insight and understanding of the subject. Where material is open-ended, students find that Kar2ouche helps them to develop interpretations that they are then able to justify with close reference to the material they have read. Through the activities, students are also given the opportunity to communicate ideas through collaborative working, exchange of views and group presentations. The texts and images also provide the stimulus for creative writing and also give students the opportunity to reflect critically on their own work and the work of others. 

One of the benefits of using Kar2ouche is, therefore, its versatility. It allows you as a teacher to use it in the ways you consider most appropriate with your classes. The variations are almost limitless.

This pack covers aspects of writing relating to the retelling of traditional tales and writing from students’ own experiences. It is intended to support the development of students’ creative writing and also help with planning, organising and sustaining their writing when they come to prepare for SATs.

The lesson suggestions are for those occasions when you want some hints on getting started. However, the activities described are not prescriptive. They provide a range of stimuli to be adapted for your own creative lesson planning. The Teacher Notes provide the overview, whereas the Student Notes, reproduced from the activity screen in Kar2ouche, give the step-by-step instructions. You can download a free copy of the teacher notes.

Units
The four units provide suggested sets of activities.

• Unit 1 is based on the story of The Three Little Pigs. The focus is on repeated structures within stories, sequencing the stages of the story and retelling.
• Unit 2 focuses on Cinderella as the key text and takes students through elements of planning stories, plot and character.
• Unit 3 also uses Cinderella, but here looks at retellings from different cultures.
• Unit 4 looks at story-writing set in everyday situations.

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