Is Planning the Best Plan?

I’m not saying I hate being a teacher, but there are some things I really, really hate teaching. And one of them is The Writing Lesson. Yes, that’s right: I’m a literary writer, and I dread teaching children to do writing.

When I’m teaching, I like to know I’m encouraging learners, not disheartening them. And the way we administer The Writing Task in key stage 2 (ages 7-12) in Scotland is, in my experience, disheartening to many of them.

We give children a “stimulus” to begin with—a question of personal significance, a fascinating object, an interesting scenario to get them interested. So far, so good. I’m all in favour of writing in response to a sensory or emotional experience. It’s great seeing children catching the inspiration, eager or at least willing to begin.
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Then we require that before they start the writing, they must produce a Story Plan. Using the template provided. Maybe it’s a series of six drawings or an Introduction/Development/Conclusion format. 

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