Composition

What is Composition?

Much like the Simple View of Reading, writing can also be understood through the Simple View of Writing.

Successful writing is made up of two interconnected elements:

Transcription – handwriting and spelling.
Composition – generating ideas, organising them effectively and communicating meaning to a reader.

Whilst transcription allows children to record their ideas, composition is where children become authors. It involves planning, organising, selecting vocabulary, constructing sentences and making deliberate choices that engage the reader and communicate meaning effectively.

At OLSJ, we believe composition is the creative and purposeful element of writing. Children are taught to think like writers by considering their audience, purpose and the impact their writing will have on others.

Learning Through High-Quality Literature

Every writing unit begins with a carefully selected, high-quality text.

Our writing curriculum is based predominantly on units developed by the Tower Hamlets Education Partnership (THEP). These carefully sequenced units immerse children in rich literature before asking them to write themselves.

Throughout each unit, pupils explore:

the purpose of the text;
the intended audience;
themes and characters;
authorial choices;
ambitious vocabulary; and
the language and structures used by successful writers.

By studying excellent literature, children build a bank of ideas, vocabulary and writing techniques that they can apply in their own work.

Reading Like a Writer

At OLSJ, we encourage children to become active readers by reading like writers.

Rather than simply understanding what happens in a story, pupils are taught to notice how an author has created meaning.

Children regularly discuss questions such as:

Why has the author chosen this word?
How does this sentence create suspense?
What effect does the punctuation have?
How are ideas organised?
Why has the writer structured the text in this way?

By analysing texts in this way, pupils begin to understand that writing is made up of deliberate choices which they can use within their own compositions.

The Writing Journey

Children are supported through a carefully structured writing journey that gradually develops independence.

Each unit typically follows a consistent sequence:

Immersion in a high-quality text.
Exploration of vocabulary and language.
Analysis of the features of the genre.
Explicit teaching of grammar and sentence structures.
Shared and modelled writing.
Planning and oral rehearsal.
Independent writing.
Editing, redrafting and publishing.

This gradual sequence allows children to develop confidence while ensuring they understand writing as a process of continual improvement.

Building Sentences and Developing Ideas

Successful writing begins with successful sentences.

Children are explicitly taught how to develop simple ideas into rich, engaging writing by making thoughtful decisions about vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure.

Rather than encouraging children to simply write more, we teach them how to write with greater precision and detail. They learn to expand noun phrases, vary sentence structures, add descriptive detail and manipulate language to create atmosphere and engage the reader.

Teachers model these techniques before children practise them independently through carefully planned sentence-building activities.

Across the school, pupils learn to:

expand noun phrases;
add prepositional and adverbial phrases;
vary sentence openings;
combine clauses effectively;
develop cohesion across sentences; and
make deliberate choices about language for different purposes.

These activities help children develop increasingly sophisticated compositions while strengthening their understanding of how writers create meaning.

Developing Vocabulary

Vocabulary is one of the strongest foundations for successful writing.

Children cannot write what they cannot say or understand. For this reason, vocabulary is explicitly planned into every writing unit.

At OLSJ, we teach vocabulary using Beck's Three Tiers of Vocabulary, ensuring children develop language progressively throughout their time at school.

Tier 1 vocabulary includes the everyday words children acquire naturally through conversation and experience.

Tier 2 vocabulary consists of ambitious words that appear across many different texts and curriculum areas. These words are explicitly taught because they have the greatest impact on children's reading, speaking and writing.

Tier 3 vocabulary is subject-specific language linked to particular curriculum areas and topics.

Vocabulary is developed through:

high-quality literature;
explicit vocabulary teaching;
classroom discussion;
dual-coded vocabulary displays;
working walls;
oral rehearsal;
retrieval practice; and
opportunities to apply new vocabulary within writing.

Children are encouraged to "magpie" effective words and phrases from their reading, helping them develop an increasingly ambitious and precise vocabulary.

Shared Writing and Oral Rehearsal

Children learn best when expert thinking is made visible.

Teachers regularly model the writing process through shared writing, explaining the decisions they make as writers. Pupils see how ideas are generated, sentences are refined and vocabulary is selected before attempting similar writing independently.

Spoken language is an essential part of this process. Before writing, children rehearse ideas through discussion, storytelling, drama and partner talk. Oral rehearsal enables pupils to experiment with language, refine their thinking and build confidence before writing independently.

Grammar in Context

Grammar is taught to support composition rather than as isolated rules.

Children learn how grammatical choices influence meaning, cohesion and effect. Grammar lessons are carefully linked to the writing being studied so that pupils immediately apply new learning within purposeful writing.

Across the school, we use the Alan Peat Sentence Types to develop sentence variety, creativity and authorial style. These memorable structures help children broaden their repertoire of sentence patterns and write with increasing fluency and sophistication.

Revising, Editing and Publishing

We believe that successful writing develops through reflection and improvement.

Children are taught that authors rarely produce their best work in a first draft. Throughout every writing unit, pupils revisit their work to improve vocabulary, strengthen sentence structure, refine organisation and enhance the overall impact on the reader.

Teachers model the editing process and provide opportunities for peer discussion, allowing children to receive feedback and consider how their writing can be improved.

Using our whole-school editing approaches, pupils become increasingly reflective writers who take pride in producing high-quality finished pieces that they are proud to publish and share.

Editing (COPES and VCAP)

COPES Editing
Re-read your work 5 times, each time check one of these. After you have completed that one with your green pen then write the letter at the bottom page. This should take you at least 15 minutes.
Capitalisation	Are my capitals correct? Do I have capitals for names, days and months and place names? Do I have capitals for sentences? Do I have capitals within my speech?	Names: Thursday September Mr. Devereux Billy Only people who are kind can go on the trip. The boy shouted “Get out of here!”
Order	Do my sentences make sense in the order, they are? Do I need to change it? Are my sentences within paragraphs? Have I missed any words? Whisper the text out loud to hear it back and check it makes sense.	The boy went to the shops on his bicycle. Not The boy went to his bicycle on the shops.
Punctuation	Have I used the correct punctuation? ./CL/FS/?/!/“”/:/;/…	What an amazing show! Why are you doing that? Don’t do that!
Expression	Is each sentence a complete thought? Are any sentences too long, do I need a breath? Does the next sentence make sense in relation to the last? Whisper the text out loud to hear it back and check it makes sense.	Every sentence needs a verb and noun. I ran. The boy slowly walked around the park. ~~Then I teddy house.~~
Spelling	Are my spellings using root words? Have I chosen the correct plural/past tense? Have I used the correct phonetic spelling? Have I got my key vocabulary correct? Have I got my high frequency spelling correct? If necessary use a dictionary to find correct spellings	High Frequency - said, they, if, he she, saw, was, when, then, finally, the plus more! Phonics – ‘say the word robot the word, write the word.’ Key Vocabulary – Samuel Pepys wrote diaries on The Great Fire of London. Root word- ‘I know how to spell might , so I know how to spell almighty’ Dictionary- find the first letter in the dictionary, then find the next letter.	(At the bottom of the page write different ways to possibly spell the word to check spelling. Think, does it look right?)

COPES		Checked?
Capitalisation	Do I have capitals at the start of a sentence?
	Do I have capitals for names, days, months and name places?
	Do I have capitals at the start of my speech?
Order	Do my sentences make sense in the order they are in? Do I need to change them?
	Are my sentences within paragraphs?
	Have I missed any words?
Punctuation	Have I ended my sentences with a full stop?
	Have I used inverted commas around what is being said?
	Have I used a question mark at the end of a question?
	Have I used an explanation mark to express excitement or to show emphasis?
	Have I used a comma after a fronted adverbial?
	Have I used a comma to separate clauses?
	Have I used an ellipsis to show a pause in my writing or create suspense?
Expression	Is each sentence a complete thought?
	Are there any sentences which are too long and need to add a comma for a breath?
	Does each sentence make sense in relation to the last?
Spelling	Have I checked my spelling using my reading strategies? Phonics – ‘say the word robot the word, write the word.’ Chunking Dictionary- find the first letter in the dictionary, then find the next letter.

VCAP Editing
Re-read your work 4 times, each time check one of these. After you have completed that one with your green pen then write the letter at the bottom of your work. This should take you at least 15 minutes
	Upper Key Stage 2	What it looks like in my work	How I add it in
Vocabulary	Choosing the best using: adjectives similes adverbs alliteration Onomatopoeia Personification Metaphor	The ~~large~~ sizeable ~~scary~~ petrifying wolf. The wolf was as ~~big~~ large as a ~~giant~~ colossal pylon. Precariously, the wolf went forward. The slimy snake slithered forwards. They climbed the supreme tower. The moon smiled down at them.
Conjunctions	Choosing improved connectives and conjunctions: however because so nor	I walked into the forest, but I felt scared It was hot, so I went to the park. I went to school because my mum told me to. I do not like chocolate, nor does my mother.
Adverbials	Using adverbials like: ed clauses ing clauses fronted adverbials preposition	Unexpectedly, the boy jumped up. Shivering, the girl walked further. The boy, who was nervous, walked on. Excited, the boy kept on going.
Punctuation	Can I upgrade my punctuation? ./CL/FS/?/!/“”/:/;/…	What an amazing show! Why are you doing that? Don’t do that! “I am king of the world!” the girl shouted. The teacher shouted at me; he was very angry.

Becoming Confident Writers

Through high-quality literature, rich discussion, explicit teaching and carefully sequenced writing opportunities, pupils gradually develop the knowledge and confidence needed to become independent writers.

By the time children leave OLSJ, they are able to generate ideas independently, adapt their writing for different audiences and purposes, make thoughtful language choices and communicate effectively with confidence, creativity and purpose.