However broad or narrow it may seem to us as adults, children are rich in their own language. Not just in terms of vocabulary, but also the ways in which they construct language too, for example, saying certain phrases or words in a certain order because that’s how a parent or grand-parent says them. It may not necessarily be the homogeneous ‘standard English’ required by the curriculum but it is the lifeblood of a child’s voice and so it should form the backbone of their writing.
Today’s photo shows a cinquain (five lines with syllables of 2, 4, 6, 8, 2) written by a boy in Year 5. This is a child who is not interested in school at all, particularly writing. He chose the picture of the field from a stash of postcards all featuring different landscapes. He lives on a farm, of course he is drawn to that little red tractor on the horizon. And then he writes in completely his own voice, using words such as ‘swath’ and ‘Massey Ferguson’ which might not come so easily to the fingertips of someone who has not had his experience of rural life – he had to explain to us what they are. When given the opportunity to use his language, the writing is alive and vital, and it is not a chore.
Why not try writing your own cinquain? Take inspiration from a landscape that you know really well – a favourite view or even your back garden.
If you’re in a group or with a class then you could explore each other’s language. Show everybody the same picture or visit somewhere which is familiar to everyone e.g the school field. Ask everybody to write a list of words in response to what they have seen. Each person selects a favourite one or two words to share with the group. You could create a word landscape from everyone’s words like the one below.
Writing Box 