For the vast majority of schools, improving boys’ writing is a key focus in their school improvement plans. One of the key techniques recommended by the Primary National Strategy is ‘talk for writing’; Mike has been busy working with a team of curriculum co-ordinators from the primary sector to produce a day that focuses specifically on this aspect of the strategy.

Use Mexican Tales as a springboard to launch your focus on ‘talk for writing’. Through the use of storytelling and music, the day will give your students the opportunity to:    
 
1) Experience the effective, exciting use of language
2) Orally rehearse stories that can be written about in the following days 
3) Improve general linguistic confidence
4) Build valuable banks of language and narrative patterning which can be incorporated into later writing
5) Use music and rhythm as a stimulus for storytelling

Obviously, whilst the main aim of the day is to encourage reluctant writers, all can benefit from (and enjoy) these techniques.