The note
How schools teach it now
Schools teach planning first, then writing in paragraphs, 'showing not telling', and using expanded noun phrases (the tall, crumbling tower), fronted adverbials, varied sentence openings and relative clauses. Year 6 adds changing formality, the passive, and linking ideas across paragraphs. Children then edit and improve their work.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Choose an everyday object (a mug, an old shoe) or a photo from the news. Set a 5-minute timer. Your child writes three sentences about it using the senses: what it looks, sounds and feels like. Then pick the best phrase together and improve one word.
Worked example
Improve this sentence for a story: 'The house was scary.'
- Show, don't tell: what makes it scary?
- Add an expanded noun phrase: 'The crumbling house with its broken shutters'.
- Use a strong verb and a sound: 'loomed', 'creaked'.
Answer: One good answer: The crumbling house with its broken shutters loomed over the lane, and its door creaked in the wind.
Common mistakes to watch for
- Starting without a two-minute plan, so the story has no proper ending.
- Piling up adjectives instead of choosing one precise word.
- Leaving no time at the end to check spelling and punctuation.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “I love that phrase. What else could you see or hear there?”
- Rather than
- “That's boring, write something more exciting.”