VCOP - what is it exactly? When is it rolled out?

[Cortina]

Think this is something like vocab, connectives, openers and punctuation and is part of literacy curriculum?

[Ingles2]

That's exactly it,...my boys were introduced to it beginning yr 4 I think.
It's just to remind them to use interesting openers and connectives, etc
So,... what do you need to know?

[Cortina]

Because it seems to be rolled out early in our (state) school DS in year one and only recently 6 is being exposed to it in some form I think (not that he tells me much)! Lots of acting and dressing up in character (violet vocabulary) planned for the coming weeks I think.

He's just mastered the basics really and I imagined this came later? Perhaps no harm in earlier exposure? But to expect 'The languid, lazy, dwarf climbed slowly up the undulating hill' seems a trifle ambitious! :)

[Cortina]

Sorry he's (just) in year 2! Pregnancy brain moment.

[mrz]

No it isn't part of the Literacy curriculum it's part of a system called Big Writing developed by a very experienced teacher (Ros Wilson) to improve children's writing. Done well it is incredibly effective in raising standards. Done badly, and unfortunately lots of schools and teachers are latching onto it without real understanding it can produce mixed results. VCOP is only a small part of the process but that is the part most teachers seem to have heard of and try to use in their class.
In nursery Reception and early in KS1 children should follow Big Talk and use GHaSP (Grammar, Handwriting, Spelling{phonics} Punctuation) working on the premise that if they can't say it they can't write it before beginning Big Writing.
Big Writing
VCOP
Big Talk

We've used the method (slightly adapted to our needs) for 5 or 6 years and find it effective and very motivating and as a bonus found that reading standards have also improved as a result of children's eagerness to read their own work to others.

[Cortina]

This sounds really interesting, mrz. Thanks so much for the links will print off and read!

So VCOP is ok for Y2 in your opinion?

[Cortina]

Just reading the Big Writing link:

Stealing and borrowing are encouraged when pupils see elements of V.C.O.P. in peers' work that they like.

This is SO encouraging. So much I've read suggests that to encourage learning children should collaborate more and learn from one another (more traditionally this has been seen as 'cheating').

[lovecheese]

DD1 in yr5 has been doing it for a while, and DD2 in yr2 has latched on to it independantly.

[mrz]

I've used VCOP in reception with children who were ready in the summer term but we usually begin in earnest in Y1 I certainly use it in Y2.
We encourage children to read out what they have written and if other children like what they hear they may use it (not verbatim) in their own work. We also encourage "stealing" interesting phrases from class stories so this week for example we began studying The Tempest and I had a few children describe the sky, clouds or sea as "inky black" in their opening ...
My best effort from a 6 year old began

Suddenly the sorcerer raised his staff and the sun was extinguished by the inky black clouds.

[Cortina]

Wow mrz! As you may know :) I believe 'intelligence' is learnable to a degree and this goes some way to prove it.

As an amateur writer myself I know and believe that creative writing can be taught. Sure some will always have a flair, a gift but for the most part many can perform so much better than they might think possible. Building confidence early on is also vitally important.

It's the same with drawing, you can learn how and many can produce pieces of art that are reasonably good. See 'Drawing on the right side of the brain' for details. Some see light, dark, shadow naturally and others need to be shown how etc. That's part of the skill. Yet so many insist that with art it is all about innate talent, sigh...

I get mightily depressed when I read on here about the fixed nature of IQ so why bother etc, double sigh...

[montblanche]

We also do big writing / lots of talk for learning, etc.

We have also made brilliant progress with vocabulary - I can remember how, several years ago, we were wondering how to get Y3 to use adjectives - now we're getting them coming into Y2 from Y1 using adjectives voluntarily.

Children also love aiming for their 'goals' - they get pretty good prizes when they achieve them, so they get quite motivated!

However, I do think that the less able children find it difficult to meet the demands of a big writing session, because they are being asked to do so many things at once. We are hoping that Read, Write, Inc, will fill this gap, as it deals with basic sentence construction in a very structured way. This, hopefully, will prepare them for Big Writing further up the school.

[Cortina]

Sounds great montblanche - I think I am such a frustrated teacher at heart :) It so pleased when I hear of such enthusiasm from the teachers and their sheer delight and pleasure in the progress of the children.

To you, mrz, and other primary teachers have you tried the 'imaginary friend' strategy?

I read with interest about the King who came to visit and the children had to pretend to be a neighbouring Queen (?) and speak to him in the 'Queen's English' (an attempt to get them using some great wow words etc)?

Also a mad hippy character who had enjoyed himself too much in the 60s (??) :) and kept forgetting words and punctuation? The children found it hilarious and had to put him right and therefore learning in the process?

I wish they told the parents more about all of this, oh the fun I could have reinforcing at home!!!! :)

Does this sort of creative strategy work?

[SE13Mummy]

My previous used the VCOP element of Ros Wilson's approach from Y1-Y6. As a Y5/6 teacher I found it was a brilliant way to help children edit their work and to raise their awareness of the richness of the vocabulary in the books they read. I gave them a small exercise book which became their 'wow words dictionary' and, in addition to displaying wow words in class, they were encouraged to record wow words they encountered out of school too

In my current school VCOP isn't used as a whole-school thing although there are a few teachers who use it. We've just started RML phonics across the school so my Y4s will be using VCOP to edit work but RML for the other elements.

I don't think Y1/2 is too early to identify powerful words, punctuation etc.

[montblanche]

I think it works with the middle to high ability children, as I say, particulary as SEmummy says, as it involves editing, checking, and and editing to raise the level. Even with those who find writing difficult, the talking element is making them more conversant with language.

I think Big Write homework is great. We give the children a set of instructions (e.g. the basic plan of a story that we have devised together during the week)on a Thurs night to prepare them for their Big Writing on a Friday. They tell their story to their parents and family (no writing allowed), and their audience is invited to give them ideas to improve it. They're also allowed to bring any new vocabulary into school to use in their writing.

I didn't think I could pull off the imaginary friend (Ros Wilson is a fantastic actress). I have tried the 'posh' voice bit. I think it would work with older children as 6 year olds are a bit shaky about what a 'posh' voice is - particularly when you start with about 8 different accents in the room! Kung Fu punctuation is fun though!

[Cortina]

How does Kung Fu punctuation work/what is it? I did read about it but not sure I quite understood?

Have the teachers here used the Ros Wilson software? The games look interesting.

I might try the imaginary friend at home! I would have found it hilarious as a child if our teachers had attempted such things! :).

[mrz]

If Big writing is done correctly (not just VCOP) as a whole school method it can have an incredible effect on all children. When we first introduced it we saw the "less able" ( montblanche's term) children progress up to 6 sub levels in 2 terms!! so I would disagree strongly that they find it difficult. It was after all devised as an intervention programme for struggling writers.

Yes we have imaginary friends who visit the class and we practise our "posh" talk for when we have tea with the queen.

I know Andrell consultants will go into schools and work with parents as a friend's school decided this was the best way forward for them.

I have an "overused" word graveyard where words such as "said" and "went" are laid to rest and must be replaced with more exciting/imaginative synonyms.

I'm not sure Read Write Inc will have an impact on writing montblanche (spelling yes - it's a v thorough phonics programme but not exactly designed for creative/imaginative writing boring) try Big Talk & Talk for Writing.

[Cortina]

Mrz you say: Yes we have imaginary friends who visit the class and we practise our "posh" talk for when we have tea with the queen.

Please tell us how this works and how you organise it? Sounds v interesting. I'd like to try something like it at home. What could parents do?

Loving the idea of a word graveyard too! Maybe I could nominate 'like'

[mrz]

You can try some of the VCOP software free www.fieryideas.com/freebies-1-c.asp
We have the story starter TV images and I use timers and Big Phonics games

[Cortina]

Also mrz can you please summarise 'Big Writing'?- I have looked at the Andrell website but be great if you could.

[Cortina]

FAB! Thanks mrz. Out of interest (sentence dynamite question coming up :) )Is 'sliently remembered' correct shouldn't you say 'remembered silently'? Or doesn't it matter?

[Cortina]

6 sub levels in 2 terms, wow! Mrz!

[gherkinwithapurplemerkin]

Cortina - silently remembered is a split infinitive. TEchnically incorrect, but completely ok in most usage.

Big Write centres around an actual writing activity where pupils are prepared for, then write in silence for a given (age-appropriate) period of time. The idea is that it gets them used to unsupported personal writing and gives them chance to get their creative juices flowing.

I think it is a very clever programme and as a sec English teacher, use elements of it (esp VCOP) in my teaching.

[mrz]

Every "imaginary" friend needs to be thought out carefully with a detailed character that you talk about to the children before the visit (it's a good idea to stick with one friend per class) so if Lady Rosemary (based on an old teacher) is going to visit you would talk about her - how she talks and her likes and dislikes and tell the children she will be visiting. Perhaps introduce so props Lady Rosemary's stole and handbag and maybe a nice china cup and saucer. Model "posh" talking to Lady Rosemary and ask her if she would like to listen to the children read some of their work (in their best writing voices) and say how pleased you are she's enjoyed them.
You might also provide them with some writing Lady Rosemary has done (badly) and ask them to help to improve it (very well) how they can sabotage it...
But there can be lots of characters - the punctuation thief or the wow word robber - stealing words the children can use in their writing.

[2gorgeousboys]

When DS1 was in year 4 (now year 6), school held a literacy evening and parents had to attend a VCOP session as though they were parents. We corrected punctuation, did the VCOP rhyme, used our posh voices and those of us who did well got a sticker to take home and show our DC's .

As a parent it was great to get an insight into what our DC's do in the classroom and really made me appreciate how wonderful and enthusiastic their teachers are.

[Cortina]

I like the idea of the wow word robber!! And Lady Rosemary. I might try at home and see what happens :).

Could make homework more interesting! :)

I am formulating a cunning plan...Lancelot Panther, the punctuation thief..hmmm :).

So how does the punctuation thief work exactly?

[mrz]

www.andrelleducation.co.uk/shop/by-type/freebies/the-punctuation-thief/