Language

=What is VCOP? = •Vocabulary = teach a wide range of ‘wow’ words, (ambitious vocabulary); •Connectives = teach a wide range of words and phrases for connecting thoughts, ideas, sentences etcetera; •Openers = teach a wide range of ways of opening sentences, including sequence words, linking words and phrases and the 3 power openers; •Punctuation = teach a wide range of punctuation. =We try to develop a positive writing ethos by;= 1.Creating a positive atmosphere. 2.Creating a secure atmosphere. 3.Creating an ethos within which children feel in some control. 4.Creating an atmosphere within which children feel successful. 5.Creating a framework for pupils to work towards known, achievable goals. 6.Use of the main teaching area. 7.The ‘VCOP display area'.

For more information on VCOP google Ros Wilson and VCOP

**__ VCOP Games __** The teacher gives children one way in which they must start a sentence, together with an example as a model. Give a different style of sentence opener at each session.  Ways to Start Example “When” starter Last night…. “How” starter Carefully, he crept ….. “Where” starter Across the road…. Name starter Bill wandered …. Simile Like an eel ….. Adjective starter Tall trees towered overhead …. “-ed” clause Excited by the new, Joanna ran ….. “-ing” clause Running quickly, Tim felt ….. One-worder Tired, he ambled ….
 * 1. Varying Sentence Openers **

Teacher gives children one way in which they must structure a sentence, together with an example as a model. Give a different structure at each session.  Type of sentence Example Short, simple sentence for drama Tom ran. Compound sentence (joined with connective) for flow Tom ran and Kitty walked. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Complex sentence to add extra information. The dog bolted, because he had eaten all the sausages. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Questions to draw in reader What was that? <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Exclamations for impact Run for it! <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Sentence of 3 for description He wore a dark cloak, shiny shoes and red trousers <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Sentence of 3 for action Tom ran across the beach, jumped over the rock and collapsed.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">2. Varying Sentence Structure **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The teacher or student finds a difficult word in the dictionary. Check that nobody knows <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the real meaning. Write the word on the whiteboard. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Each student makes up a definition and writes it anonymously on a piece of paper. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The teacher/leader reads out the definition. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The winner is the person whose guess was closest to the dictionary definition.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">3. Call My Bluff **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Teacher writes an unpunctuated sentence on the large whiteboard. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Children rewrite, including correct punctuation marks, on mini whiteboards. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Can play in reverse by giving children a punctuation mark and asking them to write an <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">appropriate sentence that includes the given punctuation mark.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">4. Missing Punctuation **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Give children a main clause. Establish that it makes sense as a complete sentence. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Give children a subordinate clause. Establish that it doesn’t make sense by itself, but adds <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">extra information to the main sentence. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Put both clauses together, beginning with the main clause. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Explain that we can make sentences more sophisticated and interesting by beginning with <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Subordinate clause.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">5. What’s the clause? **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Put selection of main clauses and subordinate clauses on the board. Children work in pairs. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">They select one main clause and one subordinate clause and put them together – have them <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">start with the connective so that the subordinate clause if first. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Encourage children to make silly sentences.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Write instructions on the board, but leave out all the vowels. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Eg: “Tk t yr bks.”
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">6. Missing Vowels **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Write a sentence on the large whiteboard. Children have to rewrite the sentence, <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">improving it by following the teacher’s command. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Eg: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Initial sentence: “The fox crept under the shed and began to dig furiously.” <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Command: “Add 3 adjectives” <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Child’s sentence: “The cunning fox crept under the old, wooden shed and began to dig <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">furiously.” <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Possible Commands: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· Add or remove adjectives or adverbs <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· Change the verbs or nouns <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· Add a phrase, image or clause <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· Use a connective at the beginning or end of the sentence <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· Change the opening, tense or tone of the sentence <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· Change the sentence to a different genre or text type
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">7. All change **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Use whiteboards. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Give children 1 minute to list as many connectives (or other type of word) as possible. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Share ideas <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Give children 1 minute to choose any of the words collected and to put them into a sentence. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Share sentences <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Give children 1 minute to up the level of their sentence by using a better opener, Wow word etc. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Share sentences
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">8. Time Challenge **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">On a card, write out a word from a word family that you are studying and stick in on a wall. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Have children write out (on a post-it note) a word that belongs to the same family, and stick it underneath. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Encourage children to keep adding words.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">9. Word Families **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Give children an overused word eg went, said, big, small, bored, hot, excited etc. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Write synonyms on the board, but with vowels missing <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">E.g.: for “big” - “h _ g _” “m _ ss _ v _” <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Extension: child thinks of a synonym for the overused word and writes in on the large whiteboard (with vowels missing) for other children to guess.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">10 Synonyms **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Sit in a circle. Someone is selected to begin a sentence, saying a word only. The sentence is passed around the circle with each player adding one more word. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The aim of the game is to try NOT to end the sentence. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Encourage children to use VCOP connectives to help them extend the sentence and keep it going.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">11. Cheddar Gorge **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Answer register with a wow word, a connective, or a word to describe a picture and cant be one that’s gone before. So doesn’t take long make sure they know at end of previous day what next morning will bring eg tomorrow we need to think of connectives to answer register with.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">12. Register time **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Have a WOW word for day and all pupils have to try to fit that into a spoken sentence during that day and earn points for doing so. Have to have a witness sign a slip to say they did it.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">13. Word of the Day **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">For more information on VCOP google Ros Wilson and VCOP **