Spag papers, since their introduction in 2014, have required children to know and understand more complex terminology and apply it not only to their writing, but to answer questions with a range of contexts and styles.

This has meant that language we haven’t previously needed children to use has become prevalent in the classroom.

Read more: The 5 most common Spag errors in secondary schools

From the magazine: Putting learning in a positive light

Listen: Why we’re doing too much, too young in education

Over the years I’ve often found that children have a fantastic ability to orally use these new definitions of different punctuation and grammar they need to use. Usually, they can even give me examples as a response. 

However, as soon as I ask them to put this to paper, it changes. Children second guess themselves, or know the concept but can’t fathom what the question is actually asking them to do. Language itself becomes the barrier to unpicking language.

Spag assistance

This is the same within their writing. Often they are so focused on their content that they forget to use all those things we’ve taught them in the week. So many times I read a piece of work with incredible vocabulary, amazing description...but it has no punctuation or paragraphs.

I’ve been working on ways to tackle this and put into use the following ideas that seem to be having an effect. 

1. Slow writing

Children are given a checklist with a range of key points they have been learning - a proper noun, speech, simile, passive language and so on.

This means each sentence they write - creating a complete piece of work - will have a specific feature focus. 

This “slow” writing encourages children to take their time to use different grammar, punctuation or language features in their writing, while also focusing on the text type they have already been developing.

Furthermore, if you are focusing on a specific type of writing, such as stories, you might focus solely on speech, expanded noun phrases and semicolons. Or if you were focusing on newspapers, you might focus on features like passive voice, time adverbials and relative clauses. 

It also gives a perfect time for teachers to spend some time one-to-one with children in their class or an ideal piece of work to unpick in an intervention. 

2. Spag question starters

At the start of each lesson, I have a PowerPoint presentation with Spag Sats style questions for children to answer: the more familiar they are with the style of questions, the easier they will find them.

Each day you recap a feature (such as speech, active voice or past progressive tense) that allows you to orally discuss definitions and examples, but then follow it up with a quick-fire Sats question they can complete using a whiteboard pen on their table. 

No more than five minutes of the lesson, but a big result. 

3. Pineapple Royalty

Children ask me on a daily basis to play this game - who knew spelling could be so fun? Here’s how it works:

●   Children stand in a circle.

●   Announce the word we will spell. (I use words from the Year 5/6 curriculum usually, but sometimes we pop in some tricky fun ones for a challenge.)

●   Each child (going round the circle) has to say the next letter.

●   If you get it wrong - sit down for that round.

●   Winner is the last one standing - they get the crown and become Pineapple Royalty.

Every child in the class loves taking part and the improvement is noticeable. The children have to apply rules in order to find the next letter and also have to use listening skills and turn-taking which, even in Year 6, can need some work!

Each of these has had a small, but noticeable, impact in my class. Hopefully they may work for you too.