During the session on genre deconstruction, we started by looking at the map of different genre types, which outlined the purpose of different text types and well as their differing features. This map was then used to help introduce text deconstruction. This is the idea of showing children an existing text and unpicking, or deconstructing it, to identify its key features, as well as how the text itself is structured. By encouraging children to take an existing text and pick apart the key information, they start to recognise how a text is made up. It becomes not just a complete text, but an amalgamation of key words, which have been linked together to form sentences and paragraphs (see The Complexity of Literacy tasks model).
There are 5 key stages in the deconstruction model:
There are 5 key stages in the deconstruction model:
- Read the text to identify the main topic of each paragraph.
- Highlighting the key words in each paragraph.
- Transferring to note form – using a bullet point for each new sentence and a dash for new information in the same sentence.
- Modelling how to take the notes and reconstruct the text (joint construction) – using key features of the chosen text type.
After the training session, I felt eager to transfer the modelled strategy into my own teaching. At the time we had been teaching report texts, and I felt the straightforward approach of deconstruction would help the children to understand why structure is so important in these texts.
Recognising the need to look at an engaging example, we chose an example which studied the fictional ‘Manchester Ridge-Back’ (see Appendix 1). First, we read through this text together as a class, with the children identifying with a talk partner the main topic of each paragraph. The children were quick to grasp this – recognising that one paragraph concerned food, another habitat. It also triggered discussion about the use a topic sentence, to help us identify the topic of the paragraph quickly, as well as whether each point was in the most appropriate place. Some AGT pupils suggested some of the points in latter paragraphs were linked to those in other paragraphs.
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We used this to help the children make notes. We encouraged the children to use a mind map (see Sue Palmer models) and use pictures to make notes (see right). Children were told to use only key words and not copy out the whole sentence in their notes. Using only pictures and diagrams helped children to do this. In addition, using pictures was very encouraging for EAL and less able pupils, allowing them to move away from words and instead develop note making techniques that worked for them. AGT pupils were provided with a second text, ‘The Storm Unicorn’, allowing them to apply what they had learnt as a class to this next text. They were quickly able to identify the topic of each different paragraph.
The following session was spent on joint reconstruction and independent construction. I showed the children a mind map of notes I had created and they responded to this immediately. I then modelled taking a sample paragraph and started this using a topic sentence, before moving onto the different pictures covered. Having studied the text the previous day, children were able to quickly generate the success criteria for the session.
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I was very impressed by the quality of written work produced, with target pupil 3, a usually reluctant writer, keen to get his ideas down. When asked, he said this was because he had been given the ideas and didn’t need to think of them for himself. Instead he was allowed to focus on the success criteria and structure of his writing to produce a text he could be proud of.
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Later in the week, when the children designed their own animal, as part of our Big Write session, children planned with ease, having used the planning format when deconstructing earlier in the week. The children’s work was of a high quality (see Appendix 4).
Following up from this, I was eager to use deconstruction for other text types. I used deconstruction to help unpick newspaper reports (right).
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In addition, we used deconstruction when looking at a biography text about Benjamin Zephaniah (right). The children enjoyed being provided with highlighter pens, and although initially they were keen to highlight the whole piece, after a discussion about key words, they were able to cut this down, writing down just the key points (see below left). I had prepared this earlier and was able to compare my notes with the children’s. This also allowed me to model joint reconstruction a little easier (below). I was very impressed with the quality of work produced and many children produced more work than usual (see below right).
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More recently, we carried out a successful deconstruction on an explanation text and the children confidently used pictures to deconstruct each sentence (see right). One of my focus pupils, a very reluctant writer, put his hand up after deconstructing the text and said, ‘I don’t know what to write’. When I asked him what his first picture represented, he could tell me with confidence and even discussed what the next couple of pictures meant. I told him to write down exactly that and he settled down the work. No longer was he searching for ideas, as these were all there for him.
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The results were very promising, with focus pupil 1 producing a particularly good piece of explanatory writing (right). When they came to write their own explanation texts later in the week, their texts were generally well structured. In particular, one boy who often struggles to order his writing and ‘slow down’ was able to produce a clear and logical explanation text (below).
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Deconstruction has certainly influenced my teaching and it is now a key part of my planning when looking at any new text type as the children are not only shown a quality, well-structured text but they are not left on their own to plan out new ideas. All the information is in front of them. Note form and planning is now more straightforward for them and their notes in General Work Books during ICT sessions are testament to this. At the beginning of the year, most of my pupils would copy out complete sentences as note form (right), and now they are more aware of the need to pick out only the key words. A recent piece of deconstruction carried out in our Theme session, showed me just how much the children’s note form had improved over the year .
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In the Spring term, I led a staff training session on deconstruction and used the ‘Manchester Ridge Back’ materials to help model this approach (see right). The staff were very positive about the training and we decided to use this in our Theme lessons at least 2 or 3 times every half term. As one member of staff said to me, ‘I couldn’t believe it when X (a less enthusiastic writer) managed to write a whole page’.
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All year groups are now using deconstruction in their Theme work (see below - year 3 work) and I think its greatest success has been in improving note form (as well as helping children see the relevance of note form) and generating ideas for less confident writers. As another member of staff said, ‘One of my lower ability writers is very good at recognising key words and their ability to deconstruct has given them confidence in knowing what to write’.
I have started to use deconstruction of fiction texts to help pupils use paragraphs in their written work (see section on Storytelling) and this worked particularly well.
I have started to use deconstruction of fiction texts to help pupils use paragraphs in their written work (see section on Storytelling) and this worked particularly well.