A Tiger, a Story and a Classroom Full of Writers
An Interview with Tuk Tuk
How do you inspire five and six-year-olds to become enthusiastic writers? In Year 1, we know that children are most engaged when writing has a clear purpose and is connected to something that matters to them.
Our latest writing unit was inspired by the much-loved story I Am A Tiger. While the book provided an engaging starting point, the real motivation for writing came from a very important event on the horizon: Tiger Spirit Day. Knowing that their learning would connect to a celebration that is such an important part of life at Bangkok Patana, gave the children a genuine purpose for their writing and a meaningful introduction to writing.
Throughout the unit, Year 1 teachers found creative ways to ensure facts were always at the children’s fingertips. One of the highlights was interviewing Tuk Tuk, our school tiger mascot. After rehearsing questions together, the children eagerly put their oracy skills into practice, asking thoughtful questions and listening carefully to the answers. They also took part in fact treasure hunts, searching for information and discovering new knowledge in an active and engaging way.
These experiences provided rich opportunities for discussion, encouraging children to share their newfound knowledge with one another and develop confidence in speaking and listening. By regularly discussing ideas, asking questions and presenting information to their peers, the children strengthened their communication skills and deepened their understanding of the facts they would later use in their writing.
Most importantly, the children loved the unit. Their excitement about meeting Tuk Tuk, learning facts and sharing their knowledge gave them a genuine reason to write. Along the way, their confidence as writers continued to grow as they used their phonics knowledge to record ideas and took increasing care with the key skills that support successful writing, such as capital letters, full stops, question marks, finger spaces and extending their sentences using conjunction. It was wonderful to see the pride they took in their learning as their confidence and independence developed throughout the unit.
