Download Rainbow Writing at St Giles School Rainbow writing is a strategy that

Rainbow Writing at St Giles School
Rainbow writing is a strategy that we are using in our school in
an attempt to raise standards in writing.
It was originally developed as a simple focused approach to
effective sentence construction.
The philosophy underpinning Rainbow Writing is extremely
simple. The method used encourages children to see writing in
different colours, which is a particularly engaging approach for
bi-lingual pupils, boys and right-brain dominant learners.
The art of writing comes, for a young child, when they see the
impact of using and combining different words and constructing
sentences to create a range of effects for a reader.
Rainbow writing illustrates this point to children in the most
simplistic manner. Through the combination of different word
colours, children and teachers have a shared way of analysing
writing of editing and improving sentence structure and of
achieving a high level of ‘writing voice’ in the future.
Rainbow Writing
Summary of Key Colours
Red words are WOW doing words
(verbs).
For example: hopped, swam,
peeped, stared
Purple words are WOW
descriptive words (adjectives).
For example: large, bright,
spotless,
happy, curly, ginger
Blue words are WOW connectives.
For example: when, if, so,
because, but, as well as
Orange words are WOW openers.
For example: time words –
First, Next, After that, Later,
That evening, At bedtime,
Green words are additional
phrases and clauses.
For example: The young girl, with
the cunning smile, was…
The old man, who felt ill, decided
to …
Grey sentences are boring. We want to make them bright and
colourful by adding the word colours above.
You can make sentences exciting by adding 2 or more word
colours.
You can make a 6 colour sentence by adding ALL the colours.
Activities to do at home- Rainbow Writing Challenges:
Use Rainbow Writing to change the grey sentence to a sixcolour sentence.
1. The boy was walking down the path.
Can you change the verb?
Can you drop in adjectives and adverbs?
Can you drop in connective words or phrases?
Can you add a power opener?
Can you drop in additional information or clauses?
2. The girl saw a map on the floor.
Can you change the verb?
Can you drop in adjectives and adverbs?
Can you drop in connective words or phrases?
Can you add a power opener?
Can you drop in additional information or clauses?
3. The cottage was quiet.
Can you change the verb?
Can you drop in adjectives and adverbs?
Can you drop in connective words or phrases?
Can you add a power opener?
Can you drop in additional information or clauses?
4. He heard a noise.
Can you change the verb?
Can you drop in adjectives and adverbs?
Can you drop in connective words or phrases?
Can you add a power opener?
Can you drop in additional information or clauses?
Examples of Orange openers:
First,
Then,
After that,
Next,
Later
Following this,
Last of all,
Finally,
Examples of red verbs:
Enjoy,
Horrify,
Dined,
Gasped,
Screech,
Leap,
Howl
Examples of purple words
Thunderous,
Attractive,
Aggressive,
Sensitive,
Quick-witted,
Nervously,
Patiently
Examples of blue words:
When,
whatever
if
meanwhile
nonetheless
for
while
when
therefore
however
Examples of green words/phrases:
Which had recently…
With a battered leather coat…
Which the caretaker had just left…
Who had recently…
Sitting in the cold and damp…