Year 1 English · Key Stage 1 · Writing – composition
Year 1 writing: rereading, discussing and reading it aloud
Writing is not finished when the last word is down. In Year 1, children are taught to reread what they have written to check that it makes sense, to talk about it with their teacher or classmates, and to read it aloud clearly enough to be heard. These habits are the first steps of editing and presenting, and they start with a simple question: does this say what I meant?
Checking and sharing writing, explained
Rereading sounds obvious, but for a young writer it is a real skill. By the time they reach the end of a sentence, they have been concentrating on sounds, letters and spaces, and may have forgotten the idea they began with. Teachers therefore teach children to go back to the start, put a finger under each word, and read exactly what is on the page. The question to ask is “does it make sense?”, which is a kinder and more useful starting point than “is it right?”.
When children reread carefully they notice things: a missing word (“I went the park”), a word that does not match what they said, a missing capital letter or full stop, or a sentence that stops halfway. At this age the focus is on a few simple checks, and it is not expected that a child will find every error. Often a teacher or classmate will read the sentence back exactly as it is written, which helps a child hear what is missing. Many schools have children make their changes in a different colour, so the child sees the improvement and does not feel they have been marked wrong.
Discussion is part of the process. A teacher may sit with a child and ask, “Tell me about your story” or “What happens next?”, and children may share work with a partner who says what they liked or asks a question. The aim is to show that writing is for readers, that someone else’s questions can help make writing clearer, and that talking about a piece of writing is a normal thing to do. Comments are phrased positively and specifically, such as “I liked the part about the slide”, and the child decides what to do next.
Finally, children read their writing aloud to the teacher, a partner or the class. This is a communication skill as well as a reading one. They are encouraged to hold the page low so it does not hide their face, to speak clearly and loudly enough, and to read slowly enough that listeners can follow. For shy children this can be hard, so it often starts with reading to a soft toy or one friend before building up to a group. Hearing their own words read aloud tells children that what they write has value.
Words your child will hear
- Reread
- Read your writing again from the beginning, slowly and carefully, to check it.
- Makes sense
- The words fit together and say what you meant, with nothing missing.
- Check
- Look carefully at your work to see if anything needs to be fixed or added.
- Discuss
- Talk about your writing with someone else, sharing ideas and answering questions.
- Read aloud
- Read your writing out loud so others can hear it.
- Audience
- The people who read or listen to your writing.
What the National Curriculum says
In Year 1, pupils should be taught to:
- Write sentences by re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense
- Discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils
- Read their writing aloud, clearly enough to be heard by their peers and the teacher
Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Try it: checking and improving one sentence
A Year 1 child wrote: “i went to park” and “we play on the swing”. How do they check and share it?
- Reread slowly with a finger under each word. The child reads exactly what is written: “i went to park”. Then they stop and ask: “Does that sound right?”
- Spot the missing word. Reading it as it is written, the child hears that something is missing: “I went to … the park.” They add the word “the” in a different coloured pencil.
- Check the beginnings and ends. Does the sentence start with a capital letter? Does it end with a full stop? The child changes the small “i” to a capital and adds the stop.
- Read the second sentence, which also needs a capital for “we” and a full stop: “We play on the swing.” The adult asks, “Is that happening now, or did it happen at the park?” The child changes “play” to “played”.
- Talk about it. A partner listens and says what they liked: “I liked the swing bit.” They ask a question: “Was it a big swing?” The child decides whether to add a sentence.
- Read it aloud. The child holds the page, speaks clearly and reads slowly to their partner and the teacher, looking up once at the end.
I went to the park. We played on the swing. The writing now makes sense, has capitals and full stops, and the child has read it aloud to an audience.
Common mistakes and how to help
Reading what they meant to write, not what is on the page
The writer knows the idea so well that their brain fills in missing words and corrects mistakes automatically. They really do read “I went to the park” when the page says “I went to park”.
What helps: Ask them to put a finger under each word and say only what they see. Or you read it back in a flat voice, exactly as written, and ask if it sounds right. Hearing the gap is often enough.
Thinking that checking means rubbing out and starting again
Children can see changes as a sign of failure, especially if earlier work was crossed out. They then avoid checking or rewrite everything.
What helps: Show that adults change their writing too. Use a different colour for adding or changing a word and say “that’s a great fix”. Keep the focus on one thing at a time.
Reading aloud too quickly or too quietly
Reading aloud feels exposing, so children rush to get it over with, mumble or hold the page in front of their face. They are not being careless, they are nervous.
What helps: Practise on a toy, a pet or a sibling first. Model reading slowly and clearly, with the page held down so the voice carries. A small round of applause at the end helps.
Taking suggestions as a sign the writing was wrong
At this age, children are used to adults correcting mistakes, so a question like “What happened next?” can sound like criticism.
What helps: Begin with what you liked, and ask a question out of curiosity. Let your child decide whether to change anything. Praise the choice, not just the result.
How to help at home
- Finger-reading. Ask your child to point under each word while reading their own writing back. It slows them enough to see what is actually there. If a word is missing, they will often hear it themselves.
- Be the pretend reader. Read a sentence your child has written back to them exactly as it is, including any missing words. Ask “Is that what you meant?” Do it with a smile, and not as a test, and let them fix it in a different colour.
- Ask a curious question. After they read something, ask one question about the content, such as “What was the best bit?” or “What happened next?” This shows that writing has a reader, and it gives them an idea to add if they want to.
- Perform it. Make a small audience of soft toys, a sibling or a grandparent on a call, and ask your child to read out their writing. Encourage a clear, slow voice and ask them to look up at the end.
- Keep a ‘best writing’ place. Pick one piece of writing a week to put on the fridge or in a folder. Having a place to display work makes the checking and sharing feel worthwhile.
Related topics
Leads on to
- Year 2: Writing for different purposes
- Year 2: Planning before we write
- Year 2: Revising and reading aloud
More on writing – composition
- Year 1: Saying and sequencing sentences
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