Writing Acceleration Supports
As part of the ‘Make it Write’ action plan the Ministry is offering accelerated writing supports for students in Years 0–10 who are learning through the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC).
About this resource
As part of the ‘Make it Write’ action plan the Ministry is offering accelerated writing supports for students in Years 0–10 who are learning through the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). There is more information on this page for schools about how to apply for and use the support.
This page was updated on 18 June 2026.
Writing Acceleration Supports
As part of the ‘Make it Write’ action plan the Ministry is offering accelerated writing supports for students in Years 0–10 who are learning through the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). Teaching modules and resources to accelerate student progress and achievement in writing are available for Years 0–5, and an online writing tool for Years 6–10.
If you have any questions about the online writing acceleration tool, you can contact the Ministry team at [email protected].
Writing Support
- Years 0-5 - Writing Modules
- Years 6-10 - Scribo
These resources provides practical guidance for teachers on how to teach writing effectively to accelerate student progress. They provide support for targeted teaching of students who are below curriculum year level expectations.
The resources include:
- guidance and practical support for teaching spelling and handwriting
- sequenced lesson plans for teaching sentence writing Years 1-5
- ‘paragraphs to inform’ and ‘paragraphs to persuade’ for Years 3-5
- sequenced lesson plans for teaching narrative writing Years 3-5
- videos illustrating key aspects of teaching to accelerate learning.
How to use the resources
Accelerating writing is for classroom teachers, Structured Literacy Approaches teachers, and other classroom support staff to use with small groups of students in Years 0-5 who require writing acceleration.
The guides can be implemented flexibly to meet student needs. Lessons can be taught in different ways:
- Front-loading: Teach the target group in advance so they are prepared to participate successfully in the whole-class lesson.
- Whole-class with guided support: Teach the lesson to the whole class, then provide guided, more scaffolded practice for the target group while others work independently.
- Targeted group only: Teach the lesson exclusively to the target group, either with the classroom teacher or another teacher.
Videos of in-class teaching demonstrate specific aspects of the targeted lessons and provide further guidance in action.
Modules
- Years 0-5
- Years 0-1
- Year 2
- Year 3
- Year 4
- Year 5
- Videos
Teacher Guidance
Accelerating writing is for classroom teachers, Structured Literacy Approaches teachers, and other classroom support staff to use with small groups of students in Years 0-5 who require writing acceleration.
The guides can be implemented flexibly to meet student needs. Lessons can be taught in different ways:
- Front-loading: Teach the target group in advance so they are prepared to participate successfully in the whole-class lesson.
- Whole-class with guided support: Teach the lesson to the whole class, then provide guided, more scaffolded practice for the target group while others work independently.
- Targeted group only: Teach the lesson exclusively to the target group, either with the classroom teacher or another teacher.
Videos demonstrate specific lesson components and teaching practices in action, providing further guidance for teachers.
About Writing Acceleration Support
Handwriting guidance
The handwriting guide is specifically for teachers of students in Years 1-5. This guidance aligns with The New Zealand English Curriculum scope and sequence and the Teaching Handwriting Guidance (2026).
This guidance will help you to identify students needing additional support and plan and deliver specific instruction. The guide contains information and practical suggestions developing:
- physical technique and posture
- letter formation and layout
- fluency stamina and cognitive load
Within the guide are QR code links to videos demonstrating specific aspects of targeted teaching to accelerate learning.
Spelling guidance
This guidance supports teachers working with students in Years 1-5 who are below year level expectation for spelling. It aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum and focuses on clear, explicit instruction to build the foundational knowledge students need to write with confidence and control.
The guide includes practical information and examples for identifying students and planning small group spelling instruction for learners with specific spelling needs that cannot be addressed effectively through whole class teaching alone. The guidance allows for targeted re teaching, additional practice, and focused support in decoding and encoding based on identified gaps. It includes practical teaching sequences for quality spelling sessions for teaching:
- phonemic awareness and phonics
- syllabification
- morphology (prefixes and suffixes)
- contractions and possessive apostrophes
- irregular words and spellings
- Homophones.
Videos of in-class teaching demonstrating specific approaches for accelerating learning are below.
The sentence, paragraph and narrative writing guides contain sequenced lesson plans designed for teachers to pick up and use at each year level. They connect reading with writing using curriculum year level texts as contexts for writing. The guides weave the curriculum composition writing elements into lesson sequences focusing on writing to inform, writing to persuade, and writing to entertain.
While the paragraph writing guides support students to plan, draft, revise and edit a single paragraph, students in years 4 and 5 are beginning to write multi-paragraph texts and should be supported to understand how single paragraphs work as part of larger texts.
The narrative writing guides for students in years 3, 4 and 5 support students to follow a narrative structure and incorporate sensory details to engage the reader.
Using reading to strengthen writing
Lessons are based on texts students have read during reading instruction. They are used as models or exemplars for writing. Each guide outlines the learning that should be in place before beginning the lesson sequence.
Using texts for both reading and writing helps students understand how texts are structured and how language features support purpose, enabling more deliberate and effective choices in their own writing.
Structure of lessons
The sentence writing, paragraph and narrative writing lessons are all 20 minutes long. The structure is the same for each lesson to provide consistency and reduce cognitive load. The table below outlines the purpose and expectations within each lesson segment.
Checkpoints within each lesson are identified. You may decide students need further reinforcement of a lesson before moving forward. The lesson format can easily be repeated using different examples.
Lesson structure
|
Teacher’s role |
Students’ role |
Review 5 minutes |
|
|
Explicit teaching ‘I do’ 5 minutes
|
|
|
Guided practice ‘We do’
5 minutes
|
|
|
Review and celebrate 5 minutes |
|
|
Supporting spelling and handwriting during composition
While these lessons are focused on developing sentence, paragraph or narrative writing, it is also important you take time to support students to transfer handwriting and spelling skills in context.
During the lessons continue to model and reinforce transcription skills while teaching composition:
- Model spelling using phoneme-grapheme and syllable strategies.
- Prompt students to apply spelling knowledge when editing.
- Reinforce correct letter formation and encouraging self-correction.
Within the lessons are pointers where you can model spelling words. This includes breaking words into phonemes and syllables, using think aloud strategies.
Sentence writing – simple, compound, and complex sentences
The sentence guides focus on teaching simple, compound and complex sentences aligned to the curriculum progressions from years 2-5. Below is supporting information for teachers to build understanding prior to teaching.
What is a simple sentence?
A simple sentence expresses one complete idea. A simple sentence has:
- a subject (who or what the sentence is about)
- a verb (the action or state).
A clause is a group of words that contain a subject and a verb. A simple sentence contains one independent clause. An independent clause expresses a complete idea and can stand alone as a sentence. For example,
- Geckos and skinks are lizards.
- The propellers spin to lift the drone into the sky.
Writing simple sentences helps students communicate one idea at a time. This supports clarity, accuracy, and control in their writing.
What is a compound sentence?
A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses joined together.
A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb. An independent clause expresses a complete idea and can stand alone as a sentence.
In a compound sentence, each clause is a complete idea. They are joined to show a relationship between those ideas using a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, so, also.
Writing compound sentences enables students to link ideas, show relationships between thoughts, and add flow and variety to their writing. For example:
- I will stay home and I will read a book.
- Alex went to the playground, but it started to rain.
- The controller sends signals, so the drone moves around.
What is a complex sentence?
A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
- A clause is a group of words that contain subject and a verb.
- An independent clause expresses a complete idea and can stand alone as a sentence.
- Dependent clauses are supporting ideas that do not make sense on their own (also known as fragments or incomplete sentences). They are joined to an independent clause using a subordinating conjunction such as ‘because’, ‘when’, or ‘if’.
- The dependent clause relies on the independent clause because it requires additional information to make sense.
Writing complex sentences enables students to have greater control when communicating, and to create agility and depth in their writing.
In complex sentences, the dependent and independent clauses can appear in any order. If the dependent clause comes first, it is followed by a comma. If the independent clause comes first, a comma is usually not needed. For example:
- I will stay home if it is raining
- If it is raining, I will stay home
A subordinating conjunction is a word or phrase that connects a dependent clause to an independent clause. It indicates a relationship.
Examples of subordinating conjunctions
Why |
Time |
Where |
How |
Condition/ Concession |
because so that since as |
when once before after while until since |
where wherever |
as if as though |
if unless only if even though although unless as long as |
What is an adverbial phrase?
An adverbial phrase is a group of words that functions like an adverb to give more information about the action in a sentence. It modifies a verb, and can also add detail to an adjective or another adverb by explaining where, when, how, why, or to what extent something happens.
Unlike a clause, an adverbial phrase does not contain a subject and a verb.
Using adverbial phrases helps students vary sentence length and sentence beginnings, adding flow, detail, and flexibility to their writing.
Examples:
Simple sentence (independent clause) |
Simple sentence with an adverbial phrase |
The gecko hides. |
The gecko hides in the green leaves. (where) |
Mokomoko drop their tails. |
Mokomoko drop their tails to escape from predators. (why) |
Skinks dart. |
Skinks dart with lightning speed. (how) |
Adverbial phrases can appear before or after the main clause. When an adverbial phrase comes before the main clause, a comma is usually needed. For example:
• In the green leaves, the gecko hides.
• To escape from predators, mokomoko drop their tails.
Adverbial phrases can be added to simple, compound, and complex sentences, and more than one phrase can be used in a sentence. As students expand sentences with adverbial phrases, encourage them to consider what sounds best for the writing purpose.
To support students’ cognitive load, begin by teaching them to expand simple sentences by adding one phrase that tells where, when, how, or why. Once students are confident, they can add more than one phrase and experiment with changing the order.
Deliberate and focused analysis of assessment data enables you to identify what to prioritise for students and monitor progress within a targeted acceleration intervention. Use both formative and standardised assessment information to build a clear understanding of each student’s strengths and next learning steps.
Understanding the progression of writing development enables you to notice and respond to the sophistication of students’ writing, identify current capability, and design an appropriate teaching sequence based on identified learning needs.
- Use the NZ Curriculum English teaching sequence statements (Knowledge and Practices) to identify what to teach to accelerate learning.
- Use standardised assessment data, such as SMART Writing or PAT Tuhituhi | Writing, alongside classroom writing samples, teacher observations, and conversations with students to build a holistic picture of progress.
- Analyse assessment information and data frequently (daily, weekly, and at regular intervals) during intervention periods so you can adapt your explicit teaching in response to what students need, rather than following a pre-determined programme.
Maintain high expectations and a sense of urgency for student progress, while ensuring learning remains supportive and appropriately paced.
Effective writing acceleration requires explicit teaching that responds directly to the identified learning needs of students. Plan for students to write daily and be clear about the specific skills they need to develop to meet year level expectations. Teaching should support students to develop targeted writing skills while also guiding them through the process of creating complete texts.
Clear learning focus
Ensure each lesson includes clearly displayed and explained learning objectives and success criteria. Regularly check in with students so they understand the purpose and focus of the learning and what successful writing looks like.
Explicit teaching and Gradual Release of Responsibility
Explicit teacher modelling is essential in every lesson. Demonstrate how to apply writing skills and use think aloud strategies to make the writing process visible to students. Provide exemplars at year level expectations to help students recognise what successful writing looks like and what they are working towards.
Use a gradual release of responsibility (GRR) approach. After explicit teaching and modelling (I do), students practise the skill alongside the teacher with support and feedback (We do), before applying the learning independently (You do).
Frequent opportunities for student participation and response are an important part of explicit teaching. After introducing small amounts of new learning, pause to ask questions or give prompts that actively involve all students. Responses may be oral, written, or action-based, such as answering together, sharing with a partner, recording ideas on mini whiteboards, or completing a quick write.
Activating prior knowledge and vocabulary
Activating prior knowledge before writing helps students connect new learning to what they already know, making ideas easier to understand and express in writing. Building strong background knowledge and vocabulary is essential, as students cannot write effectively about topics they do not understand or lack the language to describe.
Intentionally introduce key concepts, ideas, and subject-specific vocabulary before writing. This supports students to think deeply, organise ideas, and communicate with greater clarity and precision. Rich texts from the Instructional Series, short age-appropriate videos, and resources from Tāhūrangi can be used to build context, introduce vocabulary, and deepen understanding.
Adaptive teaching and scaffolding
Adaptive teaching involves continually assessing students’ strengths and needs and adjusting teaching to ensure all students can access and meet curriculum expectations. To accelerate writing progress, provide purposeful scaffolding that acts as a temporary bridge between students’ current capability and year level expectations, with support gradually reduced as students gain confidence and independence.
Consider how students’ prior knowledge, vocabulary, cultural experiences, English language proficiency, or specific learning needs may affect their ability to engage with new learning. Support students by connecting new learning to existing knowledge, frontloading critical vocabulary and concepts, and providing additional guided practice where needed. Use scaffolds such as models, visuals, discussion, structured questioning, and targeted small-group teaching to support access to learning while maintaining high expectations for all students.
Adaptive teaching also includes responsive, in-the-moment adjustments during lessons. Use assessment for learning approaches such as questioning, discussion, observations, writing tasks, and verbal explanations to monitor understanding and engagement. Regularly adapt teaching in response to what students know, understand, and can do.
To accelerate writing progress, provide purposeful scaffolding that acts as a temporary bridge between students’ current capability and year level expectations.
Writing practice
Students should write primarily in their books rather than on devices, as self-correcting on paper helps them notice and reflect on changes they make to their writing. Writing by hand also supports the development of spelling, sentence construction, and fine motor skills, while slowing the writing process enough for students to think more carefully about word choice, punctuation, and organisation of ideas. The visible record of editing and revising on paper helps teachers and students discuss the decisions made during writing and strengthens students’ understanding of the writing process. Whiteboards can still be used effectively for warm-ups, rehearsal, and targeted skill practice.
Feedback, goal setting, and monitoring progress
Timely, explicit, and specific feedback helps students recognise where they are successfully applying new skills and where further improvement is needed. Regular goal setting and monitoring of progress supports the pace and momentum of acceleration. Schedule checkpoints into planning each week, refer to year level expectations, and track progress regularly to inform next teaching steps.
There are many similarities between the ways native English speakers and English language learners (ELLs) develop writing skills. However, some writing errors may occur because of differences between a student’s first language and English. For example, some languages, including Chinese/Han, Hindi, and Farsi, do not use articles such as a, an, and the. While these are natural for native English speakers, they can be challenging for ELLs. Similarly, English changes verbs to show tense, while some languages use time phrases or particles instead.
Like all learners, ELLs need to understand the purpose and audience for their writing. They often require additional scaffolding and explicit teaching to build background knowledge, develop vocabulary, and understand the language features used in different text types. This may include teaching verb tenses, connectives, and sentence structures. Providing opportunities to unpack model texts and exemplars helps students understand what successful writing looks like, and the language required to achieve it.
Progress in writing for ELLs is influenced by many factors, including age, previous schooling, first language knowledge, prior experiences, and cultural understandings. Teachers should work closely with English language specialists and use the English Language Learning Progression (ELLP) to support appropriate teaching and learning decisions.
ELLs should also be encouraged to continue speaking and writing in their first language. Building and maintaining first language skills strengthens overall language development and supports the learning of English writing skills.
What is writing to inform?
Writing to inform is when an author shares clear, factual information to help the reader learn about a topic. Informative writing often includes facts, examples, and specific details, and it is organised, so ideas are easy to understand. Writers may use headings, labels, or simple explanations to make their information clear. Writers use precise vocabulary and focus on being clear and accurate so the reader can trust and learn from the text.
What is writing to entertain?
Writing to entertain is when an author creates a text to amuse, engage, or capture the reader’s interest. The purpose is to tell a story or create a fun and engaging experience. This type of writing often includes characters, a setting, and a sequence of events that make up a narrative. Writers use descriptive words and sometimes humour or suspense to make the narrative vivid and engaging.
What is writing to persuade?
Writing to persuade is when an author tries to convince the reader to agree with their opinion or point of view. The purpose is to change the reader’s thinking or encourage them to take action. Persuasive writing includes an opinion, clear reasons, and details or supporting facts. Writers may use words like because, so, and therefore to connect their ideas and make their argument stronger. Writers attempt to connect with readers, using personal experiences and emotional appeals. Repetition, facts and statistics are often used to add emphasis or credibility to the author’s viewpoint.
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