The assembly, which Dan provided, was insightful and engaging. The children found out what it was like to be an author and what they needed to do to be the best writer that they could be. Dan provided the children with inspirational comments about working hard to achieve their dreams and goals, which had a real impact on them.
Once the colourful waistcoat had been put on though, the hall erupted with laughter and giggles. Dan’s ability to draw the children in so that they are living and breathing his story was phenomenal. For ten minutes, children from Reception to Y6 were mesmerised and engrossed in his storytelling. It was truly magical to watch.
Writing workshops
Dan’s visit was really beneficial as he used a topic which engaged the children. It was very obvious, as a reader, what the outcome of the story was but Dan managed to help the children understand that revealing it much later on and describing the effect of feelings, rather than just stating what they are, can create an excellent impact on the reader. The fact that he came back to listen to their stories really inspired the children to do well as it gave them the opportunity to get feedback from a real life author.
Vicky Smith, Y6 class teacher
The children were challenged to use higher level vocabulary and use a variety of sentence openers and structures. The impact of the workshop was outstanding writing that truly engaged the reader.
Lisa Hodson, Y3 class teacher