How does Pobble 365 support our current writing scheme or curriculum?

We are regularly asked how Pobble 365 can be used alongside other schemes in school and how it aligns with key curriculums. This article explains how Pobble 365 can be used to support your existing plans.

 

In this article we explain how Pobble supports the following curriculums or schemes:

  • English National Curriculum
  • Australian Curriculum
  • Scotland - Curriculum for excellence
  • American Common core
  • New Zealand National Curriculum
  • International Primary Curriculum
  • IB Curriculum
  • Talk for Writing
  • The Write Stuff
  • Seven Steps to Success
  • Literacy Tree

 

Curriculums

English National Curriculum 2014

Pobble 365 is a valuable educational resource that aligns closely with the English National Curriculum. It provides daily creative writing prompts based on thought-provoking images to enhance students’ writing, reading, and speaking skills. This resource supports the development of essential literacy skills across Key Stages 1 and 2, helping teachers meet curriculum objectives while keeping students engaged and motivated. By integrating Pobble 365 into classroom activities, teachers can foster creativity, improve grammatical accuracy, and promote critical thinking while adhering to the standards set out by the National Curriculum.

Here are the key ways in which Pobble 365 supports the English National Curriculum:

  • Creative writing prompts: Daily image-based prompts encourage imaginative and thoughtful writing, supporting the National Curriculum’s requirement for students to "write clearly, accurately and coherently" in narrative and descriptive forms (DfE, English Programmes of Study, 2014).
  • Structured tasks: Accompanying questions and tasks helps students plan, draft, and edit their writing, fulfilling the curriculum's expectation that pupils should be able to "plan, revise, and evaluate" their work (DfE, 2014).
  • Vocabulary and grammar: Encourages the use of ambitious vocabulary and varied sentence structures, aligning with the curriculum's focus on using a "range of sentence structures" and "maintaining accuracy in grammar" (DfE, 2014).
  • Comprehension and inference: Promotes the development of comprehension and inference skills through image interpretation, supporting curriculum goals to "understand, infer, and deduce" meaning from texts (DfE, 2014).
  • Oral communication: Activities stimulate verbal reasoning and expression, reflecting the curriculum’s aim for pupils to "speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English" (DfE, 2014).
  • Flexible and differentiated: The adaptable nature of Pobble 365 supports differentiated learning, meeting the curriculum’s requirement to "teach writing through a variety of approaches" to accommodate different learning needs (DfE, 2014).
  • Engagement and interaction: Makes learning interactive, aiding in the curriculum’s goal of fostering active engagement and participation in English language learning (DfE, 2014).

 

Australian National Curriculum (2023)

Pobble 365 aligns well with the Australian Curriculum, providing daily creative writing prompts that support key literacy skills outlined in the curriculum. By offering thought-provoking images and structured activities, Pobble 365 helps students develop writing, reading, and speaking abilities across the primary years. This resource enhances students' imaginative thinking, critical reasoning, and use of language while enabling teachers to meet essential curriculum objectives. Through its flexibility, Pobble 365 supports differentiated learning, ensuring it is inclusive of varying learning levels and abilities.

Here are the key ways in which Pobble 365 supports the Australian Curriculum:

  • Creative writing prompts: Daily image-based prompts encourage imaginative and creative writing, aligning with the Australian Curriculum’s focus on creating "texts that inform, entertain, and persuade" and developing the ability to "compose texts for a range of purposes" (ACARA, English, Year 3–6).
  • Structured tasks: Provides opportunities for students to plan, draft, and edit their writing, which supports the curriculum’s requirement for students to "plan, draft, and publish imaginative, informative, and persuasive texts" (ACARA, Year 3–6).
  • Vocabulary and grammar: Promotes the use of rich vocabulary and varied sentence structures, addressing the curriculum’s goals to "expand vocabulary choices" and "use accurate spelling and punctuation" (ACARA, Year 3–6).
  • Comprehension and inference: Encourages comprehension and inference skills through image interpretation and questioning, supporting the curriculum’s focus on students "comprehending texts through listening, reading, and viewing" (ACARA, English, Year 3–6).
  • Oral communication: Activities promote verbal expression and reasoning, aligning with the Australian Curriculum’s objective for students to "develop oral language skills for effective communication in a range of contexts" (ACARA, Year 3–6).
  • Flexible and differentiated: Pobble 365’s adaptability supports differentiated instruction, meeting the curriculum’s requirement for addressing individual learning needs and ensuring inclusive learning practices (ACARA, General Capabilities).
  • Engagement and interaction: Facilitates an engaging, interactive learning environment, which is aligned with the Australian Curriculum’s emphasis on student engagement and motivation in literacy development (ACARA, General Capabilities).

By integrating Pobble 365 into teaching practices, educators can meet core curriculum requirements while fostering creativity, literacy skills, and critical thinking in an engaging and inclusive way.

Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Australian Curriculum: English, 2023.

 

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (2019)

Pobble 365 supports Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence by providing engaging, image-based creative writing prompts that align with key literacy outcomes and experiences. This resource helps students across various stages develop essential skills in writing, reading, and speaking, fostering creativity and critical thinking. Pobble 365 offers flexible, differentiated tasks that can be adapted to meet the needs of learners, supporting the curriculum's focus on personalisation and choice in learning. Through Pobble 365, teachers can enrich their literacy lessons while helping students achieve key literacy benchmarks in a motivating and interactive way.

Here are the key ways in which Pobble 365 supports the Scottish Curriculum:

  • Creative writing prompts: Daily image prompts encourage imaginative and creative writing, supporting the curriculum’s goal for learners to "create texts of increasing complexity using more sophisticated language" and to "engage their imagination and express ideas" (CfE, Literacy and English, Writing).
  • Structured tasks: Promotes planning, drafting, and editing, aligning with the curriculum’s emphasis on "organising ideas coherently" and "revising writing to improve clarity and structure" (CfE, Writing and Literacy).
  • Vocabulary and grammar: Encourages the use of rich and ambitious vocabulary and varied sentence structures, addressing the curriculum’s focus on developing accuracy in grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and using a "range of vocabulary to suit purpose" (CfE, Writing and Literacy).
  • Comprehension and inference: Supports the development of comprehension and inference skills through image interpretation and accompanying questions, linking to curriculum goals for students to "demonstrate understanding by discussing key information and ideas" (CfE, Reading and Literacy).
  • Oral communication: Engages students in verbal expression and reasoning, in line with the curriculum’s outcomes for effective "listening and talking skills," where students are expected to "communicate clearly and audibly" and "convey meaning and viewpoints" (CfE, Listening and Talking).
  • Flexible and differentiated: Pobble 365’s adaptable tasks ensure that learning is inclusive and personalised, supporting the curriculum's emphasis on "meeting the needs of all learners" and promoting learner choice and agency (CfE, Literacy and English).
  • Engagement and interaction: Creates an interactive and engaging learning environment, which aligns with the curriculum's aim of fostering engaged, reflective, and self-motivated learners (CfE, Literacy and English).

By using Pobble 365, teachers can align their literacy lessons with Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, promoting creativity, critical literacy skills, and student engagement while meeting the curriculum’s learning outcomes.

Source: Education Scotland, Curriculum for Excellence: Literacy and English, 2019.

 

American Common Core curriculum

Pobble 365 aligns well with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts in the U.S., providing daily image-based prompts that foster creativity, critical thinking, and literacy skills. This resource helps students meet key standards in reading, writing, and speaking while encouraging engagement through imaginative tasks. Pobble 365’s structured, yet flexible approach allows for differentiated instruction, ensuring that students of various abilities can develop their literacy skills in an inclusive learning environment.

Here are the key ways in which Pobble 365 supports the Common Core standards:

  • Creative writing prompts: Daily image-based prompts encourage narrative, explanatory, and opinion writing, which aligns with CCSS’s focus on writing for a variety of purposes, such as composing "narratives to develop real or imagined experiences" (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3-5.3).
  • Structured tasks: Supports students in planning, drafting, revising, and editing their writing, in line with CCSS requirements to "produce clear and coherent writing" and to "develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting" (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3-5.5).
  • Vocabulary and grammar: Encourages the use of rich vocabulary and complex sentence structures, supporting Common Core standards that focus on "demonstrating command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage" and "acquiring and using grade-appropriate academic and domain-specific words" (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3-5.1, L.3-5.6).
  • Comprehension and inference: Promotes the development of comprehension and inference skills through engaging with images and text, supporting the CCSS’s goal of helping students "determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text" and "analyze how specific details in a text contribute to its meaning" (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3-5.4, RI.3-5.5).
  • Oral communication: Engages students in verbal expression and discussion, which aligns with the Common Core’s speaking and listening standards, requiring students to "engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions" and to "report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details" (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3-5.1, SL.3-5.4).
  • Flexible and differentiated: The adaptable tasks in Pobble 365 allow for differentiated instruction, supporting the Common Core’s emphasis on addressing different learning needs and providing equitable access to learning for all students (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3-5.5).
  • Engagement and interaction: Fosters an interactive and engaging learning environment, helping students meet the CCSS’s focus on student-centred learning and active participation in literacy activities (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3-5.6).

By incorporating Pobble 365 into classroom activities, teachers can ensure that they meet key Common Core standards while promoting creativity, literacy, and critical thinking in an engaging and supportive way.

Source: Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI), English Language Arts Standards, 2010.

 

New Zealand Curriculum

Pobble 365 aligns closely with the New Zealand Curriculum, particularly in fostering creativity, literacy skills, and critical thinking in English across all levels. Through daily image-based prompts and structured tasks, Pobble 365 supports the development of writing, reading, and oral language skills, helping teachers meet key curriculum objectives. Its flexible approach allows for differentiated learning, ensuring that students of varying abilities are supported in an inclusive and engaging way while adhering to the literacy and language expectations of the New Zealand Curriculum.

Here are the key ways in which Pobble 365 supports the New Zealand Curriculum:

  • Creative writing prompts: Daily image-based prompts encourage imaginative and expressive writing, aligning with the curriculum’s focus on "creating texts to communicate ideas, experiences, and information" (NZC, Level 2-4, English Achievement Objectives: Writing).
  • Structured tasks: Supports students in planning, drafting, and editing their writing, reflecting the curriculum’s emphasis on "constructing and organising texts for a range of purposes and audiences" (NZC, English Achievement Objectives: Writing).
  • Vocabulary and grammar: Promotes the use of rich vocabulary and complex sentence structures, addressing the curriculum’s goal for students to "use a wide range of spelling, punctuation, and grammar conventions accurately" to create effective texts (NZC, English Achievement Objectives: Writing).
  • Comprehension and inference: Encourages the development of comprehension and inference skills through engaging images and questions, supporting the curriculum’s aim to "understand, respond to, and think critically about texts" (NZC, English Achievement Objectives: Reading).
  • Oral communication: Engages students in verbal discussion and expression, in line with the curriculum’s goals for students to "speak clearly, confidently, and with expression to communicate ideas and information" (NZC, English Achievement Objectives: Listening, Reading, and Viewing).
  • Flexible and differentiated: Pobble 365’s tasks can be adapted to meet the diverse learning needs of students, supporting the curriculum’s principle of inclusion and the development of "students’ skills in self-management, relating to others, and participating and contributing" (NZC, Key Competencies).
  • Engagement and interaction: Promotes an interactive and engaging learning environment, in alignment with the curriculum’s focus on "students being actively involved in their learning" and developing "a positive attitude towards learning" (NZC, Vision and Values).

By incorporating Pobble 365 into literacy lessons, teachers can align their teaching practices with the New Zealand Curriculum’s focus on creative, critical, and purposeful literacy learning, ensuring students develop the skills to effectively communicate and express ideas.

Source: Ministry of Education, The New Zealand Curriculum: English, 2007.

 

International Primary Curriculum

Pobble 365 is a valuable resource that supports the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) by providing engaging visual prompts that enhance creative writing across various topics. Here’s how Pobble 365 aligns with key elements of the IPC:

  • Interdisciplinary Learning: The diverse images can be linked to IPC themes and units, prompting students to write creatively about subjects such as history, geography, and science, fostering connections between different areas of study.
  • Inquiry-Based Learning: Pobble 365 encourages students to ask questions and explore ideas related to the prompts, aligning with the IPC’s emphasis on inquiry and exploration.
  • Creativity and Expression: The prompts inspire imaginative writing, allowing students to express themselves while developing their narrative and descriptive skills, which is essential for creative development in the IPC.
  • Collaborative Learning: Students can work together to brainstorm and share ideas based on the prompts, promoting teamwork and communication skills that are fundamental to IPC’s learning outcomes.
  • Reflective Learning: Pobble 365 supports self-assessment and reflection, encouraging students to evaluate their writing against success criteria and think critically about their work, aligning with IPC’s focus on personal development.
  • Cultural Awareness: The variety of images can introduce students to different cultures and perspectives, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of global diversity, which is a key component of the IPC.

Integrating Pobble 365 into the IPC framework allows teachers to create a rich, engaging learning environment that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and cross-curricular connections in young writers.

 

IB Curriculum

Pobble 365 effectively supports the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum by enhancing students’ writing skills and promoting critical thinking through engaging visual prompts. Here’s how Pobble 365 aligns with key elements of the IB curriculum:

  • Inquiry-Based Learning: The diverse images stimulate student inquiry, prompting them to ask questions and explore themes, which aligns with the IB’s emphasis on inquiry and investigation across subjects.
  • International Mindedness: The variety of prompts encourages students to consider different perspectives and cultures, fostering an understanding of global issues and enhancing international awareness, central to the IB philosophy.
  • Creativity and Expression: Pobble 365 inspires imaginative writing, allowing students to express their thoughts and ideas creatively, which supports the IB’s focus on developing students’ ability to communicate effectively in various forms.
  • Transdisciplinary Learning: The prompts can be linked to different subject areas, encouraging students to make connections across disciplines and apply their writing skills in a holistic manner, in line with the IB’s transdisciplinary approach.
  • Critical Thinking: Pobble 365 fosters critical thinking skills by encouraging students to analyze images, generate ideas, and develop coherent narratives, aligning with the IB’s goal of cultivating learners who think critically and independently.
  • Reflective Practices: The resource promotes self-assessment and reflection, encouraging students to evaluate their writing against success criteria, which is an integral part of the IB learner profile’s focus on being reflective.

By integrating Pobble 365 into the IB curriculum, teachers can create a dynamic and engaging learning environment that nurtures creativity, critical thinking, and global awareness in young learners.

Writing programmes

Talk for Writing

Pobble 365 aligns well with the Talk for Writing approach, enhancing the teaching and learning of writing through engaging, image-based prompts. Here’s how Pobble 365 supports various aspects of the Talk for Writing framework:

  • Immersion: The daily images capture students' attention and spark their imagination, immersing them in the narrative before they begin writing.
  • Modelling: Teachers can use Pobble 365 prompts to model effective writing techniques, demonstrating how to construct engaging narratives, descriptions, and dialogues.
  • Text Features: Prompts can be used to analyze and discuss different text types, helping students understand structure and language features relevant to their writing.
  • Shared Writing: Students can collaborate on writing exercises based on the prompts, allowing for peer feedback and collective creativity.
  • Independent Writing: After exploring the images and discussing ideas, students can independently create their own stories, applying the techniques learned.
  • Editing and Improvement: Pobble 365 encourages reflection and revision, prompting students to review their work based on class discussions and peer input.

Integrating Pobble 365 into the Talk for Writing approach fosters creativity and confidence, enabling students to become more proficient writers.

 

 The Write Stuff

Pobble 365 is an excellent resource that complements The Write Stuff approach, enhancing students' writing skills through engaging visual prompts. Here’s how Pobble 365 aligns with key components of The Write Stuff framework:

  • Engagement: The daily images spark students' curiosity and imagination, providing a captivating starting point for writing.
  • Sentence Structure: Pobble 365 encourages students to explore varied sentence structures, promoting creativity and complexity in their writing, which aligns with the focus on sentence types in The Write Stuff.
  • Ideas and Vocabulary: The visual prompts stimulate idea generation and vocabulary expansion, helping students enrich their narratives and descriptions.
  • Writing Techniques: Pobble 365 can be used to model specific writing techniques, such as the use of figurative language or descriptive details, directly aligning with the teaching of writing craft.
  • Feedback and Improvement: Students can share their work based on the prompts, receiving constructive feedback from peers and teachers to refine their writing skills.
  • Reflection: The resource promotes self-reflection and revision, encouraging students to assess their writing against success criteria, which is a key aspect of The Write Stuff.

By integrating Pobble 365 into The Write Stuff framework, teachers can create an interactive and dynamic writing environment that fosters creativity and skill development in young writers.

 

Seven Steps for Success

Pobble 365 effectively supports the Seven Steps for Writing Success program by providing engaging daily prompts that encourage students to apply each of the seven steps in their writing. Here’s how Pobble 365 aligns with each step:

  • Step 1: Plan for Success: The images inspire brainstorming, helping students outline ideas before writing.
  • Step 2: Sizzling Starts: Prompts encourage captivating openings that hook readers and set the scene.
  • Step 3: Tightening Tension: Students can develop conflict and suspense using the images as a basis for building tension in their narratives.
  • Step 4: Dynamic Dialogue: Encourages the use of dialogue to enhance character development and engagement.
  • Step 5: Show, Don’t Tell: The visual prompts help students illustrate emotions and actions vividly, enhancing their descriptive skills.
  • Step 6: Ban the Boring Bits: Encourages students to eliminate unnecessary information, focusing on compelling content.
  • Step 7: Exciting Endings: Prompts guide students in crafting satisfying conclusions, leaving a lasting impact on readers.

By integrating Pobble 365 into writing lessons, teachers can enhance student engagement and writing proficiency.

 

Literacy Tree

Pobble 365 can also be a helpful resource for supporting **The Literacy Tree** approach, which uses high-quality, whole-text-based literacy planning to build students' reading and writing skills. Here's how Pobble 365 can enhance and align with The Literacy Tree methodology:

1. Engaging Writing Prompts that Complement Core Texts
   - The Literacy Tree focuses on deep exploration of texts, and Pobble 365 can be used as a supplemental resource to spark creativity related to the themes, settings, or characters in these texts. Teachers can select images that reflect the core themes of the current text, helping students make connections between the visual stimulus and the narrative or emotional elements they are studying.

2. Character and Setting Exploration
   - Pobble 365 provides a wide variety of images that can serve as a basis for character or setting exploration. In The Literacy Tree, students often examine characters’ motivations, feelings, and changes throughout a story. Using Pobble 365 images, students can create narratives that delve into similar character traits or challenges, reinforcing their understanding of character development as found in their Literacy Tree text.

3. Model Text Writing
   - Pobble 365 can support model text writing, a key component in The Literacy Tree approach, by providing ready-made visual prompts. Teachers can guide students to create mini-narratives or descriptive paragraphs that mimic the language style or structure found in the model text, giving students practice in replicating high-quality language choices. 

4. Developing Rich Vocabulary
   - The Literacy Tree emphasises the development of a rich vocabulary. Pobble 365’s vocabulary suggestions for each image provide immediate language tools that can be connected to the tone and mood of the text being studied. Teachers can also encourage students to build on this vocabulary by creating their own lists related to both the image and the current text, enhancing their descriptive and emotive language skills.

5. Creating Empathy through Perspective Writing
   - The Literacy Tree often encourages perspective writing, allowing students to explore the emotions and thoughts of characters. Pobble 365 images can provide additional perspectives, prompting students to imagine different viewpoints or alternative storylines. For example, students could write from the perspective of a character within the image or as an observer, helping them to empathise with various characters and deepen their emotional understanding of the core text.

6. Support for Cross-Curricular Links
   - The Literacy Tree integrates cross-curricular learning, and Pobble 365’s images can support this by offering prompts that relate to different subjects like history, science, or geography. For instance, if students are studying a historical novel, teachers might choose an image that visually represents a similar time period or setting, enriching the cross-curricular connections.

7. Building Narrative Structure and Storyboarding
   - Pobble 365 images can be a tool for storyboarding, which is a technique frequently used in The Literacy Tree to map out narrative structure. Teachers can use images as stepping stones for students to outline the key events or plot structure in their writing, mirroring the narrative development in their core text.

8. Inspiring Poetry and Descriptive Writing
   - The Literacy Tree often includes poetry and descriptive writing inspired by the texts studied. Pobble 365’s evocative images lend themselves well to this type of writing, prompting students to capture mood, color, and imagery. Teachers can encourage students to write descriptive paragraphs or poems based on the image that relate to thematic elements in the core text.

By aligning Pobble 365’s visual prompts with the literature-rich framework of The Literacy Tree, teachers can support deeper engagement with texts while fostering creativity, vocabulary, and empathetic writing skills across a variety of narrative, descriptive, and poetic forms.