ABSTRACT
Teaching children to write well is as much a matter of establishing a supportive ethos as it is of helping them to understand the technical aspects of grammar, spelling and punctuation. As children practice noticing and questioning, their ability to spot inaccuracies will improve. This chapter explores that it fair to say that a big problem in developing children's literacy skills is an unwillingness sometimes to take the trouble to 'hone' the writing in terms of reaching for the right word or to fully realize the power of punctuation to aid meaning. The hero metaphor can be reinforced by pointing out other desirable features of learning to write more skillfully. It helps children to appreciate the notion of 'writer as hero' by asking them to create their own coat of arms that illustrates the qualities. Raising children's awareness of persuasive language is an important area of developing literacy and thinking skills.
