Support it

Having introduced the different features of the strategy to students, this is the stage where the real development of the text type takes place. Students will now be aware of the purpose, audience and type (PAT) of writing they are working on. They know about the mnemonic IPEELL and have used planning frames to organise their ideas. They have marked their own writing and attempted to set goals for improvement. Now is the time to focus on developing writing skills and techniques through frequent quick writes with the emphasis on quality not quantity.

Model writing using a self-instruction checklist

Before attempting the next piece of writing, remind students about the importance of self-talk and what they need to concentrate on before, during and after writing. Model thinking aloud through each stage of the writing process. “What do I need to ask myself before I start writing?

P – What is the purpose of this piece of writing?

A – Who will read it?

T – What is the best format for this task? “What do I need to remind myself of while I am writing? Plan first

Follow the IPEELL structure

Use appropriate links and language features

Think about my motivational message: ‘Keep going. I can do this!’ “What do I need to do when I have finished writing?

Have I developed each paragraph fully?

Does it make sense?

Is it linked together sensibly and clear and appropriate?” Students verbalise instructions to guide them in their writing.

Extending students’ writing

The following section outlines how to extend students’ writing using the IPEELL strategy.

Start by regularly providing more detailed models of a specific text type. Highlight how the writers have achieved the purpose in these examples.

Then introduce students to different writing techniques.

Work on different aspects of each writing task in stages, e.g. “What makes a good introduction?” or “How can we engage the reader?” Each aspect could have a whole lesson dedicated to studying it. This doesn’t need to result in a complete or extended piece of writing every time. Instead, score these shorter pieces against the agreed criteria. Record this on the scoring sheet and add further scores when the next sections are completed.

Completed writing tasks should be scored and recorded on each student’s recording sheet with goals set for improvement.

Teachers should use their professional judgement about when to fade out the recording process.

Not every piece of writing should be considered as ‘complete’ after scoring. Use the scoring and goal setting process as the basis for editing and redrafting writing.

For work to be considered ‘independent’, students need to have formulated the scoring criteria and set their own goals for improvement. Students are then able to edit and redraft their writing to increase its effectiveness for the purpose and audience.