Scoring the modelled writing When the modelled writing task is completed, use the mark scheme created with the pupils in Stage 2 to score the final piece you have modelled. When you do this with them, keep talking through each aspect of the marking strategy. Your self-dialogue is likely to be something like this: “Did I include a clear introductory paragraph with additional information about the topic?” “Yes, I think it covered that aspect very well so I’m awarding myself two marks” “Did it engage the reader?” “I think it was rather matter of fact. I could have used better techniques to engage the reader. Perhaps a rhetorical question would have been a good idea to get the reader hooked into what was to follow. So I’m afraid I get no marks for that aspect.”
Goal setting When the modelled piece has been marked, discuss with the pupils the aspects that could have been improved by focusing on those elements with the lowest scores. Decide which of these would be the main focus for improvement in the next piece of writing. These aspects then become the goals for improvement and are recorded on the mark sheet.
Scoring the initial task It is now time to return to the initial task, which was carried out after the introduction to the text type. Ask the pupils to score their own piece of writing using the agreed marking scheme. It is useful to ask one of the pupils to volunteer to share their marking with the class and to seek agreement on the accuracy of the assessment. Initially, pupils tend to be generous with their scores but, as they become more proficient using the technique, they can be quite hard on themselves. This is where additional teacher assessment of the same piece is used to corroborate their scores.
IPEELL stage 3: Model it
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