The document discusses strategies for teaching students to plan written responses. It recommends that teachers model and have students repeatedly practice planning to help streamline their thinking and ensure their ideas are linked by an overall thesis. The planning process builds retrieval practice and textual security. Specific planning techniques are suggested, such as including direct ideas about the question, a main overview idea, signposts of key text elements, and developing ideas in chronological order.

1. Improving writing through
modelling: strategies for planning
responses
Becky Jones and Laura Webb
@beckyteachopia and @lauralolder
@TMEnglishIcons #TMEngIcons

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• Planning allows students 5 minutes to prepare
their ideas/ streamline their thinking.
• For 7+ it ensures their ideas link to a overall
thesis/argument
• Like with everything, students’ ability to plan
relies on modelling and repetition
• It also builds retrieval practice, encouraging
students to regularly access their knowledge
• Use an I do- We do – You do approach but
repeatedly going back to each.
• Planning properly builds textual security
• It’s a separate skill which needs refining

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• Include ideas that directly relate to the question
• Main overview idea that all ideas link/relate to
• Signpost key moments/elements of the text
• Develop ideas in chronological order
You may consider teaching/practising:
• Scaled down quotations
• Quick links to AO3 / writer’s purpose

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• Using mini extracts to repeatedly plan.
• Constant plot bouncing
• Linking moments together
• Teaching motifs for whole text coverage
• Searching the text and speed planning
• Quotation application tests
• Giving thesis statements to plan for
• Reverse planning – give an essay and
write the plan
• Find faults – give half complete plans
and students fix the mistakes
• Plans as retrieval activities

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• Anchor points across the text chronologically
• Allows understanding of whole narrative
• Space to expand ideas and link across text

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• Some students prefer to map ideas before they order
them.
• Can go wrong – must have an order and agreed amount
• Minimum expectation of quotation and idea needed

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Fishbone Planning

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• A good opportunity for
comparison (poetry)
• Clearly orders ideas
• Space for evidence
• Overview ideas come first
• Gives clear structure to the
response

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Student examples