Unit 1 Planning Page

We’ve all seen it. You give students 15 minutes of precious planning time and what do they produce? A solitary, tragic circle in the middle of the page with three spindly legs poking out of it.

It’s not a plan; it’s a piddly little stick-man spider that looks like it’s having a mid-life crisis.

We’ve all marked these scripts. The 'plan' usually consists of:

• The Head: A circle containing the word "speech" (Thanks, Captain Obvious).
• Leg 1: "Intro" (Groundbreaking).
• Leg 2: "Paragraphs" (Vague, yet optimistic).
• Leg 3: Tumbleweed.

By the time they finish drawing the spider’s eyes, 14 minutes have passed, and they realise they have zero actual content. They then spend the next 45 minutes wandering aimlessly through a forest of 'ands' and 'buts,' praying for a semi-colon to descend from the heavens.

Give Them a Map, Not a Doodle

This Planning Page Resource replaces that wasted planning time.

Instead of staring at a blank page wondering how many points a plan needs, students are prompted to:

• Write out PAFOREST: Once they've it memorised, it will appear quickly in their planning time
• Write down punctuation - even the obvious ones! Because we all know, even the obvious aren't obvious! By writing these out, it acts as a reminder to include them.
• Plot the Argument: Mapping out 6 logical steps means they won't hit paragraph 3 and suddenly realise they;ve used up all their arguments in paragraphs 1 and 2.
• Remember their bank of 'fancy' words: Students will have learnt some impressive words in advance - this reminds them to use them!