Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively

E X A M P L E   1.2a.

Sample writing strategies for the planning component of the writing process

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Writing strategy

Most relevant genres

How to execute the strategy

STOP

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Persuasive genre

S

uspend judgment and brainstorm ideas for and against the topic.

T

ake a side on the topic.

O

rganize ideas. Place a star next to the ideas you plan to use and those you 

plan to refute. Number the order in which you want to introduce them.

P

lan more as you write.

STOP and AIM

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Persuasive genre

Narrative genre

Apply STOP (see above) and determine how to:

A

ttract the reader’s attention at the start of the paper.

I

dentify the problem so the reader understands the issues.

M

ap the context of the problem. Provide background information needed to 

understand the issues.

Venn diagram

Any genre

Use a Venn diagram as a planning tool when writing a compare/contrast 

essay. Each circle can represent a different topic, character, or position. The 

parts of the diagram that overlap can represent the similarities between the 

two, while the parts of the diagram that do not overlap can represent the 

differences. Use the main ideas in each section to guide the major topics in 

the essay.

PLAN

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Informational 

genre 

Persuasive genre

P

ay attention to the writing assignment by identifying what you are asked to 

write about and how you should develop your essay.

L

ist your main ideas after gathering and evaluating ideas.

A

dd supporting ideas (e.g., details, examples, elaborations, evidence) to 

each main idea. Consider whether each main idea is still relevant.

N

umber the order in which you will present your ideas.

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