The WIPPEA Model is a lesson planning model adapted from the work of Dr. Madeline Hunter (Master Teaching, 1982). It is an instructional framework that guides lesson planning and delivery, especially in language education. It is awesome for content or processes that benefit from lots of repetition.

The WIPPEA Model works best for the lower tier of Bloom’s Taxonomy (i.e., remembering (knowledge), understanding (comprehension), and applying (application). This six-step cyclical lesson planning approach requires learners to demonstrate mastery of concepts and content at each step before proceeding to the next step.

WIPPEA Acronym

• Warm-up
• Introduction
• Presentation
• Practice
• Evaluation
• Application

Warm-up

A brief activity to engage students and activate their prior knowledge. It prepares learners for the lesson by creating interest and setting a positive tone. For example, a quick vocabulary review from a previous lesson or a fun question related to the new topic. It is designed to assess prior knowledge by reviewing previous materials relevant to the current lesson. This is a short activity or prompt that focuses the student’s attention before the actual lesson begins.

Introduction

The teacher introduces the new lesson’s topic, objectives, and key concepts in this step. This is a broad overview of the content and concepts to be taught. It focuses the student’s attention on the new lesson. It’s a brief explanation to let students know what they will be learning and why it is important.

Presentation

In this phase, the teacher presents the main content or skill the students need to know, often through direct instruction, demonstrations, or multimedia resources. New knowledge, process, or skill is shared via discovery, discussion, reading, listening, observing, and more. This is where students first encounter new information or processes.

TIP: Usually this is the start of the learning activity described as “I do. We do. You do.”

Practice

Here, students engage in guided practice, where they apply the new knowledge or skill in a structured way, often with the teacher’s support. This could include answering questions, practicing new vocabulary, or completing exercises with the teacher providing feedback. They model the skills and provide opportunities for guided practice. Guided practice, also known as the ‘we do’ component of an explicitly taught lesson, involves the teacher working through problems with students simultaneously, step-by-step while checking that they execute each step correctly.

Evaluation

The teacher assesses student understanding to determine whether the lesson’s objectives and attainment of the purpose have been met. This could involve a quick quiz, student presentations, or any assessment that checks for comprehension or mastery.

Application

In the final phase, students apply what they’ve learned in a real-world context or more independent practice. Teachers provide activities that help learners apply their learning to new situations or contexts beyond the lesson and connect it to their lives. This step helps solidify learning through deeper, often more creative or open-ended activities, such as projects, role-playing, or writing assignments.

While the WIPPEA Model works well for some learner types and situations, some find it unsuited. Gifted students, open-ended learning experiences, discovery learning sessions, and exploratory educational experiences will not find this model helpful. Neither will it work well with students requiring divergent thinking, creative problem-solving, or critical thinking skills.