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.
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. 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. This could include answering questions, practicing new vocabulary, or completing exercises with the teacher providing feedback.
Evaluation – Assesses each learner’s attainment of the objective.
Application – Provides activities that help learners apply their learning to new situations or contexts beyond the lesson and connect it to their own lives.
The WIPPEA Model works best for the lower tier of Bloom’s Taxonomy (i.e., remembering (knowledge), understanding (comprehension), and applying (application).
While the Whilte 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 higher-level thinking skills.
