PEE Formula How to use it to make points about your reading.

What does it stand for? Point Evidence Explanation

Point Your main statement Eg What you think about a character Charlie Peaceful is fiercely protective of his family

Evidence This is a quotation, a word, phrase, line or more from text which backs up your first main statement. Eg Charlie Peaceful is fiercely protective of his family “’He won’t do it again, Tommo, he said. ‘I hit him where it hurts, in the goolies.’ He lifted my chin and peered at my nose. ‘Are you alright, Tommo?’”

Explanation This is where you tie up your point and your evidence. Eg Charlie Peaceful is fiercely protective of his family “’He won’t do it again, Tommo, he said. ‘I hit him where it hurts, in the goolies.’ He lifted my chin and peered at my nose. ‘Are you alright, Tommo?’”

Explanation Explain what the evidence is showing us. Eg Charlie saves Tommo from a beating from Big Jimmy Parsons during his first days at school. Charlie takes the punishment for fighting, but isn’t concerned by it; he cares only that his little brother is ok. Furthermore, Tommo is fighting to defend Big Joe: Charlie fights both of their battles.

Put it all together. Eg Charlie Peaceful is fiercely protective of his family “’He won’t do it again, Tommo, he said. ‘I hit him where it hurts, in the goolies.’ He lifted my chin and peered at my nose. ‘are you alright, Tommo?’” Charlie saves Tommo from a beating from Big Jimmy Parsons during his first days at school. Charlie takes the punishment for fighting, but isn’t concerned by it, he cares only that his little brother is ok. Furthermore, Tommo is fighting to defend Big Joe: Charlie fights both of their battles.

When to PEE! Use the PEE formula whenever you want to make a point about a character or an idea in a text that you have been reading. Imagine you are a top barrister and you need evidence to back up your case.

PEE all over your responses to texts! As a top barrister, your case will not stand up in court without evidence. Similarly, your points won’t be worth anything without evidence to back them up. Remember, you can never be wrong if you have the evidence!

Test out your skills What do you think the following quotations tell us about Charlie Peaceful? “’ I hate that man (Colonel),’ said Charlie under his breath.’I’ll do him, Tommo. One day, I’ll really do him.’” “Then Charlie would be there beside me, and everything would be all right again. Charlie always made things all right again.”

What about these? “But for Charlie and me, just to see her (Grandma Wolf) frightened silly and screeching like a witch was worth every smack she gave us.” “It was Charlie’s idea to go poaching: salmon, sea trout, rabbits, even deer if we were lucky,he said.” “Charlie worked in the hunt kennels and in the stables looking after the dogs and the horses, which he loved.

And these? “’I’m in real trouble, but I had to do it. You remember Bertha, that whitey-looking foxhound up at the Big House, the one we liked?’” “But Charlie, like me, was very far from happy, because Molly had suddenly stopped coming.” “’More fool them,’Charlie said.’I’m not going, not ever. I’ll shoot a rat because it might bite me. I’ll shoot a rabbit because I can eat it. Why would I ever want to shoot a German? Never even met a German.’”

Now it’s your turn Think about what you know about the two sides of Charlie Peaceful’s character and the points you could make about him. Find your evidence for these points. Explain how your points and evidence tie up.

To be extra clever… Try to put your points in a logical order and create links between them. Remember, Charlie’s name is Peaceful, what might this tell us about his attitude to war?