Cover letter
Materials
Main Aims
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To provide product writing practice of a cover letter in the context of job hunting
Subsidiary Aims
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To provide practice of the simple and continuous present in the context of writing a cover letter
Procedure (34-45 minutes)
Play video from movie "The Intern" in which an actor is recording a cover video for a internship. Ask students to identify the intention of the actor with the video.
Present students with a scrambled sample cover letter. Elicit the correct order from the students using the number keys next to each paragraph. Maximum 5 minutes. Afterwards, present students with the cover letter separated in paragraphs and elicit the author's intent from them using the available options in the presentation. Maximum 5 minutes.
Present students with target language, elicit the type of word from the underlined sections of the phrases (continuous verb, adjective, noun). Also, elicit what the closed phrases are being used for (possible plans for the future) Remind students to evade use of contractions and informal language. Maximum 5 minutes. If there is spare time, send students into breakout rooms to discuss previous cover letters they have written, if no such example is available, have them brainstorm ideas on how to write one. Maximum 5 minutes.
Instruct students to write a new cover letter using the target language on the Padlet website. As students are posting their letters, quickly inspect a few to identify possible errors for the DEC stage. If time is available, have students read and like their classmates' letters, if not, it can be done in their free time after class.
Using the compiled errors from monitoring the previous stage, if any, share with students the changes that can be made to their letters.