Sabahattin Aluç Sabahattin Aluç

Writing Skills - Informal E-mails
Intermediate level

Description

In this lesson, ss will be exposed to a reading text, do both gist and detailed reading on an informal email, and then after a couple of activities, compose one on their own through T's guidance.

Materials

Main Aims

  • To provide product writing practice of an e-mail in the context of keeping in touch

Subsidiary Aims

  • To provide gist and detailed reading practice using a text about a friend's email in the context of keeping in touch
  • To provide functional language in composing informal emails

Procedure

Warmer/Lead-in (3-5 minutes) • To set lesson context and engage students

T starts off by asking ss what kind of emails they get everyday, how often they write emails and whether they write emails to keep in touch with people. Teacher may use echoing if necessary.

Exposure (8-10 minutes) • To provide a model of production expected in coming tasks through reading

T introduces the text in a handout and asks ss to read the text quickly to answer the question given above the text. Ss discuss their ideas in pairs, T provides a quick W/C feedback. T asks ss to unfold the paper, read the email again, and then decide whether the statements given are true or false. T gets them to check their answers in pairs, provides W/C feedback if necessary, especially on the problematic items.

Useful Language (8-10 minutes) • To highlight and clarify useful language for coming productive tasks

T reflects the email on the board and then elicits four sections marked on it: greetings, introduction, conclusion, farewells. T asks ss to work in pairs and come up with at least two examples for each heading. T does a quick W/C feedback and then gives a handout to serve both as an answer key and a preparation for their own writing. T allows them some time for ss to take a look at it.

Productive Task (18-20 minutes) • To provide an opportunity to practice target productive skills

T gives a handout that contains five questions at the head of the page, and, monitoring closely, gets ss to discuss the questions quickly in pairs. T asks ss to write an informal email to him using all the materials and preparation questions. The task might take up to fifteen minutes. T encourages peerchecking for those who finish early. When they are ready, T asks each student to read their work to the rest of the class. T takes notes for delayed correction.

Feedback and Error Correction & Back-up (8-10 minutes) • To provide feedback on students' production and use of language

T gives error correction. In the unlikely event of having extra time in the end, T starts a whole class discussion relevant to the topic at hand to finalize the lesson.

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