Alondra Tovar Alondra Tovar

TP7 WRITING
Upper-Intermidiate level

Materials

Main Aims

  • To introduce and provide practice of writing a formal letter of complaint

Subsidiary Aims

  • To provide gist reading practice using a text about a complaint letter
  • To provide clarification and practice of useful language in the context of when writing a formal letter

Procedure

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

T greets Ss T screen shares an "alphabet soup" game with words related to the topic 1. Sender 2. Subject 3. Purpose 4. Format 5. Letter 6. Formality 7. Recipient 8. Conclusion 9. Introduction 10. Body T explains the task. "Find the ten words missing in the alphabet soup." T models one answer with Ss. (T also explains how to use the website) T gives time for the activity (3 min) T shares the link with Ss. T asks Ss if they can open the link T asks Ss if they have any questions. T sets the timer and lets Ss know when they can start. S work individually (after 3 min) T screenshares the answer sheet with the words. T asks Ss, "What do you think the topic is going to be about?" (Writing a letter) T proceeds to the next stage.

Exposure (5-8 minutes) • To provide a model of production expected in coming tasks through reading/listening

T explained that her friend had a problem. The problem: "My friend bought a TV a week ago, but when he got home, he discovered it did not work properly. He called customer service to report the problem but has not yet received any help." T explains that her friend wrote a letter to the company. T screen shares a letter sample. T asks Ss to quickly read it in silence (for gist) (30 seconds) T asks Ss, "Is his letter formal or informal?" (formal) T goes to the second slide with the same sample but divided by paragraphs and a word box with the sections of the letter. T gives task instructions. "Help me match the stages of the letter with the corresponding paragraphs." T asks Ss questions to complete the task ("What stage is this? What makes you think that?") Ss work as a whole class T drags the words to the correct position. T goes to the next slide. T explains the stages and structure of the letter in more detail.

Useful Language (3-5 minutes) • To highlight and clarify useful language for coming productive tasks

T screen shares the third slide with some useful sentences for each stage of the letter. T asks Ss to read the sentences in silence. T asks if there is any question about the meaning. T asks CCQs, "Are these sentences formal or informal?" T asks Ss to take a picture of the sentences because they'll use it for the next activity.

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

T screen shares the last slide of the presentation with two possible scenarios for Ss to choose from. T explains task instructions. "Choose between these two scenarios and write a formal letter to complain. Remember to follow the structure that I showed you before, as well as use useful language when writing your letter." T asks Ss to take a picture of the screen. T explains the interactional pattern for this activity. "You'll work individually when writing your letter; once you're done, I'll put you into BOR in a group of three so you can check your letters with your peers by screen sharing your document." T gives time for the individual task (10 min) (After 10 min) T lets Ss know that the time is done and that she'll set the timer on again for peer comparison to work in BOR. (10 min) T opens BOR T verifies that every S is in a breakout with peers. T monitors and writes down mistakes that Ss made in their writing. T brings back Ss into the main session after the time is finished.

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

T asks one S to share their writing with the whole class by screen sharing their document. T quickly reads the letter in silence. T gives feedback (good) T explains errors (grammatical, structure, lexis, etc).

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