Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
A5.
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
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Page 1 of 11
Materials
required:
Aims:
A1.
Lesson Plan
1. Discuss with the class if anyone has studied English in an English-speaking country
before. Questions could include:
Where?
When?
What was the experience like? Positive/ Negative?
Would they recommend it?
If no-one has studied in an English-speaking country, then ask what they imagine the
experience would be like, or if family members or friends have.
Explain that in this lesson, theyre going to imagine they have just finished a course in
an English-speaking country.
Timing: 5 minutes
2. Give out A2 Classroom Handout 1, or show the situations on the board.
Look at situation A. Divide the class in two. Half the class are students, half are
teachers. Explain to the class that instead of writing the letter they will have a meeting
with the teacher and so they will be discussing the points from situation A.
Allow 5 minutes for students to work in pairs to brainstorm ideas for what they are
going to say at the meeting. The students should plan what they are going to say for
each point. The teachers should prepare some questions they would like to ask the
students about the course and plan how they are going to lead the conversation.
Timing: 8 minutes
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
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Was your meeting successful? Why/ Why not? (answers depend on each
pairs experience)
Do you think you would know the principal of the school well? What would you
relationship be with him/her? (they probably wouldnt know the principal well;
the relationship would be more formal, less relaxed)
How would this make the situation different when you speak to the principal?
(the student would feel more constrained and would try harder to be more
polite; the register of the language would be more formal)
Would the content of what you say be different? (no, probably not)
Timing: 5 minutes
5. Write on the board some of the informal words, phrases and sentences you noted
down while monitoring the students role-plays.
Alternatively, give out A5 Classroom Handout 3.
Elicit what makes the first word or phrase informal rather than informal. Students work
in pairs to identify and underline the words which are more informal.
After a few minutes, elicit some of the answers to check that students have identified
the same aspects of the language. Elicit some of the key features of formal and
informal language (see A3 Classroom Handout 2 for key points).
Timing: 7 minutes
6. Give out A3 Classroom Handout 2, which summarises the key differences between
formal and informal language. Allow a few minutes for students to read through the
worksheet.
Point out that only some examples are given. In pairs, students find examples for the
other aspects of language given in the table.
Feed back ideas, accepting all that are appropriate. (See A4 Classroom Handout 2
Answer key suggestions).
Timing: 7 minutes
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms
www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
Page 3 of 11
As homework, students draft a letter covering the same points as their role-plays. You
may want to specify if the letter is for Situation A (informal) or for Situation B (formal),
or allow students to choose.
Allow some time in a subsequent lesson for editing, redrafting and finalising the
letters (see B. Guidance for Follow-up Activities).
Timing: 3 minutes
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms
www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
Page 4 of 11
Classroom Handout 1
A
You recently completed an English language course in a school in England. Your
experience at the school was a very positive one.
Write a letter to your teacher on the course. In your letter
thank the teacher for all his/her help
explain why your experience was important to you
suggest what he/she can do to make the experience even better for future
students.
B
You recently completed an English language course in a school in England. Your
experience at the school was a very positive one.
Write a letter to the principal of the school. In your letter
thank the principal and staff for all their help
explain why your experience was important to you
suggest what he/she can do to make the experience even better for future
students.
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms
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Page 5 of 11
Classroom Handout 2
Informal language
Formal language
Aspect of
language
Examples
Aspect of
language
Examples
Commonly used
words
Less commonly
used words
receive, extremely,
pleasant
Phrasal verbs
Repetition of the
same words
Synonyms and a
wide vocabulary,
avoiding repetition
Abbreviations and
contractions
Immediate and
personal, e.g.
modals
Remote and
indirect, e.g. past
tenses of modals
should, could
Verb phrases
We learned a lot
through the games
Noun phrases
Simple sentences
and conjunctions
Complex
sentences and
conjunctions
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms
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Page 6 of 11
Informal language
Formal language
Aspect of
language
Examples
Aspect of
language
Examples
Commonly used
words
Less commonly
used words
receive, extremely,
pleasant
Phrasal verbs
recover, initiate
Repetition of the
same words
I liked , I really
liked.., I didnt like
Synonyms and a
wide vocabulary,
avoiding repetition
I enjoyed, I very
much appreciated, I
was unimpressed by
Abbreviations and
contractions
She took us to a
museum
Immediate and
personal, e.g.
modals
Remote and
indirect, e.g. past
tenses of modals
should, could
Verb phrases
We learned a lot
through the games
Noun phrases
Simple sentences
and conjunctions
Complex
sentences and
conjunctions
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms
www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
Page 7 of 11
Classroom Handout 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
When we started, I didnt like all the reading. But then I realised my vocabulary
was getting better.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Itd be good to meet some students who are already studying at university
here.
10.
Perhaps you could have some extra classes to help with difficult things like
phrasal verbs.
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms
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Page 8 of 11
Informal
Formal
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
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Page 9 of 11
Some situations may adapt easily to more formal and more informal registers, while
others may be more suitable for one specific register. Make sure students get practice
in a range of formal, semi-formal and informal letters.
3. When you create your own situations, make sure that the following information is
made clear:
who the students are writing or speaking to. This should make clear the level
of formality that they must use
the information that students must include. There should be 3 separate points
to cover.
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms
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Page 10 of 11
4. Good writing is a process. Most writers need to write and rewrite their work to achieve
a good result. Encourage your students to take the same approach to their writing in
English.
In the lesson following this one, students swap the letter they drafted for
homework.
Students read their partners letter and check that the letter has an
appropriate beginning and ending and answers each of the bullet points.
Swap letters with a different partner. This time, they focus on the language
used and consider if the letter is too formal or too informal.
Again, pairs discuss any changes or suggestions and then write a final draft of
their letter.
UCLES 2011. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further
information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/terms
www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org
Page 11 of 11