• Granlund
• English

LESSON 3

1. Description before lesson

LINGUISTIC AIM: to practice writing a description of someone for a second time, using also new vocabulary and grammar learnt. Consolidation.

THINKING AIM: to give them the opportunity to make use of the ENV model and other work done in order to improve their writing. To see if they actually make use of the model and are aware of it as a tool.

MATERIALS: None in particular. Their own notebooks with their original descriptions in them, new vocabulary and examples of ENV models from their own writing and from the text in the book (WOW! 5)

TASK: To write once again about a very special person. They could write about the same person as before or could write about someone else.

2. After

PROCEDURES AND LEARNERS’ OUTPUT

• I reminded them again of what we’d done so far, as at the end of the last lesson. I then asked them to write the second description and gave them just over 10 minutes to so.
• Most of them set to quickly and wrote a lot in the time. Only a couple of the weaker students (one of whom had been off school) couldn’t think of what to write or how to write. They were allowed to refer to their notebooks and books, and these boys managed two or three sentences.
• Some of the class wanted to go on writing at home, so I said that was fine and they’ll bring their work next time.

The rest of the lesson was taken up with a vocabulary test and a listening exercise, which were not ‘thinking’ exercises in any way.

3. Overall reflection on lesson

AIMS: Having looked at what they wrote, I think they have consolidated the new vocabulary and to a certain extent the grammar, although they still make lots of mistakes with ‘doesn’t’. It’s not yet anywhere near automatic, but at least it’s correct some of the time. The sentences they wrote were definitely better than the first time round and they thought of much more to say. Part of my thinking aim was that they should use the ENV model from their notebooks to help them write and organize their text. I’m not at all sure they did this.

TASKS AND MATERIALS: The task of writing again served my purpose, but it might have been more interesting and motivating if they’d had a completely new situation this time in which to describe someone. However, this way they had plenty of material on the subject ( a grandparent) ready.

QUESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS FOR THE FUTURE: I plan to ask them to consider if it was easier to write the second time and why.