SAMPLE LESSON PLAN (WRITING)

Number of Learners: 24

Age of Learners: 14 - 15

Level of Learners: Intermediate

Estimated Duration: 45 minutes

Grammar Point: Conjunctions

Subject: Introducing Our School

Skills: Writing, speaking

Materials: Pictures, flashcards, newspapers, magazines

Aims:

To encourage the learners to write a well-organized paragraph.

To guide the learners to develop the ability of expressing themselves.

To help the learners to exchange information in target language.

To make the learners to share their feelings and ideas in a written manner.

To have the learners to enjoy while writing at the same time.

To provide opportunities for the learners to use grammar rules they learnt.

Possible Problems:

The learners may not want to write a paragraph.

The learners may have difficulty in finding ideas.

The learners may have difficulty in understanding the instructions given by the teacher.

The learners may have lack of word knowledge in target language.

Possible Solutions:

The teacher can give the learners a reason to write.

The teacher can write some example sentences.

The teacher can guide the learners with example ideas.

The teacher can explain the instructions in a tactful way.

The teacher can make a useful word list.

A. PRE-WRITING ACTIVITY

Aims:

To prepare the learners to the lesson.

To interest the learners into the topic.

To help the learners be ready for the topic.

To activate the learners’ schemata.

To enjoy the learners about the topic.

To attract the learners’ attention by using brainstorming technique.

To make the learners to connect the lesson with their own lives.

Skills: Speaking

Materials: Pictures

Duration: 10 minutes

Procedure: The teacher greets the learners. Then, he sticks some pictures on the board. They are all about “School”, “Foreign Learners” and “Different Nationalities” which include the writing topic. He wants the learners to look at the pictures and tell him what they see. They talk about the pictures so that the learners can guess what the writing topic is about.

After the teacher asks the learners some questions about the pictures, he sticks two more pictures on the board which are about “Introducing something” and “Good and Bad”. He elicits information from the learners.

After the last question, the teacher divides the board into two parts. He writes “GOOD” on one side and “BAD” on the other side of the board. Then, they do brainstorming about good sides and bad sides of their school all together. Everybody tells something and the teacher tries to elicit information from the learners again. He has learners’ comment and their ideas. After the discussion, the teacher moves on to the writing activity.

Steps:

1) Hello everyone, how are you? (Fine thanks, and you?)

I’m also fine, thank you.

2) Are you ready to see todays’ special pictures? (Yes)

I will stick them on the board and I want you to guess what they are.

3) What do you see in these pictures? (School, flags, students, countries, like, dislike…)

These pictures are about schools or different nationalities or foreign learners. Am I right? (Yes)

4) I will stick two more pictures on the board. Look at these ones.

What do you see in these pictures? (Presentation, good, bad…)

5) Are they about “introducing something” and “good or bad sides of something"? (Yes)

So, what do you think about today’s topic? (Introducing good and bad sides of something)

Yes, as you said, today’s topic is “introducing good and bad sides of our school”.

6) Now I will divide the board into two parts: good and bad.

I want you to share your ideas about good sides and bad sides of our school one by one.

7) Please raise your hand to speak and I will write your comments.

(Our school has lots of good teachers, we like all of them.

In our school, there is no geography laboratory.

School cafeteria is very big and cheap………)

Your ideas are very good, thanks all of you.

B. WHILE-WRITING ACTIVITY

Aims:

To help the learners write in a given context.

To make the learners think independently without the teacher's control.

To get the learners to write their ideas and feelings in an organized way.

To have the learners develop and practice their writing skills.

To make the learners think about the topic and brainstorm their ideas.

To give the learners an outline and make them see the whole

To guide the learners with useful language and some conjunctions.

Skills: Writing

Materials: Flashcards

Duration: 25 minutes

Procedure: After writing comments on the board, teacher wants the learners to write a paragraph by using the ideas that have been shared. He tells them to imagine that the school administration decides to publish a school magazine for the foreign learners who comes from different countries. The teacher asks the learners to prepare a short paragraph to be published in this magazine.

The teacher wants the learners to write about positive and negative sides of their school in their paragraphs. They should prove and support their ideas with examples and supporting sentences.

Before the activity, the teacher elicits which grammar points they can use while introducing themselves. After that, he shows them some useful expressions and conjunctions and he wants the learners to use them in the sentences in their paragraphs. Then, he sticks the flashcards which include the expressions and conjunctions on the board for the learners in order to see and use them easily.

The learners start to write their paragraphs individually. The teacher gives enough time to the learners to think and write their ideas. During the activity the teacher monitors the learners. So, he walks around the class to observe writing process and to see if the learners have any questions. He assists them when they need. He takes some notes about the writing mistakes when he monitors the learners during the activity.  So, the Learners will see their mistakes in their writings and try to fix them.

Steps:

1) Now I want you to use these ideas and create a short paragraph.

Imagine that the school administration decides to publish a school magazine for the foreign learners who comes from different countries.

And you are asked to prepare a short paragraph to be published in this magazine.

2) You can write about positive and negative sides of our school in your paragraphs.

Your paragraph doesn’t need to be too long. You can write about 150-180 words.

3) As you know, a paragraph should have a beginning, supporting ideas and a conclusion.

So please prove and support your ideas with examples and supporting sentences.

And do not forget to write a conclusion sentence while finishing your ideas. This conclusion can be a result, a summary or a comment.

4) I want to ask a little question: While writing our ideas, what kind of expressions do we use?

(“I think…”, “I believe….”, “In my opinion…”)

OK, let me write them on the board.

5) You can also use these useful expressions like:

“As far as I am concerned…”

“As for me…”

“From my point of view…”

“I hope…”

“It is a fact that…”

“Another problem is…”

“I suggest that…”

“I recommend that…”

“Some people say that…”

“I believe…”

For example: “I suggest that the school administration should build a geography laboratory.”

6) And, please use these conjunctions such as:

“On the one hand…”

“On the other hand…”

“Unlike…”

“While…”

“As...”

“Therefore…”

“In addition…”

“Moreover…”

“However…”

“But…”

“So…”

“As a conclusion…”

For example: “If there were a geography laboratory, we would feel happy. Moreover, we would study our lessons better."

7) Now, you can write your paragraphs individually. However, if you need further ideas you can collaborate with your friends.

If you have any questions, raise your hand, then I will help you.

You can start. You have 25 minutes.

C. POST-WRITING ACTIVITY

Aims:

To develop the learners’ writing skills.

To make the learners think independently and creatively.

To provide the learners to express their opinions.

To improve the learners’ critical thinking and their imaginations.

To have the learner produce more ideas about the topic.

To make the learner communicate with each other in target language.

To give the learner opportunity to assess one another.

To make them communicate with each other in target language.

Skills: Writing, speaking

Materials: Pictures, newspapers, magazines

Duration: 10 minutes

Procedure: The teacher gives some pictures to every learner. He wants the learners to be groups of four. Four learners who have the same pictures will make a group. According to the teacher’s instructions, they will form their groups. After grouping, he starts to instruct about the activity. The learners listen to the teacher and follow his instructions.

The teacher wants each group to prepare a colorful poster about their school. In each group, the learners are required to say their ideas and try to find appropriate introductions for their school on their posters. They can both cut and color the poster as they wish. The teacher asks them to find some creative slogans in order to be chosen as the best.

After the preparation, the learners introduce their posters to other members of the class. They stick their posters to the board and talk about it.  They will defend their posters and try to be the best in the class. Then, whole class try to choose the best poster with the help of the learners’ instructions.

Homework: The teacher asks them to make a search on the internet about the other schools’ posters and he wants them to write interesting points of those posters and read them to their friends for the next lesson.

Steps:

1) Now, we have an enjoyable activity.

As a beginning of the activity, let me give you some little pictures.

I want you to be groups of four according to the pictures you have.

2) In the last lesson, I wanted everybody to bring newspapers and magazines.

Do you all have? (Yes)

3) I want you to prepare a colorful poster about your school.

You can cut some pictures from your newspaper and paste them on your posters.

You can draw a picture. It is up to you.

4) Try to find appropriate introductions for your school.

You can write some creative slogans in order to be chosen as the best.

5) If you confront a problem you can want me to help.

You can start. You have 10 minutes.

6) Now you will share your posters in front of the class one by one.

While one group is promoting their poster, the rest will rate them from one to five.

And then we will choose the best poster for our school with the help of their instructions.

7) For the next lesson, I want you make a search on the internet about the other schools’ posters.

You can write interesting points of them and you will read them to their friends for the next lesson.

Thank you very much. That’s all for today.