TEACHING WRITTEN SKLLS COMMUNICATIVELY | Page 69

The main body Pre-writing activities Tasks Time Activity procedure Justification Materials A model text gives students examples of language and layout which they will need in order to perform their writing task. The comprehension questions give students a purpose for reading and help students realize that the letter is an act of communication which involves a writer who wants to communicate something to a reader who is not physically present. This task presents students with the organization of an informal letter in the form of a flow diagram. By splitting the text in stages students become aware of the content of each stage and how this is expressed through certain language. This task provides students with input both in terms of layout and special language used. A model letter Task 1 4 min Students are exposed to a model of an informal letter which they have to read in order to answer comprehension questions Task 2 4 min Students are presented with a flow diagram which shows the production of a letter in five stages. Then they have to split the model letter in these five stages. Task 3 3 min Students are asked to focus on specific features in the layout and language of an informal letter such as where the sender’s address and date appear and the language of opening and closing formulas. Students read the reply to the first letter and answer comprehension questions. Task 4 4 min Comments A flow diagram with five stages. The function of the Another model second letter which letter. comes as a reply to the first one is to 69