Aeva Aeva

Formal writing: a letter of complaint
Elementary level

Description

In this lesson, Ss learn how to structure and write a formal letter of complaint. The lesson will start by showing them a video of a worm crawling out of a sweet, and I will ask how that would make them feel; elicit negative adjectives. They will then read a formal letter of complaint about the worm in the sweet and analyse the structure and language used. Next, they will be given some useful vocabulary and instructed to produce their own letter. Finally, they will read one of their peers' letters and give feedback about it using a provided checklist.

Materials

Main Aims

  • To To introduce and provide practice of writing a (short) formal letter to complain about something

Subsidiary Aims

  • To provide Ss with practice reading letters written by other people and providing feedback according to a writing checklist provided to them.

Procedure

Warmer/Lead-in (2-3 minutes) • To set lesson context and engage students

I will start by showing Ss a packet of throat sweets and then a video of a worm crawling out of one of the sweets. This is a genuine real video I took a few weeks ago, so I think they will enjoy the personal element. I will elicit from a choice of adjectives which one we would NOT use to describe such an experience (delightful).

Exposure (5-6 minutes) • To provide a model of production expected in coming tasks through reading/listening

Ss will be given 3-4 mins to read my example letter. Vocabulary such as 'lozenges' and 'sore throat' which are specific to this particular letter are shown with the letter (but not more generic 'complaint' vocab). I will then elicit from them the various parts of the letter, i.e., salutation, BP1, etc.

Useful Language (6-8 minutes) • To highlight and clarify useful language for coming productive tasks

Ss will be show the letter again, but this time with certain vocabulary and expressions highlighted - I will elicit the meanings, and then look briefly at the vocab in more detail: investigate, bring to your attention, take steps (to do something), compensation, further and in due course.

Productive Task(s) (17-18 minutes) • To provide an opportunity to practice target productive skills

Ss will be shown four photos for inspiration and then instructed to produce their own letter, which they will be asked to upload to padlet (or Google docs if they can't access padlet). They will be told to include: 1) a reason for writing, 2) what happened, and 3) what they would like to happen. They will be given 10 minutes to write individually. Next, they will be shown a peer review checklist and put into BORs for 8 minutes where they will give each other feedback on their letters.

Feedback and Error Correction (5-10 minutes) • To provide feedback on students' production and use of language

I will make notes during the productive phase of the lesson and highlight any main areas for feedback and correction.

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