Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Basic Text Writing

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The objectives stage is essential to direct the focus of students and the teacher towards the specific skills that will be developed throughout the lesson. By clearly establishing what is expected for students to learn and practice, this section serves as a guide for the teaching-learning process, ensuring that all proposed activities are aligned with the learning objectives.

Main Objectives:

1. Develop the ability to write texts in English clearly and coherently.

2. Empower students to recognize whether a written text on a given topic has internal coherence and logical structure.

3. Encourage oral expression in English through the discussion of written texts.

Side Objectives:

1. Encourage collaboration and debate among students during practical activities to strengthen social skills.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The purpose of the introduction is to engage students with the lesson theme, using problem-situations that encourage reflection on how to apply prior knowledge in a practical and contextualized manner. Additionally, by highlighting the relevance of English writing in everyday life, it seeks to motivate students to recognize the importance of the subject not only as an academic skill but as an essential tool for effective communication in various real-life scenarios.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Imagine you are writing an invitation for a birthday party and need to include details such as date, time, location, and a brief description of the activities. How would you structure this text in English so that all information is clear and organized?

2. Think of a short story you would like to write for a friend who speaks another language, such as English. How would you start planning this text, considering it should be understandable and interesting for the reader?

Contextualization

The ability to write clear and coherent texts in English is crucial not only in academic situations but also in professional and personal contexts. For example, when sending emails or writing reports at work, effective writing can make all the difference in communication. Moreover, the skill to structure texts logically and cohesively is a fundamental aspect in English proficiency tests such as TOEFL and IELTS.

Development

Duration: (75 - 80 minutes)

The Development stage in the lesson plan is designed to allow students to practically and interactively apply the concepts of writing in English and textual coherence that they studied previously. By working in groups, students have the opportunity to discuss, argue, and collaborate, which not only solidifies individual learning but also promotes communication and teamwork skills. Each proposed activity aims to achieve the learning objectives in an engaging and contextualized way.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - Coherence Detectives

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop the ability to identify and correct errors of coherence and logic in English texts.

- Description: In this activity, students will become linguistic detectives who need to solve a 'crime of incoherence' in an English text. A short text containing deliberate errors in coherence and logic will be presented. Students must identify the errors, discuss them in groups, and propose corrections. Each group will present its findings and justifications to the class.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Distribute a copy of the text with errors to each group.

• Ask them to read the text and circle the errors they identify.

• Students must discuss in groups the errors and propose corrections.

• Each group presents their findings and corrections to the class, justifying their choice of changes.

Activity 2 - Story Builders

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Encourage creativity and the use of vocabulary in English to construct coherent texts.

- Description: Students, organized into groups, will receive cards with words and phrases in English. The challenge is to use these elements to build a coherent and creative story. Each group will present its story to the class, which will vote on the most creative and best use of vocabulary.

- Instructions:

• Organize students into groups of up to 5 people.

• Distribute a set of cards to each group. Each card contains a word or phrase in English.

• Students must use the cards to construct a coherent story.

• After building the story, each group presents its narrative to the class.

• The class votes on the most creative and well-structured story.

Activity 3 - Linguistic Journalists

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop writing skills in English and organizing information logically and coherently.

- Description: In this activity, students will act as journalists who need to write an article for a fictional newspaper. They will receive random information that must be organized logically and coherently into a written text in English. After writing, each group will present their article to the class.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Distribute the random information to each group. The information can be events, quotes, data, etc.

• Students must organize the information into a coherent article, using English.

• Each group presents its article to the class, which will provide feedback on the coherence and clarity of the text.

Feedback

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

This feedback stage is fundamental for consolidating student learning, allowing them to reflect on the strategies and methods used during the practical activities. By sharing their experiences, students can learn from each other, and the teacher can better evaluate the understanding and application of the concepts. Moreover, this discussion helps reinforce the importance of textual coherence and clear and logical writing in English.

Group Discussion

Facilitate a group discussion with all students to share their experiences and learnings from the activities. Start the discussion with a brief introduction, highlighting the importance of reflecting on the writing and correction process in English. Encourage students to particularly discuss the strategies they used to identify and correct coherence errors in the texts, and how these strategies can be applied in other writing situations.

Key Questions

1. What were the main challenges you faced in identifying and correcting coherence errors in the texts?

2. How did group collaboration help improve the understanding and correction of the texts?

3. In what ways can the activities performed be useful for better writing in English in the future?

Conclusion

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The conclusion stage serves to reinforce and synthesize the learnings from the lesson, ensuring that students have clarity about the concepts addressed and the skills developed. It is a moment for reflection on the applicability of the contents in real contexts and an opportunity for students to recognize the relevance of what they have learned. Additionally, this section helps consolidate the connection between theory and practice, preparing students to use these skills in their future writing practices in English.

Summary

Today's lesson focused on writing texts in English, emphasizing coherence and clarity. Students had the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in practical activities that simulated real writing situations. They were able to identify and correct coherence errors, build stories using specific vocabulary, and organize information for a journalistic article, thus promoting understanding and application of linguistic skills in various contexts.

Theory Connection

Today's lesson connected theory with practice through interactive activities that allowed students to experience applying the studied concepts. The activities were designed to simulate real situations where writing in English is essential, such as drafting invitations, stories, and articles. This provided a deeper understanding of theoretical concepts by applying them in practical and relevant contexts.

Closing

The importance of clear and coherent writing in English was highlighted throughout the lesson, not only as an academic skill but as an essential competence for effective communication in various social and professional contexts. The ability to express ideas in an organized and logical manner is crucial, and students were able to perceive how these skills are applicable in their daily lives.