Writing: Essay (lesson from Unit 3)

• English
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

Look closely! Can you see what today's picture is?

It's the ring pull on a can of drink.

Second Test Week

Write an FCE style Essay

You have 40 minutes to write an FCE essay. The text will be an essay and should be 140-190 words long. This will be graded as a 2-Test. You will need to write a plan before you start writing your essay, the plan needs to be handed in but is not graded.

Agenda

• Week 3: Use pages 44 and 45 to write an essay: 

Homework: Write the essay task in ex. 9 p.45

• Week 4: Check your essay in the class,

Look at tops and tips for writing an essay.

Homework: Write an essay assignment using Write and Improve

Week 5: Revise how to write an essay using the FCE booklet

Homework: Write a second essay assignment using Write and Improve

What kind of help can each of these people give each other? 

Teacher

Elderly person

Friend

Parent

lesson one

Look at the photo on page 44

Discuss the following questions

What is the woman doing?

What kind of help is she giving?

How does the girl feel? - How do you know?

How would you feel in the same situation? 

Look at exercise 2 on page 44

In Pairs: 

Read the task and  answer the following questions

Turn to page 146 for extra help

Possesion: 's / s' 

Singular possessive nouns  need and apostrophe..

Before the "s"

The teacher's desk is tidy.

The baby's mother is tired.

That's my friend's house.

regular plural possessive nouns need an apostrophe..

after the "s"

The dogs' bowl. (There are two dogs)

The teachers' desk. (There are lots of teachers)

both ..... and 

not only one person or thing but also the other.

example

Both Mrs Corrigan and Ms Penning are English teachers at our school.

neither ..... nor 

when something is not true about two things or people.

example

Neither Mrs Corrigan nor Ms Penning were born in the Netherlands!

either ..... or 

when there is a choice about two things, people or situations but only one is possible.

example

Either Mrs Corrigan or Ms Penning will help at the open day. 

Exercise 3 

Choose the correct option in questions 1-5 

example

Either Mrs Corrigan or Ms Penning will help at the open day. 

P.44 

Exercise 4

Read the essay task...Can you suggest a third point?? 

Work in pairs

Possible answers

1. health benefits

2. a better social life

3. why it is good for the community

P.45 

Exercise 5: Plenda - H/W

Read the essay ...Try to find out what points the writer makes about the ideas 1 and 2 from the task in exercise 4 and what third point was made?

Complete ex.5 before tomorrow's lesson

P.45 

Today's photo looks easy, doesn't it? But we want to know exactly where the bubbles are! Can you guess?

lesson 

two

They're the bubbles in a glass of fizzy cola with ice!

Exercise 5: Plenda - H/W

Read the essay ...Try to find out what points the writer makes about the ideas 1 and 2 from the task in exercise 4 and what third point was made?

Complete ex.5 before today's lesson

P.45 

Exercise 5: Point 1

For points 1 and 2 the writer mentions that teens and pensioners experience similar challenges. Both struggle to socialise and experience low self confidence and loneliness. Also, pensioners can help by being patient and understanding. 

Parents are often too busy to do so.

P.45 

Exercise 5: Point 2

Teens can motivate older people by introducing them to new experiences. 

P.45 

Exercise 6: Answers

A: This works and balances the argument. It is more cautious in summing up than in the essay in ex.5 - The writer uses "but" to express doubt. it could be a good alternative ending.

B. This disagrees with the statement. It doesn't work in this essay as the main part of the essay talks about how teens and pensioners learn from each other.

P.45 

Ex 6: The Conclusion

Why do we think a conclusion is an important part of an essay? 

• 
  

P.45 

NOW .....

Look at the different endings in A and B. In pairs, discuss the questions

Plan On 

The essay needs to be well organised and present a logical argument. So YOU MUST WRITE A PLAN

EXERCISE 7: Match the functions to the paragraphs

Ex 8 

Why are the highlighted items important? 

In Pairs: decide what function each word or phrase has: 

ie: Despite contrasts two different ideas

In pairs: 

1. Read the task

2. What could you say about each point? 

3. What can you add as your own idea? 

Brainstorming: 

Academic knowledge: It's important to have qualifications

it helps get a job but experience is also good; schools should help students get practical experience.

Money management: schools teach maths but actually saving and managing money is an important life skill.

Your own idea: schools could also teach careers advice, social skills or technology skills. 

Remember: Always make a plan!

1. introduction

2. first idea

3. second idea

4. third idea

5. conclusion

Tip: Spend 10 minutes making your plan before you start writing your essay

In the lesson and finish for h/w

Write your essay using your notes or ideas from ex. 9

Finish for homework and bring to TUESDAY'S LESSON, where we will compare them in class

Plenda

English Online: Use the link in Somtoday

lesson three

English Online: 

1.Cameras on and sound off.

2.Use the hand symbol if you want to ask a question or make a comment. 

Re-cap

Is an essay formal or informal?

How many words?

How many paragraphs? 

What should you do before you start writing? 

Go to your Google Classroom

Code for A2Y FCE

mbfs6fp

Take five minutes to use the form in Google Classroom to check your essay

Grading for FCE (and the test week)

Your teacher gives you a grade for your essay based on 4 things:

Content - Did you write what you were asked to write?

Communicative achievement - Was your writing too formal, too informal, or just right?

Organisation - Did you link paragraphs and sentences? Is there a logical flow from start to finish?

Language - Did you show off your sparkling vocabulary or did you use basic words? Did you make lots of grammar and spelling mistakes?

Now....

Take a screenshot of your essay and load it up to Google Classroom.

We will take a look at 

Write and Improve

Homework: PLENDA

BEFORE NEXT TUESDAY: write a second essay using Write and improve.