Giáo án Writing

Ss activate prior knowledge about environmental problems at school and get ready to read a model paragraph suggesting solutions.

Ss look at the board, which shows the question: What environmental problems do we see at our school? Ss work in pairs, discuss and list problems they have noticed. Vocabulary to use: litter, reduce, recycle, household appliance, reusable.

Each pair writes at least three problems on a small sheet. Expected answers:

• Litter is left on the schoolyard after break.
• Lights and fans are still on when classrooms are empty.
• Paper is thrown away after only one side is used.
• Plastic bottles are thrown away instead of being reused.

Ss identify the structure and the features of a coherent paragraph suggesting solutions, including the opening, specific supporting details, a limit and the closing.

Ss read the model paragraph on the board: Our school can improve its environment without buying expensive equipment. First, each class should choose an energy monitor... Small changes are more convincing when we can explain and check them.
In pairs, Ss complete Worksheet 1 by answering these questions:

• What is the purpose of the paragraph?
• Who is the intended audience?
• What is the opening sentence?
• Which detail is specific, and why is it better than saying only that the topic is important?
• What limit or condition does the writer mention?
• How does the closing sentence end the paragraph?

Expected answers on Worksheet 1:

• Purpose: to suggest practical ways to improve the school environment.
• Audience: the school community, including students and teachers.
• Opening sentence: Our school can improve its environment without buying expensive equipment. It introduces the subject before the supporting details.
• Specific detail: each class should choose an energy monitor to check lights and fans when everyone leaves. It is concrete and can be checked.
• Limit: The comparison would not measure our entire carbon footprint, but it would show whether our actions reduce a specific kind of waste.
• Closing: Small changes are more convincing when we can explain and check them. It leaves the audience with the final implication.
  Key takeaway: A good paragraph has an opening, specific supporting details, a clear limit and a closing sentence that all serve one message.

Ss recognise the difference between will and be going to, form passive sentences keeping the same tense in be, and pronounce consonant blends accurately.

T presents the language:

• will + base verb: a decision made now or a prediction (e.g., A teacher will help us record waste.)
• be going to + base verb: a prior intention or a prediction based on present evidence (e.g., The class is going to start a recycling box.)
• Passive: People collect paper → Paper is collected. Will collect → will be collected.
  Pronunciation: T models and drills clean, plates, green, grass, practical, protect, playground. Ss release /k/ into /l/ and keep /p/ before /l/ and /r/.
  Ss complete Worksheet 2 individually, then check with a partner.

Worksheet 2 answer key:

1. We will reduce disposable waste. → Disposable waste will be reduced.
2. Students are going to sort the paper. → The paper is going to be sorted.
3. The teacher will record the waste. → The waste will be recorded.
4. Someone is going to refill the stations. → The stations are going to be refilled.
   Key takeaway: will and be going to use the same base verb form; in the passive, the object becomes the subject and be keeps the original tense. The agent with by is omitted when unimportant.

Ss practise identifying the opening sentence, summarising the model accurately and explaining the role of a sentence in the paragraph.

Ss work in pairs to do three tasks from the textbook:
Task A (Exercise 3): Explain how the opening introduces the topic and identify the actual opening sentence.
Task B (Exercise 5): Write a three-sentence summary using only information in the model, keeping any essential condition or limit.
Task C (Exercise 6): Choose one sentence from the middle of the model and explain what it contributes to the message. Use: Students can use this paper for rough work before recycling it.
Each pair writes its answers on a mini whiteboard or sheet of paper.

Expected answers:
Task A: The opening sentence is Our school can improve its environment without buying expensive equipment. It establishes the subject of the paragraph before the supporting details, so the audience knows what they refer to.
Task B: Model summary: Our school can improve its environment without buying expensive equipment. First, each class should choose an energy monitor to check lights and fans when everyone leaves. Small changes are more convincing when we can explain and check them.
Task C: The sentence Students can use this paper for rough work before recycling it supplies a particular detail about reducing paper waste. It develops the opening by giving a concrete example rather than repeating the topic.

Ss create a short paragraph suggesting ways to improve the school environment, with a coherent message, specific support and an appropriate register for the school community.

Ss write a short paragraph (five to seven sentences) suggesting two or three ways to improve the environment at their school without expensive equipment. Their paragraph must include:

• an opening sentence stating the topic
• at least two specific supporting details (use First, Second, Finally)
• one limit or condition
• one sentence using will or be going to
• one passive sentence
• a closing sentence
  Ss check their draft with the checklist and exchange paragraphs with a partner for peer feedback.

Each S produces a draft paragraph that follows the checklist. Example of an acceptable plan: Our school can reduce litter without buying new bins. First, each class is going to choose a monitor who checks the schoolyard after break. Second, paper will be collected in a labelled box. The campaign would not remove all litter, but it would show whether students change their habits. Small actions are more convincing when we can check them. Proposed actions and any data must be labelled as proposals, not results.