HOW TO TEACH LETTER WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH EFFECTIVELY AT HIGH SCHOOLS

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRANING THANH HOA ETHNIC BOARDING HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE HOW TO TEACH LETTER WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH EFFECTIVELY AT HIGH SCHOOLS The author: Nguyễn Thị Bích Thủy Job position: Teacher Experience initiative about: English TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS A INTRODUCTION I REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC II PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH III SCOPE AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY B MAIN CONTENT I THEORETICAL BACKGROUND “What is a letter?” Types of letters: 2.2 Formal letter: Format of a letter: .4 Some different types of formal letters and informal letters: 4.1 Letters of complaint: .6 4.2 Letters of request: 4.3 Letters of applicaion: 4.4 Letters giving information and asking for information: .9 4.5 Letter of invitation: .10 4.6 Confirmation letter: .11 4.7 Thanks letter: .12 4.8 Letters of recommendation: 12 II PRACTICAL BACKGROUND 14 III SOLUTIONS AND METHODS FOR IMPLEMENTATION 14 Solutions: .14 Methods of implementation: 14 2.1 Participants 14 2.2 Data collection procedure 15 2.3 Data analysis .15 Some demonstrations in teaching writing types of letters in English 15 C RESULT AFTER APPLYING THE RESEARCH 20 D CONCLUSION AND PETITION 21 II PETITION: 21 About the teachers: 22 About the schools 22 About Department Education and Training: 22 A INTRODUCTION I REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC Knowing how to write a letter, whether it is formal or informal, is an essential skill Despite the prevalence of emails and text messages, everyone has to write at some point Letters of complaint, job applications, thank you letters, letters requesting or making suggestions- the list goes on and on Encouraging students to write, especially write types of letter in English will improve their communication, social and handwriting skills and teach them what they need to know about writing and structuring letters To acquire good letter writing skill, students must have vocabulary, useful languages; understand the grammatical structure and have information on the proper formats of letters Although letter writing is an important skill, many students at high school are not interested in it To them, learning letter writing skill means inevitable failure Good writing is something they believe they will never be able to achieve, because they not know how to write and use reasonable structures… They often get low marks when doing the tests on letter writing skill and it affects their learning’s result Therefore, I choose this topic to help students understand how to write types of letter as well as improve the effectiveness of teaching activity II PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH From the fact above, I am constantly researching, learning and implementing teaching methods to find out how to teach writing skills, especially letter writing skill effectively such as: - Helping students understand how to write some types of letter - Helping students know how to use the sructure in each part of the letter - Helping students not only love writing skills more and conquer the psychological fear when facing writing tasks but also apply letter writing skill in their daily lives III SCOPE AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY *) Scope: Researching in the process of teaching English at Thanh Hoa Ethnic Boarding High School *) Research methodology: making survey, reading reference books, applying in teaching, observing and drawing out experiences, information on the Internet… B MAIN CONTENT I THEORETICAL BACKGROUND As this lesson focuses on how to improve letter writing skill, it’s necessary to understand the concept of “letter” as well as types of letter “What is a letter?” Letter is such a written message that we send to a single person or a group of people who are far away from us and we want to convey our message to them in a clear and forceful manner Although in recent times, communication has become much easier with the help of phones, computers and faster travel options, it is important to learn the art of letter-writing This art is still required where there is need of formal communication Sometimes we have to send an application in the school for grant of leave and at other time we have to complain about someone Same way we get a lot of chances where we have to send formal letter Thus this art of letter writing is no more an ornamental accomplishment but something that every educated person must acquire for practical purposes Types of letters: Letters can be classified into many kinds on the basis of their purpose Letters can be informal or formal 2.1 Informal letter: - An informal letter is usually addressed to family members, relatives, friends, or people we know personally - It is usually written in an easy and friendly manner Sample: October, 2029 Dear Mark, I received a new romote controlled car for my birthday I hope you can come over to see it I really like it but it stopped working yesterday I hope we can repair it soon and get it started again Your friend, John 2.2 Formal letter: A formal letter is usually addressed to people we don’t know very well, people we haven’t met, or people who are in authority - Is usually written to give information, express a concern, make a request or complain - It uses a polite and more formal style than a personal letter Sample: 5th, May, 2019 Dear Sir, I am writing about the new car I bought from your toy store last week It has not been working since the second day after buying it I read the manual instructions carefully and also tried replacing the batteries However, it still does not work I would need your help in getting the car repaired or replaced Yours sincerely, Mai Format of a letter: A letter format consists of the following parts: the heading The salutation/ greeting the body the subcription/closing the signature +) The heading: - The heading is usually written in the upper right-hand corner of the page - It contains the address of the sender and the date on which the sender is writing the letter - The address can extend to two or more lines - The date can be written in full or only using number when writing a formal letter, whereas when writing an informal letter to a person you know very well, and who knows your address, the address can be omitted Example: December 1, 2019, December 2019, 1.12.2019 Do not use a full stop or comma at the end of the address and date Example of heading: 45 Minto Road New Delhi, 12453 25 October, 2020 +) The salutation/ greeting: The salutation or greeting is written on the left-hand side after leaving a few lines below the heading - It usually begins with the word “ Dear” followed by the name of the reciever or the person being written to - A comma is used after the greeting - The form of greeting depends upon the type of letter and the receiver of the letter Examples of Salutations: Personal letter: Formal letter: Dear Suzi, Dear Mrs Raut Dear Mummy, Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Aunt Anna To whom it may concern, +) The body/ message: - The body or message of the letter comes in the next line after the salutation - The body contains the introduction, the purpose and more details of the message the writer wishes to send - It can be divided into paragraphs when a lot of information needs to be conveyed - The first word begins with a capital letter and is written away from the margin and below the name of the receiver +) The subcription/ closing: - The subcription or closing is written after the body - The subcription contains the closing phrase to indicate a polite way of ending the letter - It is written in the lower right-hand side of the page - The first word of the subcrition begins with a capital letter - A comma is used after the closing Example of subcriptions: Personal letter: Formal letter: Yours lovingly, Yours sincerely, With love, Yours faithfully, Your friend, Best wishes +) The signature:The signature ends the letter - The signature refers to the name of the sender or the person writing the letter - In informal letters, the signature may contain only the first name of the sender - In formal letters, the signature contains the title, name and the surname of the sender - The signature comes below the subcription *) The style used in writing formal letters should be direct, clear and polite Abbreviations and conversational English must be generally avoided Some different types of formal letters and informal letters: 4.1 Letters of complaint: - A letter of complaint usually includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph - reason for writing Part 2: Main Body: paragraphs 2-3 - complaint(s) and justification Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - suggested action to be taken, closing remarks, full name - Letter of complaint is normally written in a formal style - Letters should start with an appropriate greeting (e.g Dear Sir, Dear Brown, etc) - Mild or strong language can be used depending on the feelings of the writer or the seriousness of the complaint, but abusive language must never be used - You should state the reason for the complaint in the first paragraph - Start a new paragraph for each different aspect of the topic - Any complaints you make should be supported with a justification - Complaints and justification can be linked with appropriate linking words and phrases Useful language for letters of complaint Opening Remarks: - I am writing to complain about/regarding/on account of/because of/on the subject of - I am writing to draw your attention to - I am writing in connection with - I am writing to express my strong dissatisfaction with - I am afraid to say I have numbers of complaints about - I am sorry to say that I was very disappointed with - I was appalled at - I feel I must protest/complain about Useful phrases: - We ought to discuss the matter - To make matters worse - I was very disappointed to find that - I would be grateful if you could - I should have been informed that - The first problem was Another problem was The most visible problem - I hope you will understand that I was very dissatisfied - I believe you can appreciate how disappointed I was when Linking words: - Even though, however, furthermore, firstly, finally etc Closing Remarks: - I would like to hear your explanation for the above problems - I would therefore be grateful if you could give me a full refund - I would like a full refund as soon as possible - I would like to have all or part of my money refunded - I am not satisfied with - I hope/assume you will replace - I trust the situation will improve - I hope the matter will be resolved - I hope we can sort this matter out amicably - I look forward to hearing from you in your earliest convenience to offer me a complete refund - I feel I am entitled to a partial refund in addition to an apology for the inconvenience caused - I insist you replace the item at once - I demand a full refund - I hope that I will not be forced to take further action - I look forward to hearing your early reply - I look forward to receiving a prompt reply 4.2 Letters of request: - Request letter is a letter which is written when you need certain information, permission, favour, service or any other matter which requires a polite and humble request - Request letter can be formal or informal in writing - A letter of request usually includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph - reason for writing, thanking Part 2: Main Body: paragraphs 2-3 - describe our problem/ask for help Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - closing remarks, full name Useful language for letters of request: Opening remarks: Formal - I am writing to inquire about/in connection with Informal - I want you to tell me - Can you let me know To introduce first request: Formal - Could you possibly send - I would be grateful if you could - Would it be possible for you to tell/send me - I would appreciate some information about Informal - Can you send/tell me - I want to know To introduce further request: Formal - Could you also please send me - Another matter I need information on is - I would also like some information on Informal - Can you also find out - I also want to know Closing Remarks: Formal - I look forward to receiving - I would appreciate it if you could inform me as soon as possible Informal - Please, let me know - Send me the details - Tell me soon 4.3 Letters of applicaion: - A letter of application is written when applying for a job or a place on an educational course - It is important to include only the information that is relevant, and to use a suitable style, formal or semi-formal - A letter of request usually includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph - reason for writing (the name of the job/course you are applying for and where you saw it advertised) Part 2: Main Body: paragraphs 2-3 -qualifications/training - previous experience/ qualities and skills; or reasons for wanting to take the course if you write a letter of application for a course Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - closing remarks, full name Useful language for letters of application (for a job) Opening Remarks: - I am writing to apply for the post/job/position of/which I saw advertised in - I am writing with regard to your advertisement - I am writing in response to your advertisement Reference to experience: - for the last/past year I have been working as since/for - I have had experience of - Two years ago I was employed as - I worked as before Closing Remarks: - I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience - Please contact me regarding any queries you may have - I enclose my CV and I would be glad to attend an interview at any time convenient to you - If you wish me to attend an interview, I am available at any time - I look forward to hearing from you in due course Useful language for letters of application (for a course) Opening Remarks: - I would like to apply for admission to the beginning - I would like to be considered for Reference to experience: - I hold a certificate/degree in - I am due to take examinations in - I have taken/passed the examination Closing Remarks: - I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience - I look forward to meeting/hearing from you - Please contact me regarding any queries you may have - I enclose further details of my education and qualifications to date - I hope that you will consider me for entry 4.4 Letters giving information and asking for information: Useful expression for letters giving information Opening Remarks: Formal - I am writing in reply to your letter asking for information about - I am writing to inform you about - In reply to your query Informal - This is what I found out - Remember the information you wanted - You wanted me to tell you a few things about Closing Remarks: Formal - I hope that I have been of some assistance to you - Please inform me if I can be of any further assistance - I hope I have answered some of your questions - Please not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information Informal - I hope this will help you - Let me know if you need any more help Letters asking for information: - A letter asking for information usually includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph - reason for writing Part 2: Main Body: paragraphs 2-3 - describe our problem/ask for detaided information( about time of coming, length of staying, price…) Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - closing remarks- ask for a reply, full name Useful phrases: Opening Remarks: - With reference to your advertisement in - I am writing to ask for more information about - I would be grateful if you could tell me - Could you also give me some more information about Closing Remarks: - please send me the details… - I look forward to hearing from you 4.5 Letter of invitation: a Letter of invitation: - Letters of invitation can be formal or informal depending on the situation and who we are writing to They usually contain some additional information, for example: latest news, description of the event (party, wedding, etc.) place (hotel, house, etc.) and/or directions to the place - A letter asking for information usually includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph - reason for writing (to invite) Part 2: Main Body: paragraphs 2-3 – details/ directions Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - closing remarks , full name Useful Language for Letters of Invitation: Opening Remarks: Formal - We would be honoured if you - I cordially invite you to - Your presence would be appreciated at - You are invited to attend Informal - I'm writing to invite you to - I'd love it if you could come to - We're organising a and would love it if you could come Closing Remarks: Formal - We would be grateful if you could - Please indicate whether you will be able to attend Informal - I hope you'll be able to make it - Hope you can come - Looking forward to seeing you then - Please let me know as soon as possible Directions can be introduced by using some of the following expressions: - In case you don't know the way - I'll give you some directions - I have included some directions - Here are a few directions so you don't get lost - In case you not know the exact of the 10 b Accepting an invitation: includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph – thank for invitation Part 2: Main Body: paragraphs 2-3 – acceptance of invitation, further comments Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - closing remarks , full name Useful language for letters accepting an invitation: Opening Remarks: Formal: - I am writing to thank you for the kind invitation - Thank you for the kind invitation which I would be honoured to accept - Thank you a lot It would be my pleasure Informal: Thanks for the invitation to , sounds lovely Yes, I’d love to join you Closing Remarks: Formal: - I look forward to seeing you - We wait the event with great anticipation Informal: - See you then - We're really looking forward to it c Refusing an invitation: includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph – thank for invitation Part 2: Main Body: paragraphs 2-3 – refusal of invitation, giving reasons Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - closing remarks , full name Useful language for letters refusing an invitation: Opening Remarks: Formal: We thank you for your recent invitation to but I wish I could but Iam busy I am terribly sorry to have to refuse Informal: - Thank for the invitation, but - Thanks for inviting me to , but I'm afraid I can't come - I’d love to but… Closing Remarks: Formal: - I am sorry to miss the opportunity of - Thank you again for the invitation - I hope we will have the opportunity to meet Informal: - I hope we can get together some other time - I'm really sorry we'll have to miss it 4.6 Confirmation letter: - Confirmation letter is a letter written to confirm various informal and 11 formal activities A number of such activities pertain to appointments, conferences, events, meetings, travel… - Most confirmation letters are formal letters but sometimes they may have informal tone owing to familiarisation of the sender and the receiver - A letter of confirmation usually includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph - reason for writing (expressing interest/ repeating the request) Part 2: Main Body: paragraphs 2-3 – confirm the request Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - closing remarks , full name Useful language for confirmation letters: Opening Remarks: - I am writing to confirm - I would like to confirm what we discussed … - I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed Closing Remarks: - I look forward to our meeting on the 7th of October - We look forward to hearing from you 4.7 Thanks letter: - Thanks letter is a type of letter which is used when a person or an organisation wishes a gesture of appreciation for a good deed, the good conduct of a work, activity etc It is also used to acknowledge a favour, a gift or any activity which deserves gratitude It is also known as ‘Letter of Thanks and sometimes referred as ‘Letter of Gratitude’ - Letters of invitation can be formal or informal depending on the situation and who we are writing to - This type of letter usually includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph - reason for writing Part 2: Main Body: paragraphs 2-3- brief description of assistance, help, gift…, explain the importance of assistance, help Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - closing remarks, full name Useful language for confirmation letters: Formal: - No words can express my gratitude - I very much appreciate your ing - I am most grateful - We would like to express our gratitude Informal: - Thanks - Cheers - Thank you very much - How thoughtful - You shouldn't have 4.8 Letters of recommendation: - In this letter you are requested to express your opinion on a certain matter and also to provide suggestions supported by expected results 12 - This type of letter usually includes parts: Part 1: Introduction: paragraph - reason for writing Part 2: Main Body:paragraphs 2-3 – give opinion; make suggestions/ rcommendations and comment on the expected results Part 3: Conclusion: final paragraph - closing remarks, full name Useful language for recommendation letters: Opening Remarks: - I am writing to commend you to ……… - I would suggest + Ving - May I suggest that you… - Another suggestion would be to… - I would venture to suggest… Closing Remarks: - You would success in… - Let me know how it went… *) Linking words and phrases should be uesd when writing In my opinion, / In my view, / To my mind, / To my way of thinking, / Personally I believe that / It strikes me that / I feel very strongly Personal opinion: that / I am inclined to believe that / It seems to me that / As far as I am concerned, / I think that Firstly, / First of all, / In the first place, / Secondly, / To list points: Thirdly, / Finally, / To start with, BEGINNING- First, / To start with, / To begin with, / First of all, To list points in a CONTINUING- Secondly, / After this/that, / specific sequence: Afterwards, / Then, / Next, CONCLUDING- Finally, / Lastly, / Last but not least, What is more, / Furthermore, / Apart from this/that, / To add more In addition ( to this), / points on the Moreover, / Besides (this), / not to mention the fact same topic: Not only … but … as well because / owing to the fact that / due to the fact that / on the grounds that / since / as To express cause: In view of / Because of / Owing to / for this reason / Seeing that / now that thus, / therefore, / so / consequently, / as a result, / as To express effect: a consequence, / for this reason To emphasise Clearly, / Obviously, / Of course, / Needless to say, what you say: To express reality: It is a fact that / In effect, / In fact, / As a matter of fact, / The fact of the matter is ( that ) / Actually, / In practice, / Indeed, / To tell you the 13 To give examples: To make contrasting points: To express balance (the other side of the argument): To clarify / rephrase: truth For instance, / For example / particularly / in particular, / especially yet / however / nevertheless, / but / at the same time / even so, / still, / nonetheless/ Although / Even though / Regardless of the fact that / Despite the fact that / In spite the fact that / While however, / but / on the other hand / Although / yet, / at the same time, / in contrast In other words, / That is to say, / To put in another way II PRACTICAL BACKGROUND For Vietnamese students, writing including letter writing is one of the most important skills in studying English beacaue not only is writing an academic skill, but it is aslo practical in school or even when they finish school However, many students at high school are not aware of the importance of letter writing skill and the number of high school students is successful in learning this skill is too small In addition, there was a tendency among Engish teachers in high schools to ignore teaching letter writing Teachers provided students with less opportunity to practice writing In other word, the English teachers in general were more concentrate on teaching skills such as reading and listening , and language components such as vocabulary and grammar III SOLUTIONS AND METHODS FOR IMPLEMENTATION Solutions: - Teacher should help students to improve their letter writing skills in English Started by thinking of a theme to write or they could start writing emails to their friends in English; participate in “ the writing letters in English” This may be difficult at first but the more they continue, the easier they will become excited about learning it - Teacher should give students writing homework to It is really important that they these homework as teacher knows their level of English nad will be able to give students good advice on which parts of writing they need to improve most ( e.g vocabulary, spelling, grammar, letter formats…) - Teacher should be interested in teaching letter writing, because their suggestion instead that paying attention to what students say will show an improvement in writing Methods of implementation: 2.1 Participants Students of Class 10E and Class 12E at Thanh Hoa Ethnic Boarding High School were invited to take part in The research lasted for five months The 14 research took place in the academic year 2019- 2020 It was conducted in order to offer the student participants a lot of opportunities to practice more in the letter writing skills 2.2 Data collection procedure - Four ninety-minute lessons will be taught during the treatment period, probably starting in Octorber, 2019 The students were taught at sometime outside their normal curriculum time - After the teaching treatment, I asked students to write a letter, and then I collected five writing samples from the same students whose writings were collected previously 2.3 Data analysis I planned to analyze the data in order to answer the two questions: What problems my students encounter when they write types of letter? Can students improve the quality of their writings after learning how to write types of letter ? Based on the students existing writing samples, I found the answers for the first and second questions The same thing is done with the writing samples collected after the teaching sessions, and based on that, I would assess the quality of each student’s letter writing after teaching sessions as well as the general quality of all the student’s writing The results of the research indicated that learners write better when they are made aware of the providing models and form of letters Some demonstrations in teaching writing types of letters in English Model 1: Sample for writing a letter of acceptance or refusal ( grade 10 ) UNIT 10 CONSERVATION (WRITING AN INFORMAL LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE OR REFUSAL) I Objectives: - To develop sts’ writing skills: Students can write a letter of acceptance or refusal -Sts know some more structures to write a letter of acceptance or refusal II Lexical items: - Language used to write a letter of acceptance or refusal - Structures: "Yes, I’d love/like to ","Yes, that’s a good idea .”, “ I’d love to, but ” etc III Language focus & skills: - Writing & integrated skills - Structures: "Yes, I’d love/like to ","Yes, that’s a good idea .”, “ I’d love to, but ” etc IV Teaching aids: textbook, pictures, handouts… V Procedure: Teacher's activities Students' activities Homework checking : (5’) - Ask one st to talk about the special features of 15 Cuc Phuong National Park - Ask other sts to listen to their friend and give remarks - Check and give remarks Pre- writing: (15’) - Aims: to get sts to read the expressions in the table and to task and task Activity 1: - Introduce the topic of the lesson: Write a letter of acceptance or refusal - Introduce some new words: + a'cceptance (n): the noun of "accept" +re'fusal (n) : the noun of " refuse" + dec'line (v) : refuse sth offered ( politely) - Ask sts to listen and repeat and then copy down these words into their notebooks - Ask sts to read the expressions in the table in minutes - Remind sts of three invitation letters that they have already read in Unit 10 and ask them to work in pairs to complete three reply letters by using the expressions in the table - Ask sts to in minutes and move around to help if necessary - Get feedback and give remarks Activity 2: - Remind sts of the letter Nam wrote to Lam to invite Lam to spend a weekend with him And now Lam write a letter accepting Nam's invitation - Ask sts to work in pairs to rearrange the sentences into a letter - Move round to help if necessary - Get feedback and give remarks While - writing: (15’) - Aims: Sts practise writing a letter of acceptance or refusal - Ask sts to read the requirement of task - Ask them to write a letter accepting or declining his/her friend's invitation - Ask them to pay attention to the structure of a letter: greeting, organisation ( introduction, body ) - Listen to their friend and give remarks - Listen to the teacher - Listen to the teacher carefully - Copy down the words into theit notebooks - Do the task in pairs - Share their answer with their friends - Present their ideas Accepting: Yes, I'd like/love to Refusing: I'm afraid I can't come because Accepting: I'd be delighted to - Listen to the teacher - Listen to the teacher - Work in pairs to rearrange the sentences into a letter - Present their ideas: 1.d e c a f b - Listen to the teacher - Read the requirement - listen to the teacher’s 16 +)Suggestion: -The format of a letter: greeting, organization introduction, body, conclusion), ending -Give the reason why accepting or refusing the Invitation - give Ss some useful language for letters accepting an invitation: Opening Remarks: - Thanks for the invitation to , sounds lovely - Yes, I’d love to join you Closing Remarks: - See you then - We're really looking forward to it - give Ss some useful language for letters refusing an invitation: Opening Remarks: - Thank for the invitation, but - Thanks for inviting me to , but I'm afraid I can't come - I’d love to but… Closing Remarks: - I hope we can get together some other time - I'm really sorry we'll have to miss it - Let sts write in 13 minutes - Move around to conduct the activity Post - writing: (8’) Aims: to get feedback and check sts' work - Get feedback by asking some sts to read their work aloud - Ask some other sts to give remarks - Check and give the correct answer - If there is enough time, T can have sts exchange their writing among sts within a group so that they can check their friend's work and give remarks Homework: - Part D (page 68- workbook) instruction and write down their notebooks - Do the writing task - listen to the teacher - give remarks and listen to -listen carefully and take note Read their writing: ( a sample paragraph) Model 2: Sample for letter writing ( Grade 12 ) UNIT 6.FUTURE JOBS (WRITING A FORMAL LETTER OF JOB APPLICATION) I Objectives: Knowledge: - General knowledge: Students will be able to write a formal letter of job application - Language 17 - New words: Words relating to job application Educational aim: Students learn how to understand a formal letter Skills : Write a formal letter of job application II METHOD: Integrated, mainly communicative III TEACHING AIDS: textbook, hand outs, pictures… IV.PROCEDURE: Teacher’s activities Students’activities Warm-up :(3 mins) Guessing game: Who am I? - play game -give sts some clues and ask them to guess - listen to the teacher’s individually instructions carefully +I am a sociable and confident person - work individually and guess + I have a challenging and fascinating job + I work with many kinds of people + I am good at speaking English + I have chances to travel everywhere and meet many people +I have chances to tell foreign people our country’s traditions + I can get high salary - understand the aim of the -get feedback: A tourirst guide lesson - lead Ss to the new lesson: “Writing a formal - the new lesson: “Writing a letter of job application” formal letter of job Pre-writing: (8 minutes) application” Activity 1: Read the advertisement and fill in the notes - Teacher introduces the task: English-speaking Tour Guides Wanted - listen to carefully We are a travel company managing holiday - work in pairs Read the tours We need English-speaking local following advertisement and guides to accompany foreign visitors on fill in the note trips throughout Vietnam If you have a high school diploma, have experience as a Answers: tour guide, a good manner, speak fluent Tour guide English and are willing to work hard for high school diploma long hours, please contact: The Manager, experience as a tour Vinatour, and 450 Nguyen Du Street, Hanoi guide, fluent English Telephone No: 04 824 0139 a good manner, willing • Type of job: ………………… to work hard for long hours • Level of education needed: …………… • Work experience: …………………… - listen to carefully • Character and interests: ………………… - guide Ss to fill in the notes - read out the letter - walk round the class to give Ss assistance - check 18 - call a student to read out the letter - give comments Activity 2: Make an outline ( 8’) - ask sts to write an outline of a letter of job application - Ask Ss to base on the information in task in book Sender’s name, address date Name of the company, address + Greeting Dear Sir/Madam, Introduction: - where you saw the advertisement - reason ofwriting the letter Body: - your education,work experience, your character/ interest Conclusion: - your willingness to work for the company - when you are available for interview While-writing: (19 minutes) - Teacher introduces the task: Task Write a letter to Vinatour, applying for the job mentioned in the advertisement in Task Your letter should include the following details - Give out some clues for Ss to write: Some useful languages: Introduction: - I am interested in the job of… - I am writing in reply/response to your advertisement in Sai Gon Times… - I am writing to apply for… - I should like to make an application for the position of… - I saw your advertisement in the… and I would like to apply for the job of… Body: - I enclose a full curriculum virtae As you can see, I have had considerable experience as an… - I think I meet all the qualifications that you specify - I am a .person - I am willing to I get on well with Conclusion: - study the task carefully work in pairs to give outlines - listen to the teacher’s instruction - base on the outline write a letter to Vinatour, applying for the job mentioned in the advertisement in Task - write down their notebooks 19 - If you feel that my qualifications meet with your requirements, I shall be pleased to come for an interview… - If you consider that my qualifications and experience are suitable, I should be available for interview at any time - Ask Ss to write - Call on some Ss to read out their writing in front of the class - Ask Ss to exchange their writings for peer correction - Correct mistakes Suggested answer Post- writing: (5 minutes) - Ask Ss to read the letter again - Give remarks on the writing - exchange their writing for peer correction Homework: (2 minutes) - read out the letter - Rewrite the letter at home - correct mistakes - Prepare the section E (The Language focus - Rewrite the letter at home part of Unit 6) - Prepare the section E (The Language focus part of Unit 6) C RESULT AFTER APPLYING THE RESEARCH After applying this research in teaching writing English at Thanh Hoa Ethnic Boarding High School I have got some results coming up to my expectation Generally, students aret confused about the types of letters, know how to use interesting structures, connectors, useful languages Moreover after learning writing types of letters in English, students can write better and they feel more excited when learning writing skill in general and letter writing skill in particular I considered two writings of my students, I found that they could correct some errors they made when writing The format of letters were wellorganized with coherence and clarity They used and controlled of grammatical structures better Below are two writings of two students: WRITING 1: ( After learning how to write an informal letter of acceptance/ refusal) "Dear Mai, It's lovely to hear that you are going for a picnic to Cuc Phuong National Park next weekend Thank you for inviting me to join you but I'm afraid I can't come My English friend, Maria, is coming to Vietnam next weekend and I have promised to cook her some of our traditional dishes on Saturday morning After that, I'm going to take her to some famous places in Hai Duong 20 I hope that you will have a wonderful day in Cuc Phuong Remember to show me the photos you take in Cuc Phuong whem you get home Your friend, Mai Phuong WRITING 2: ( After learning how to write an formal letter of application) Flat 3,324,Hoang QuocViet Street, Hanoi 18, October, 2019 Hanoi Vinatour 360, Nguyen Du Street, Hanoi Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing in reply to your advertisement in the Vietnam News for experienced English-speaking local guides to accompany foreign visitors on trips throughout Vietnam I think I meet all of the qualifications that you specify I was awarded High School Certificate two years ago After leaving high school, I worked as an accountant in a small travel agency for one year, where I was given a training course on tourism Then I had one year of experience as a tour guide so I know many tourist areas in Vietnam arid have a basic knowledge of Vietnamese culture, history and geography I speak English fluently In addition, I am a sociable and confident person and can work hard for long hours I would like to work for you and would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this position with you in person I am looking forward to hearing from you at your convenience Yours faithfully, Nguyen thi Lan D CONCLUSION AND PETITION I CONCLUSION: Above is some experience on how to write several types of letter in English for high school students that I have learnt, researched and apply each year on teaching my students I find that when learning to write any types of letter, students can identify all the essential parts of a formal or informal letter more easily Once students have become familiar with letter formats, they are prompted to write their own letters From that, the studying results of the students have become better and they are more interested in learning writing skill However, the above is just some of the small tasks in the process of teaching writing skills and during the time doing this study, I cannot avoid some limitations Anyway, I hope this study may provide students with suitable ways of learning, and then help them obtain the improvement of letter writing and get more interested in learning writing skill as well II PETITION: 21 About the teachers: - Prepare elaborate lessons; clear instructions, the kinds of exercise that are suitable for all students - Need to check and evaluate the results of students’ writings in a scientific and exact way - Create an atmosphere of comfort, sincerity in class to make students keen on the subject About the schools - Invest more reference books about writing skill - Create a useful playground for learning English such as hold “the letter writing competition in English”… About Department Education and Training: - Hold training courses on teaching writing skills for teachers regularly XÁC NHẬN CỦA THỦ TRƯỞNG ĐƠN VỊ Thanh Hóa , Ngày 10 tháng năm 2021 Tôi xin cam đoan sáng kiến kinh nghiệm viết, khơng chép nội dung người khác Người viết Nguyễn Thị Bích Thủy 22 D REFERENCES Rivers, W (1968) Teaching Foreign Language Skills Chicago University of Chicago Press Davies, P., & Pearse, E (2000) Success in English Teaching Oxford University Press Nunan, D (1991) Language Teaching Method A Textbook for Teachers Prentice Hall International Press Virginia Evans (1998) Successful writing Proficiency Express Publishing English textbook 10, 11, 12 Nhà XBGD Việt Nam 23 ... students to improve their letter writing skills in English Started by thinking of a theme to write or they could start writing emails to their friends in English; participate in “ the writing letters... grammar, letter formats…) - Teacher should be interested in teaching letter writing, because their suggestion instead that paying attention to what students say will show an improvement in writing. .. asking for information: Useful expression for letters giving information Opening Remarks: Formal - I am writing in reply to your letter asking for information about - I am writing to inform you