7/30/2019 Letter to the Editor Teacher Notes

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Activity 5.1

Language Focus: Expressing opinions.Skills Focus: Reading and Speaking

Time (approx): 10 minutes

Preparation: Photocopy Worksheet 5 for each pair of students.

Procedure

Write the words optimistand pessimiston the board and ask your students to explain both, giving examples.

Now ask your students to get into pairs and hand out a copy of Worksheet 5 to each pair.

Ask your students to read the two letters on the worksheet and discuss with their partner which letter writer is an

optimist (Mr D. Wilkins) and which one is a pessimist (Mrs S. Watts).

Put your students into larger groups, and ask them to discuss which letter they agree with, and why.

Monitor, noting any recurrent mistakes to be addressed later. After five minutes or so, open out into a class discussion.

Activity 5.2Language Focus: Expressing opinions.

Skills Focus: Speaking

Time (approx): 15 minutes

Preparation: Photocopy Worksheet 3 for each group of students.

Procedure Tell your students to look at the list of five topics in the middle part of Worksheet 3. Ask them to work in their groups

to think of one thing that a pessimist would say about each topic, and one thing an optimist would say.

After ten minutes or so, discuss their ideas as a class.

Explain to the class that they are now going to have a debate about one of the topics. (Either choose the topic or let

the class decide.)

Divide the class into two groups. Explain that one group are the optimists and the other group the pessimists.

Give your students five minutes to think of four or five strong ideas to support the viewpoint that their group is

representing.

Stage a debate (either as a whole class or by pairing up the students so that one pessimist is arguing with one

optimist).

Finally, discuss your students real opinions as a class.

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2003 LEVEL 3 UNIT 5

MOVE AHEAD LEVEL 3MOVE AHEAD LEVEL 3ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR UNIT 5 TEACHERS NOTES

7/30/2019 Letter to the Editor Teacher Notes

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Activity 5.3

Language Focus: Expressing opinions.Skills Focus: Writing

Time (approx): 1520 minutes

Preparation: None.

This is an extension of the previous two activities and can be set for homework.

Procedure

Ask your students to choose one of the topics from Activity 5.2.

Explain that their task is to write a letter to The Editor, using the two letters from Activity 5.1 as models.

Collect in the letters and display around the classroom.

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2003 LEVEL 3 UNIT 5

MOVE AHEAD LEVEL 3MOVE AHEAD LEVEL 3ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR UNIT 5 TEACHERS NOTES (CONT.)