Resource 4: Lesson plan – a letter to the children of India
You can use the structure of this lesson plan with any text or passage. The different parts can be carried out in the same class, or over a series of classes.
Pre-reading
- Write the title on the board, and explain what the letter is about (an old man giving advice to the children of India).
- Ask the whole class to think of some advice that they would give to the children of India. Accept one or two suggestions and write them on the backboard in English.
- Organise students into pairs. Tell each pair to discuss and write down five pieces of advice in English. Tell them not to worry about making mistakes.
- After three minutes, tell the students to stop writing, and ask three or four pairs to read out some examples.
Tip: Remember that this stage is about getting ideas and preparing for the text. Don’t focus on mistakes. Focus instead on the content; that is, the advice that your students are suggesting.
While reading
- Tell students to read the letter silently. Tell them to underline the advice that Nehru gives as they read the letter. Give students a time limit to read the letter and find the advice.
- When time is up, ask the students to compare the advice they found with a classmate (as a pair), or classmates (as a group). Tell them to discuss the similarities and differences between Nehru’s advice and their own.
- As students discuss the letter, walk around the room and note how well students have understood it. If students are having problems, help them.
- After a few minutes, tell the students to stop talking and discuss the advice that Nehru gives with the whole class.
Tip: This is your opportunity to see how well your students have understood the letter. It is fine if they have not understood every word of the text, but you need to see that they have understood the most important points. Have most of your students been able to find the advice that Nehru gives? If not, what is preventing them from understanding? How can you help them? Some students will have understood more than others. Perhaps they can explain.
Post-reading
- Write some phrases for giving advice in English on the board:
- Tell your students to imagine that they are old grandmothers or grandfathers. Ask them to think of advice that they might give to their grandchildren. You can give an example: ‘You should work hard.’
- Write suggestions on the board, for example:
- Point out that the students can use any beginning with any end. Point out the use of the infinitive. Read the sentences aloud and ask students to repeat for pronunciation.
- Organise students into pairs, and give roles: one student is a grandparent; the other is a grandchild. The student playing the role of the grandparent should give advice to the other.
- After a couple of minutes, tell students to swap roles.
- Tell students to write their own letter titled ‘A letter to the children of India’.
Tip: Speaking and writing activities about the theme of a text are a good opportunity for your students to practice the language used in it. Here you can focus on using the language accurately if you like. These kinds of activities also get students to respond to the lessons in the textbook, and to relate them to their lives.
Resource 3: Assessing progress and performance