Period 58.

Unit 9: Undersea World

Writing
I. Objectives
By the end of the lesson, the Ss will be able to:
− write a descriptive paragraph about dolphins by using the facts and figures from a table
II. Materials
Textbook, Board, chalks
III. Anticipated problems
Ss may not be familiar with some words used in the model, so T should explain them.
IV. Procedure
Time Steps Work
management
7' Warm-up Group work
Brainstorming
− T writes the word dolphin on the board.
− T divides the class into 8 groups
− T asks Ss to write down in 3 minutes as many pieces of information about
dolphins as possible.
− After 3 minutes T asks Ss how many details they have written down. The group
with the most details will be
the winner.
− T asks the winner to read aloud the details and other groups to add more if theirs
are different.
− T sets the scene: Today you are going to learn to write a paragraph about the
dolphin, using the information provided in the table.
12' Task 1: Exploiting the model Whole class
1. Vocabulary pre-teaching and pair work
− T elicits or pre-teaches some new words that appear
in the text or in the table:
2. Sperm whale (n): cá nhà táng
3. Squid (n): mực
4. Gestation (n): the process of carrying a young
person or animal inside the mother's body for the
period before birth (thời kỳ thai nghén)
5. Entrapment (n): bị mắc bẫy
6. Habitat (n): the natural environment of an animal or
plant (môi trường sống)
7. Offspring (n): a child, the young of an animal (con)
8. Life span (n): the length of time that that sth is likely
to live (tuổi thọ)
2. Eliciting and introducing some features of a
descriptive paragraph:
− T asks Ss to read through the paragraph in task 1 and tell what a descriptive
paragraph is.
− T checks Ss' definition and give the correct one: A descriptive paragraph is one in
which you write about what a person, an animal, a thing or a place is like.
− T asks Ss to read the first sentence of the paragraph and tell Ss that this sentence
is the topic sentence in which the writer provides the name of the animal he/she is
going to write about and its most remarkable feature. The other sentences describe
the animal in details.
 − T asks Ss to look at the table on page 100 and tell them to compare the order of
the features indicated in the table with the order of the features in the model
paragraph.
− Tell the Ss that the features in the table follow the order of the features in the
paragraph.
3. Filling the table on page 100 with the information given in the paragraph
− T asks Ss to work in pairs to complete the table with the information in the
paragraph.
− T asks Ss to exchange their answers with another pair.
− T checks Ss answers by asking some Ss to go to the board to write their answers.
− T gives feedback and the correct answers:
Sperm Whale
Range and habitat All oceans
Prefer waters with high squid populations
Size Male 18m in length; 54,000 kg in weight

Female 12m in length; 17,000 kg in weight

Feeding habits Carnivores eat mainly squid
Eat up to 1,500 kg of food daily
Offspring Give birth to one calf every 5-7 years
Gestation period 14-19 months
Life span Up to 60-70 years
Special features Biggest animals that have teeth on Earth
Have the largest brain of all mammals
Conservation At risk due to hunting and accidental
concerns fishing net entrapment

Task 2: Writing
Instruction: You are going to write a paragraph that describes the facts and
figures of the dolphin provided in the table.
− First, T asks Ss to write the topic sentence for the paragraph.
− T checks their topic sentences and provide feedback.
− T asks Ss to write the paragraphs; remind them to refer to the model paragraph in
task 1.
− If Ss find it difficult, T may ask them to write sentence by sentence and combine
them later.
− While Ss write the paragraph, To should go around to observe and provide help.

12' Feedback on Ss' writings Pair work

− T asks Ss to exchange their paragraph with another student for peer correction. and whole
− T goes around and collect mistakes and errors. class
− T collects some writings for quick feedback.
− T writes Ss' typical errors on the board and elicits self and peer correction. T
provides correction only when Ss are not able to correct the errors.
− Then T gives general comments on the paragraphs
2' Wrapping up Whole class
− T summarizes the main points
− For homework, T asks Ss to rewrite the paragraph, taking into consideration their
friends' and T's suggestions and do the extra