Improving letter writing skill through eliciting exercises for grade 10 students

They do not know how to deal with these tasks: They donot know how to write a formal or an informal letter.. They mistake the words orphrases they can use in each form of letter, either,

I Introduction

Nowadays, in the integration period and with the globalization trend,foreign languages, especially English, play a very important role in society.English becomes an international language It is used in many fields such asbusiness, trade, communications, tourism and diplomatic activities, etc In

2015, there were 54 sovereign states and 27 non-sovereign entities whereEnglish was an official language Of the approximately 1.5 billion people whospeak English, less than 400 million use it as a first language That means over 1billion speak it as a secondary language Therefore, English is an ology which isnever saturated due to its newness and popularity in all fields Our Party andgovernment showed their particular interest in teaching and learning foreignlanguages

English is considered as a main subject at upper secondary school It isalso one of three primary subjects in the GCSE exam

In addition, The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment,[1] abbreviated

in English as CEFR or CEF or CEFRL, is a guideline used to describe

achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingly,

Teaching English with the communicative approach is our aim How toimprove all skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) completely for ourstudents is our duty All skills are important and it is necessary for us to developthem Curricula and textbooks are issued with a view to carrying out this aimsuccessfully However, writing skill seems to be one of the most difficult skillsfor students Most writing tasks, for example writing letters, are not interestingenough to attract them They do not know how to deal with these tasks: They donot know how to write a formal or an informal letter They mistake the words orphrases they can use in each form of letter, either, etc… “What can I do to help

my students?” “In what way do my students write them well?” “What should I

do to make these writing tasks easier and more attractive?” The best way I did to

assist them is that I used the exercises to lead them to the way of writing eachtype of letters

I would like to share my teaching experience “Improving letter writing skill through eliciting exercises for grade 10 students” in the hope that my

colleagues can apply in teaching and we can discuss more to get the best result

in teaching students how to write letters

The term "letter" has also multiple meanings:

 A letter is a written or printed communication addressed to a person or

organization and usually transmitted by mail (http://www.dictionary.com)

 A letter is a written message from one person to another, usually put in an

envelope and sent by post (Cambridge Dictionary)

 A letter is a written or printed message to someone (Laban Dictionary)

Letters are often used to express the writer’s ideas, feelings or emotion tothe receivers

 A letter is a written message from one party to another containing

information Letters promote the preservation of communication between bothparties; they may bring friends or relatives closer together, enrich professionalrelationships and provide a means of self-expression Letters contribute to theprotection and conservation of literacy.[1] Letters have been sent

since antiquity and are mentioned in the Iliad.[2] Works byboth Herodotus and Thucydides also mention letters.[3]

1.1.2 Writing a letter

History of letter writing

Historically, letters have existed from the time of ancient India, ancientEgypt and Sumer, through Rome, Greece and China, up to the present day.During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, letters were used to self-educate.Letters were a way to practice critical reading, self-expressive writing, polemicalwriting and also exchange ideas with like-minded others For some people,letters were seen as a written performance For others, it was not only seen as aperformance but also as a way of communication and a method of gainingfeedback Letters make up several of the books of the Bible Archives ofcorrespondence, whether for personal, diplomatic, or business reasons, serve

as primary sources for historians At certain times, the writing of letters has risen

to be an art form and a genre of literature, for instance inByzantine epistolography.[4]

In the ancient world letters were written on a various different materials,including metal, lead, wax-coated wooden tablets, pottery fragments, animalskin, and papyrus From Ovid, we learn that Acontius used an apple for his letter

to Cydippe.[5]

As communication technology has diversified, posted letters have becomeless important as a routine form of communication For example, thedevelopment of the telegraph drastically shortened the time taken to send a

communication, by sending it between distant points as an electrical signal Atthe telegraph office closest to the destination, the signal was converted back intowriting on paper and delivered to the recipient The next step wasthe telex which avoided the need for local delivery Then followedthe fax (facsimile) machine: a letter could be transferred electrically from thesender to the receiver through the telephone network as an image Today,the internet, by means of email, plays a large part in written communications;however, these email communications are not generally referred to as letters butrather as e-mail (or email) messages, messages or simply emails or e-mails, withonly the term "letter" generally being reserved for communications on paper.

The study of letter writing

Due to the timelessness and universality of letter writing, there is a wealth

of letters and instructional materials (for example, manuals, as in themedieval ars dictaminis) on letter writing throughout history The study of letterwriting usually involves both the study of rhetoric and grammar.[6]

1.2 Practical background

Letters is such a written message that we sent to person who are far awayfrom us and we want to convey our message to them in a clear and forcefulmanner We usually write letters to our friends and relatives Although advent ofIT-Telephones, Mobile SMS’s and Chat- has reduced the importance of personalletter writing as we can send our messages through these mediums very easilybut this art is still required where there is need of formal communication Sometime we have to send an application in the school for grant of leave and at othertime we have to complaint about someone Same way we get a lot of chancewhere we have to send formal letter Thus this art of letter writing is no more anornamental accomplishment but something that every educated person mustacquire for practical purposes

How to Write a Letter

The most important element of writing a good letter is your ability toidentify and write to your audience If you are writing a letter to your loveinterest, it will be crafted in an entirely different manner than if you are writing aletter to the human resources department of a large corporation Learning towrite a good letter also takes practice, knowledge about proper form and theability to put into words your feelings, thoughts, and/or ideas If you learn thebasic parts of a letter, it will help you to create letters for a variety of audiencesand occasions

1.2.1 The Presentation of the Letter

The presentation of the letter can be hand-written for informal letters(friendly letters) that are addressed to friends and family members, especiallythank-you letters

Formal letters which are written on behalf of businesses or to professionalcontacts (business letters) should always be typed The letter should also be free

of grammatical and spelling errors, so proofreading it after it is written is of theutmost importance.

Parts of the Letter:

If writing an email, Your Address, Date, and Inside Address should beommited

be addressed to either leave it blank or try to put in a title, i.e "Director ofHuman Resources"

The Greeting

The greeting will address the recipient that the letter is being sent to This

is usually completed in the form of "Dear Anne" or "Hey Anne", for less formalletters

The Introductory Paragraph

The first paragraph and will generally outline the purpose for the letterand the reason that the letter is being sent This can address any issues that areoutstanding and is used to set the tone for the entire rest of the letter In this firstparagraph, the summary of the letter can be found and the intentions which will

be displayed through the rest of the letter should be outlined From the firstparagraph of the letter, the recipient should be able to note the tone of the letter

The Body

The body of the letter will expand upon the introductory paragraph andyou can extend your thoughts and feelings further when it comes to the letter.The body of the letter will usually be just a few paragraphs for most letters

The Closing Paragraph

In the closing paragraph of the letter, you will close the letter and finishany thoughts that have been mentioned

The Complimentary Close

The complimentary close of the letter comes in various forms from yourstruly, if you are familiar with the recipient, to a traditional sincerely which is aversatile closing that can be used in a variety of letters detailing many situations

1.2.2 Rules for all letters

- It is important that your handwriting be neat and clear

- The writer's address is written in the top right-hand corner

- Leave a space between the address and date

- Spell out the month in full, e.g 15th February 2006

- Begin the letter Dear , on the left-hand side

- The first paragraph of the letter begins under the person's name

- A formal letter usually ends with either: Yours sincerely, or Yours faithfully,followed by your signature (Note: 'Yours', always begins with a capital letter,but 'sincerely' and 'faithfully' begin with a small letter

- Always use plain unlined paper and the same colour envelopes A large sizewriting pad is best for most letters

- Write your letter in blue or black pen only

- Revise the rules for using capital letters

- Always use paragraphs when writing a letter

1.3 The situation

Have you ever wondered, when these smart phones, SMS, email and othermodes of transmitting information was not available to the people, then howthey convey their messages to others? You might have known about letters,which are used by individuals earlier to interchange information, however,nowadays their use is confined to business and official purposes only Letters are

a form of verbal and written communication, which contains information ormessage, send by one party to another, to convey the message

There are two types of letters, i.e formal letters and informal letters Theformer is used for professional purposes, while the latter is used for personalpurposes

Definition of Formal Letters

A formal letter is any letter written in the professional language, with aprescribed format for a formal purpose, i.e it can be a recommendation letter,enquiry letter, complaint letter, cover letter and so on All business letters areformal, but vice versa is not possible Such letters are used for a variety ofreasons like a formal invitation, proposal, reference, making a complaint orinquiry, applying for a job While writing a formal letter one should keep inmind the following things:

 It should be in specified format

 It should avoid the use of unnecessary words

 It should be straight to the point

 It should be relevant and objective

 It should be complex and thorough

 It should be polite, even if it is a complaint letter

 It should be free from any mistakes, i.e grammatical or spelling

Definition of Informal Letters

An informal letter is a letter written to someone; we know fairly well Theletter can be used for some reasons like conveying message, news, givingadvice, congratulate recipient, request information, asking questions, etc It is apersonal letter, written to whom you are familiar with, like friends, siblings,

parents or any other closed one There is no specific format prescribed forwriting this letter.

While writing an informal letter, one can afford to be friendly, and makeuse personal or emotional tone Slang or colloquial terms, codes, abbreviations,etc can also be used at the time of writing it, depending on the familiarity withthe recipient

In the writing tasks in Tieng Anh 10 there are some letter writing tasks.Students find it difficult to write them

UNIT 4: SPECIAL EDUCATION - Writing a letter of complaint

After studying for two weeks at English for Today Center, you notice that everything is worse than what the advertisement says Write a letter of complaint about that.

Le Thi Linh – 10A1 wrote:

1 She only wrote the

part which is required

to complete

2 Some spelling

mistakes:

- adversiment → advertisement

- cascettle →cassette

- classrom → classroom

- finisho → finishes

3 Grammar errors:

- Vietnam → Vietnamese

- classrom are → classrooms are

UNIT 6: AN EXCURSION – Writing a confirmation letter

Read the situations and write a confirmation letter responding to each of them

1 Lan is going to have a birthday party at 8:00 p.m on Saturday She asks you to buy her two bunches of bananas, three kilos of oranges, ten mangoes, and bring them to her house an hour before the party You agree to help her.

Vu Thi Trang – 10A12 wrote:

2 Copy the request

of the task, not the

writing “bring them to her house

an hour before the party You agree to help me”

UNIT 8: THE STORY OF MY VILLAGE – Writing an informal letter: Giving directions

Your house is A on the map Write a letter to Jim, telling him the way to your house from Roston Railway Station.

Bui Anh Quan – 10A1 wrote:

- home → house

- beside to → next to

- ,my house is beside to → .My house is next to it.

UNIT 10: CONSERVATION – Writing a letter of invitation

Nam invites his friend – Lam, who is now living in a different town, to spend a weekend with him Help Nam to write a letter, using the cues below.

Dear Lam,

we/ not meet/ since/ you/ move.

I/ miss/ a lot.

we/ both/ have/some days-off/ between/ two terms/ soon.

if/ not make/ other plans/ why/ not spend/ weekend/ together?

feel/ like/ visit/ forest/ near/ my grandparents’/ again?

Look/ quite different/ now/ because/ very many young trees/ plant/ the Planting Festivals.

Tree-Do come/ if/ find/ possible/ and/ I/ make/ all/ preperations.

Give/ love/ your parents.

Your friends,

Nam

Truong Văn Kien – 10A1 wrote:

1 He hadn’tfinishes hiswriting yet

2 Grammarerrors:

- are move → moved

- are we not

→ don’t we

- in → omit

UNIT 11: NATIONAL PARKS – Writing a letter of acceptance or refusal

One of your friends has invited you to go for a picnic to Cuc Phuong National Park next weekend Write a reply letter accepting or declining his/ her invitation

Dang Thi Khanh Linh – 10A12 wrote:

Some errors:

- fresh air there

→ the fresh air there

- make → do

- revising and reviewing → revising (because

“revising” has

closest meaning to

“reviewing”

Chapter 2: The solution

In order to improve writing skill in writing letters for students, I guidedstudents distinguish formal and informal letters and carried out some elicitingexercises in optional classes at classes 10A1 in this school-year (2016-2017) sothat students can realize the form of letters I gave out posters and handouts withthe eliciting exercises for these writing tasks In order to help studentsdistinguish these types of letters profoundly, I often ask them revise and repeatthese notes when the letter writing is given out

First, I ask students to complete this table in order to realize which letter isformal and which is informal

Exercise 1: Complete this table

Allotted time: 2-5 minutes

- written in formal language, in the stipulated format, for official purpose

- written in an friendly manner, to someone you are familiar with

- Personal Communication

- Professional Communication

- No prescribed format

- Written in prescribed format only

- First person - Business letters, third person - others

- Business, college/institute, employer, organizations, etc