English Readers

English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

Classroom implementation

Writing aims to help students develop and improve their  UNDERSTANDING and LOOKING MORE
writing skills, in line with B1 expectations, with everyday CLOSELY
real-life examples.
The book contains twenty units each of which can provide What is it?
the basis of a lesson. They are divided across four sections: All the units begin with a text stimulus, and these sections
1. Writing socially: emails, text, IM, invites, thank-yous and work on the receptive skills needed to work towards a
postcards. writing task. Understanding introduces students to the text
2. Writing to exchange information: notes, instructions, type that will be studied in the unit, normally with a single
confirmations and summaries. comprehension exercise/question, while Looking more
closely asks students to look again at the text and notice
3. Writing formally: essays, letters of complaint, CVs and
new things, and to see it in context. Most units have at least
covering letters.
an Understanding section.
4. Writing online for a reading public: blogging, tweeting,
selling and advertising. Suggested implementation:
There are also appendices covering: 1. As these sections involve reading skills consider at the
• useful phrases in a wide variety of forms of communication outset what type of reading skill should be employed for
• basic sentence structure for B1+ students each question. Speed-reading (skimming and scanning)
• discourse markers tasks are often better done individually. Set a time limit
and make sure that students are aware of it. Allow them
• punctuation
time to check their answers with a partner before feeding
• short forms
back to the group.
• proofreading your own writing
2. Examine the text for any cultural context or grammar/
All the units in Writing begin with a section called Before vocabulary with which you think the students might
you start and conclude with a Get writing activity. The struggle, and clarify it.
parts in between (Understanding, Language focus, Looking
3. Before commencing the exercise, ask students to identify
more closely, Writing appropriately and Writing clearly) are
the text type and to guess what the text might be about.
variously arranged throughout the unit. Below, you can find
explanations of how these parts, and other features, can be
deployed for classroom use.
 LANGUAGE FOCUS
What is it?
 BEFORE YOU START
Language focus practises the language, grammar styles
What is it? and techniques used in the main text. Exercises focus on
identifying the correct usage, style and sentence structure.
Each unit begins with a short passage called Before you
As a certain amount of time in the classroom will be spent
start directed at the self-study student. In the classroom
in concentrated and monitored writing time, you can bring
environment there are a number of ways you could employ
these short structure exercises off the page by producing
this section.
classroom materials for them.

Suggested implementation: Suggested implementation:

1. The passage often begins with a question, but either way
1. Bring the material off the page by writing sorting
it provides a starting point for a discussion of the topic.
exercises (like ones for identifying the functions of
You might want to pick and choose which elements to
different phrases, or the different register being used,
introduce at this initial stage, and to what degree it helps
for example) on card and cut them up for students to
to personalize the theme for the students.
arrange in class. The exercise will automatically become
2. Alternatively, you could write the individual sentences of more interactive and collaborative when done as a
Before you start out on separate pieces of paper, and get pairwork activity. It will also give students the opportunity
pairs of students to reconstruct the passage. to check and confirm their answers before writing them
3. Or focus students on the content of the lessons by giving in their books, as well as giving you the freedom to add
students the passage with some of the key vocabulary any additional language you might feel is pertinent to the
missing and getting them to work with a partner to fill students’ specific purposes.
the gaps.
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

2. Producing reusable classroom materials from the ideas in in the unit. It might be set as homework, but if you have
the book will allow you to extend their use. On p.24, a made good time and are able to monitor students’ writing
Language focus exercise asks students to make postcard- in class, you could set it to be done within the lesson.
style sentences from suggested prompts of time, activity
and description. The book is limited to four sentences, Suggested implementation:
but if you were to transfer all the options to separate 1. Follow-up questions: When students do a written piece
cards you would increase the range of answers and again in class – especially a creative piece – make sure you
encourage students to work collaboratively to find the get them to read it out, and get other students to ask
most appropriate expressions. questions about it. This creates a more collaborative
classroom and demonstrates to the students that they
are not just presenting their work to you but to the rest
 WRITING CLEARLY and WRITING of the class. A variation would be to put students into
APPROPRIATELY groups of three or four so that they can read each other’s
written work and write a question for each piece. The
What is it? authors can then answer these questions in writing or
Writing clearly and Writing appropriately provide exercises incorporate the answers into a redrafted piece. Apart
which practise the writing skills and language students from the practical writing experience, it allows the
have learned but in a targeted way. This allows students students to consider whether that piece of information
the opportunity to start producing chunks of language should have been in their original draft or not.
before embarking on a full written passage. The aim is to 2. Guess who: This might be particularly suitable for a
get students to write from instruction rather than partial personal piece like Write an email to a friend (Unit 1)
prompt, and it is important to make sure they have the tools or Write a postcard from a recent holiday (Unit 6). Get
to do so. Writing clearly focuses on issues of structure and students to write about an unusual experience they have
meaning, while Writing appropriately focuses on usage. had – something the other students would not know –
but not tell the students their story. Students should put
Suggested implementation: their names on their stories and give their story a title.
1. Where the exercises require it, brainstorm more Collect and read them out one by one. Students can
vocabulary which students could use in their answers. write down the title and decide who they think wrote
2. Make sure students know how they can use the text each story. This works best with a class whose students
from the unit as a model for their answer. know each other a little, but not well enough to make
the activity redundant.
3. For extra practice try a running dictation:
a. Make a story/paragraph of no more than eight
sentences using the language from the unit.  LANGUAGE NOTES
b. Cut the sentences up and place them in different
points around the room. What are they?
c. Put students in pairs. One is the reader and one the All the units contain green text boxes providing information
writer. and support for the content of the unit as a whole, and to
d. Tell the students how many sentences there are identify for you and the student matters of usage which are
around the room. key to completing the writing tasks.
e. The reader should go around the room finding bits of
the story and return to tell the writer. Suggested implementation:
f. You can do this twice with two passages or just tell 1. Where they appear in the unit, use them to signal a
students to Change! part way through. presentation phase.
g. There is no clue to the sequence of the sentences so 2. You may want to use the examples in the book to
the pair has the task of putting the text in order when present on the board, or to create the sort of matching
they have completed the writing stage. and sorting exercises suggested earlier in Language
focus.

 GET WRITING 3. With more confident students they can be used as a

starting point for discussion, or to elicit further examples
of the usage identified.
What is it?
Get writing provides opportunities for more open and
creative use of the language and skills students have learned
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

 USEFUL TIPS  WRAPPING UP

The content of Writing is guided by the Common European
What is it? Framework of Reference for Languages at level B1+. You
At various points in some units there are a series of can use the framework as a way of setting targets for your
bullet-pointed Useful tips aimed at giving advice about classes and monitoring the progress of individual students.
appropriateness of language in the text type being studied. But you may also get students themselves to consider what
can-do statements they feel able to assert after each unit.
Suggested implementation: 1. Ask students to work together in small groups and write
1. Pairs or small groups of students could discuss the down three or four can-do statements for the lesson.
usefulness of the tips and to what degree they are I can write a thank-you letter for a birthday gift that
culturally specific. Ask students if they have any of their someone has sent me.
own tips or strategies for achieving the end. I can write a covering letter for a job application.
2. Provide short examples of each of the bullet-pointed tips 2. The groups can then compare statements with those of
or strategies and get the students to work in pairs to another group and see if they feel they have made the
match the examples with the tips. For more independent same progress.
and vocal students, put them in small groups and allow
3. Students could write a short piece on which of the can-
them to think of their own examples of the tips.
do skills they think will be most useful for them and why.
3. Ask students to find examples of the tip or strategy in the
4. Always encourage students to keep an active record of
unit text or in other texts which you bring in.
their can-do achievements and follow-up with you if they
are unsure.
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

Unit 1: Emails to friends

SUMMARY 2. Ask if they have heard them used on TV, in real life, etc.
You can use this summary to guide the learning objectives 3. You can also discuss the subtle difference between
and target setting for your class. informal language (which may be recognizable across the
English speaking world) and colloquial language, through
Can-do statements to slang and street talk (which might be increasingly
By the end of this unit, students will be able to say: opaque to the listener/reader).
• I can write a response to an email from a friend. After the Writing appropriately exercises:
• I can identify the use of colloquial language in emails. 1. Put students in small groups to write four new sentences
• I can use appropriate colloquial language in emails. or phrases that could be used as the first line of an email
• I can use modals to give advice in an email. (as in Exercise 3).

Style 2. They can then swap them with another group to see if
they can identify which situation (a-d) they relate to.
Colloquial language: How’s it going? Sure. …, innit?
Tell me about it. Using Modals - advice column and Language focus
Grammar There is an opportunity for students to do extended writing
Modals: can, could, might, will, should in Get writing after Language focus, but you can use this
Function modals writing activity for further practice.
Giving advice: You should …, you could… 1. Photocopy the Modals – advice column worksheet below
Opening emails: Hi, Alek. This is James. Hi, I thought I’d so that you have at least one problem situation for each
write to say … Hi, How’s it going? student.
2. Students can then read the problem and write a response
using appropriate modals.
3. If you can, distribute the problems so that at least two
CLASSROOM EXTENSION IDEAS students share the same problem, so they can compare
You can use some or all of these ideas to check and their responses.
enhance your students’ understanding as they work their 4. Feed back with the whole class.
way through Unit 1 of Writing B1+ Intermediate in class.
Using Get Writing
Using Before you start 1. Get students to work individually to write their answers to
1. Ask the students to read the Before you start section first. Exercise 1 on five separate bits of paper, without saying
2. Get students to discuss with a partner if they can which opening paragraph and closing sentence is which.
suggest any rules for writing a ‘good’ email. They may 2. Students can then pass these to a partner who can try to
have various ideas, or may alternatively suggest that it identify which is which.
depends on whom you are writing to. 3. Monitor the exercise but also allow partners to help each
Using Understanding other with error correction.

1. Before asking students to do the questions in Exercise 2 is an activity for students to do individually, but
Understanding, get them to scan read the email on get them to compare their replies in pairs or small groups
page 5 for the following information: when they have finished. Working in pairs makes it easier
Who is the sender? (Nicole) for you to set this stage of the activity up as a proofreading
exercise.
Who is the recipient? (Katy Alvarez)
What is it about? (a new job) You can extend the Get writing activity by getting students
to write their own informal emails.
2. Feed back with the whole group.
1. Write down a few words for the ‘Subject’ field of some
Using Writing appropriately and the Colloquial informal emails. You can tailor these to your class but
language/Writing informally note here are a few suggestions:
Before the Writing appropriately exercises: New flat
1. Get students to read the Colloquial language note New boyfriend/girlfriend
(page 5) and discuss the examples of vernacular speech Love … what’s the point?
presented. Job offer … shall I take it?
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

Urgent: Can I borrow your car? None, I don’t email.

I think you gave me the flu …. Urghhh! One or two.
I am NEVER going out drinking with you again!!! Three to ten
Party at mine – 13th. More than ten.
Who do you write emails to?
2. Alternatively, you can cut pictures from magazines to
provide one or two picture prompts to initiate your Friends: Often Sometimes Never
students’ emails. Family: Often Sometimes Never
Colleagues: Often Sometimes Never
3. Write down the modal verbs practised earlier in the unit
Business: Often Sometimes Never
on separate bits of paper and get students to pick three
Which method of written communication do you
or four from a hat, bowl or bag. Tell them that their
prefer? (Put them in order 1–5, 1 being the most
emails must include those words.
preferred.)
4. If you are completing this activity in class, you can ask
Email
students to exchange their work with a partner and then
Post
reply to their partner’s email.
Twitter
An alternative idea for homework is to get students to work Instant messaging
in pairs or small groups to develop a survey questionnaire Text
about email usage. 2. You can ask students to gather answers from friends and
1. Ask pairs/groups to think of a range of questions with family as homework and feed back to the class in the
multiple choice answers for a questionnaire about next lesson.
emailing. For example: 3. You can also ask students to show their results in the
How many emails do you send each day? form of a poster with pie charts or bar graphs that could
be displayed in class.
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

PHOTOCOPIABLES
Modals – advice column

My flatmate is a terrible cook. I cook half I split up with my boyfriend six months ago
the week and she cooks the other half. I’ve and I haven’t been out with anyone since.
tried to tell her I’ll do all the cooking but We had been going out for eight years.
she really enjoys it and I haven’t the heart Now my friend has organized a blind date
to tell her. What should I do? for me. I’m totally out of practice: what
should I wear? What can I talk about?
Argghh … maybe I shouldn’t go at all!

My dog is very old. Recently, she hasn’t I am worried about my brother. He is

been seeing well. I took her to the vet and spending too much money. He has a job so
he said there is an operation that would he can afford his life, but I think he should
help her sight but it would cost 1,200 be saving so he can get his own flat and
euros. I can’t afford it. What should I do? move out from mum and dad’s place.
He’s twenty-six!!!

I’m sick of my job. I want to do something My mother is getting too old for her house.
creative, but I’m stuck behind a computer She loves where she lives (she’s been there
screen adding up bills all day. How can for thirty-eight years), but it has three
I leave this rat race behind and find my flights of stairs and I’m afraid that she may
‘inner-artist’? fall one day and there will be no one there
to help her. How can I persuade her to find
somewhere new?
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

Unit 2: Texting

SUMMARY 1. Before getting students to read the Language note, try to

elicit a list of content words and structure words. You can
You can use this summary to guide the learning objectives
simply ask the students or, more likely at this level, write
and target setting for your class.
the words randomly on the board and get students to say
Can-do statements whether they are content or structure words.
content words:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to say:
main verbs
• I can distinguish between content and function words
nouns
in a written passage.
negative auxiliaries (isn’t, won’t, etc.)
• I can read abbreviated text messages. adjectives
• I can write abbreviated text messages. adverbs
• I can use text speak. function words:
Vocabulary articles
Text speak: btw, b4, m8, pls, xoxo prepositions
conjunctions
Grammar
pronouns
Content words and function words to be as a main verb (is, are, am, etc.)
Appropriateness auxiliary verbs (have, can, etc.)
When to text and when to phone 2. As a further check you can get students to read the
Before you start passage and ask them to underline
all the content words.

CLASSROOM EXTENSION IDEAS Using Language focus

1. Ask the students to work individually on Exercise 1 and 2,
You can use some or all of these ideas to check and
and then compare their answers with a partner.
enhance your students’ understanding as they work their
way through Unit 2 of Writing B1+ Intermediate in class. 2. Get the students to think of three more sentences for
their partner to distil into text speak.
Using Before you start 3. Feed back with the whole class.
1. Ask the students to read the Before you start section
first. Using Text speak
2. Get students to discuss with a partner three situations Students may want more practice using text speak.
where a text would be better than a phone call or 1. Photocopy the Text speak matching worksheet,
email, and three situations where a text would not be below.
appropriate. 2. Ask students why people do it (for easy texting,
3. Feed back with the whole class. because it’s cool and funny, etc.).
Using Understanding 3. Get students to compare the different sorts of short
forms described in the Language note: acronyms,
Make this exercise more interactive.
abbreviations, words with consonants missing, letter
1. Photocopy the Text conversation from the exercise, sounds.
below, and cut it into the seven separate phrases.
4. Ask students how useful (or confusing) they find these
2. Get pairs of students to reconstruct the exchange. short forms. Also ask how much they use them and
3. Texts as a form of writing tend to mimic conversation in whether they think new technologies will change them
that they are made up of short acts of communication, or make them redundant.
and the unit text here provides a good text type for 5. Refer students to Appendix 5 – Short forms for more
reading aloud in class. For feedback, get pairs of students examples and information.
to read their exchange to the class.
6. Hand out the worksheet and get students to work in
Using Content words and function words pairs to match the text speak with the meanings.
This Language note encourages students to focus on words 7. Feed back with the whole class.
which carry the meaning of a sentence. In a normal context,
these are the content words rather than the function words.
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

Using Get writing 2. Allow students to make three or four exchanges before
stopping.
You can use Exercise 1 of the Get writing activity as a
collaborative writing task. 3. As with the earlier Language focus exercise, get students
to read their exchanges aloud to the class.
1. Allow students to complete the exercise on their own
and then pass their answers to a partner, who can reply
to it.
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

PHOTOCOPIABLES
Text conversation

Anita:
Dom! Train delayed 30 mins. We’ll miss the first part of the film, won’t we? What’ll we do?
Sorry. A

Me:
Don’t worry. We could skip film and go straight to restaurant?

Anita:
Perfect. What time table booked for – can you change?

Me:
9 pm. Could u b there by 7?

Anita:
Yes!

Me:
Changed booking. See u outside restaurant at 7 Dx

Anita:
Thanks! LOL, Ax
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

Text speak matching

1. omg a. To be honest
2. cu l8r b. Hit me up (contact me)
3. btw c. Good
4. lol d. Got to go
5. imo e. (not sure, not good)
6. gd f. Be right back
7. hmu g. OK
8. tbh h. By the way
9. idk i. Never mind
10. kk j. Thank you very much
11. meh k. Wait for me. I’m on my way
12. u ok? l. Laugh out loud (very funny)
13. gtg m. Best friends forever
14. brb n. See you later
15. nvm o. Oh my gosh (surpise)
16. tyvm p. Are you OK?
17. w8 4 me. omw q. I don’t know
18. bff r. In my opinion
Answers:
1. omg o. Oh my gosh (surpise)
2. cu l8r n. See you later
3. btw h. By the way
4. lol l. Laugh out loud (very funny)
5. imo r. In my opinion
6. gd c. Good
7. hmu b. Hit me up (contact me)
8. tbh a. To be honest
9. idk q. I don’t know
10. kk g. OK
11. meh e. (not sure, not good)
12. u ok? p. Are you OK?
13. gtg d. Got to go
14. brb f. Be right back
15. nvm i. Never mind
16. tyvm j. Thank you very much
17. w8 4 me. omw k. Wait for me. I’m on my way.
18. bff m. Best friends forever.
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

Unit 3: Instant messaging

SUMMARY Using Language focus

You can use this summary to guide the learning objectives After Exercise 1:
and target setting for your class. 1. Like text messages, IM as a form of writing tends to
mimic conversation in that it is made up of short acts
Can-do statements
of communication. The example here provides a good
By the end of this unit, students will be able to say: opportunity for reading aloud in class.
• I can recognize abbreviations and short forms used in 2. Afterwards, get students to explain what is going on in
instant messaging. the dialogue. Ask questions like:
• I can interrupt in an instant message. Does Chris really have time to talk?
• I can change the subject in an instant message. What happens after Chris asks about Baljit?
• I can resume the conversation in an instant message. What happens when Marika returns?
Vocabulary This should lead into Exercise 2 and 3.
Emoticons: :D (laughing), <3 (love), \o/ (surprise) After Exercise 3:
Grammar 1. Ask students to work in pairs and give each student
Instant message and Skype as verbs three small pieces of paper. The students should write
Function examples of their own ideas for interrupting on the
pieces of paper, changing the subject and resuming the
Interrupting a message: Hold on a sec …, Hang on, Sorry
conversations on separate pieces.
to stop you, but …
Changing the subject: I wanted to ask you …, Can we 2. Then each pair should mix up their six sentences and
talk about something else …? swap them with another pair, who will then categorize
them into different functions.
Resuming a message: Picking up where we left off …,
What were we talking about? Using Language note
This Language note can provide a useful discussion topic.
1. Get students to read the Language note.
CLASSROOM EXTENSION IDEAS 2. Ask them to think of other words that have become so
common that they have become a recognized verb:
You can use some or all of these ideas to check and
enhance your students’ understanding as they work their Google: That’s interesting, I’ll Google it later.
way through Unit 3 of Writing B1+ Intermediate in class. Facetime: Do you want to Facetime after school?

Using Before you start Using Writing appropriately

To introduce the topic by using the Before you start passage After Exercise 1:
as a gap fill: 1. Put students into pairs and get them to think of three
1. Photocopy the Before you start gap fill worksheet. scenarios in which they might receive an instant message.
2. Get students to complete the gap fill and compare their 2. Monitor so that it is at the appropriate level.
answers with a partner. 3. They can then exchange their scenarios with another
3. Feed back with the whole class. pair and challenge them to provide an answer for each
situation.
4. Discuss as a class where and when people use IM, and
in what ways instant messages can ‘move fast and go 4. Feed back the best ideas with the whole group.
anywhere’. (Students may talk about people breaking
Using Emoticons
off the conversation and coming back, the conversation
being stalled because of the internet going down, If students are interested in emoticons and you think it
crossed wires with more than two people talking, would be useful for them, you can use the emoticon cards,
people accidentally sending the message when it wasn’t below, to play a memory game with the students.
complete, and so on). 1. Make two photocopies of the table below and cut them
out into a pack of 24 ‘cards’.
2. In class, get students into pairs or groups of three and
give a pack to each group.
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

3. Students should shuffle their pack and place the cards Using Get writing
face down on the table randomly so that they don’t
The Get writing activity in the book provides gap fill
know which is which.
activities to get the students thinking of what they might
4. One student can then turn over two cards: message to a friend. But the classroom environment affords
• If the cards match, the student must name the you the opportunity to get the students involved in a
emoticon and if they are right they can keep the pair. complete instant message exchange.
• If they don’t match, or the student can’t name the Think of two or three scenarios which would suit your
emoticon, they must turn them back over and play students’ targets and needs, and get them to work in pairs
moves onto the next student. on a ten-message exchange. For example:
5. Eventually students will memorize the places of the cards First student: Tell your friend you are online now, buying
and quickly build up pairs. tickets for a concert. Try to persuade them to come.
6. The winner will be the student with the most pairs at the Second student: Your friend wants you to come to
end of the game. a concert, but you are worried about the price and
whether you have the time.
 English Readers
English for Life Writing (B1+ Intermediate)

PHOTOCOPIABLES

Before you start

Fill the gaps in the text with the phrases from the box

grammatically complete at the same time text speak

on the move keep in touch

How do you __________________________(1) with friends? In addition to texting

__________________________(2), you might want to use instant messaging (IM) on your
computer or laptop. IM messages tend to be longer and more __________________________(3)
than texts because people often use a proper keyboard to type them (but they still might contain
some shortened sentences, emoticons or __________________________(4)). Also, more than two
people can message __________________________(5) so the conversations can move fast and go
anywhere!

Emoticons

:)
I’m happy
;) :-? :(
I’m joking I’m confused I’m sad

:-@ :-> :P <3

I’m angry (smug) (tongue out) I’m in love

</3 ;P
I’m broken-hearted (flirting)
:0 :-x
I’m surprised It’s a secret