Toast and Vote of Thanks, Verb Tenses Review, Email and Text Message Comparison and Formal Letter Salutation and Title for Primary 6

Class: Primary 6
Term: Second Term
Week: 9
Age: 11 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Language Studies
Curriculum Theme: English Language Studies
Previous Lesson: Chairman Speech, Verb Forms Review, Text Message Importance and Formal Letter Address Writing.
Topic: Proposing toast and vote of thanks, verb forms and tenses review, comparison of email and text messages, formal letter salutation and heading/title
Subject Matter: Speech — guided speech making for proposing a toast and giving vote of thanks, Structure — verb forms in relation to time and tenses, Comprehension — similarities and differences between email and text messages, Writing/Continuous Writing — features of formal letters with focus on salutation and heading/title

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain:

• Identify the key elements of proposing a toast and giving a vote of thanks.
• Differentiate between various verb forms and their corresponding tenses.
• State similarities and differences between email and text messages.
• Recognize the correct format for salutation and heading/title in a formal letter.

Affective Domain:

• Appreciate the importance of proper etiquette in public speaking.
• Value clear and appropriate communication in different contexts.
• Show interest in learning correct grammar and writing conventions.

Psychomotor Domain:

• Construct sentences using different verb forms to show time.
• Write correct salutations and headings/titles for formal letters.
• Practise proposing a toast and giving a vote of thanks.

Social Domain:

• Participate respectfully in dramatizations and discussions.
• Collaborate with peers to understand communication forms.
• Communicate ideas clearly and effectively.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• State Unified Scheme of Work
• Macmillan English Language for Primary Schools Book 6
• Pupils’ English Language textbook
• Pupils’ English Language workbook
• Oral English manual
• Essay manual

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• English Language textbook
• English Language workbook
• Oral English manual
• Sound recorder
• Essay manual
• Charts showing examples of formal letter salutations and headings

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson helps pupils develop essential communication skills, both oral and written, that are useful in various social and formal settings. Understanding verb tenses ensures grammatical accuracy, while knowing the nuances of different communication methods and formal letter writing prepares pupils for effective and appropriate interaction in their daily lives and future academic endeavors.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have basic knowledge of parts of speech, simple sentence construction, and general forms of communication.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Speech Making: Proposing a Toast and Giving a Vote of Thanks

Proposing a Toast

Proposing a toast is a short speech made to honour someone or something, often accompanied by raising a glass. It expresses good wishes, congratulations, or appreciation.

Key elements of proposing a toast include:

• Greeting the audience.
• Stating the purpose of the toast (who or what is being honoured).
• Sharing a brief, positive anecdote or compliment about the person/event.
• Concluding with an invitation to raise glasses and drink to the honouree.

Giving a Vote of Thanks

A vote of thanks is a formal speech delivered at the end of an event to express gratitude to everyone involved in making the event successful.

Steps for giving a vote of thanks:

• Start by acknowledging the privilege to offer thanks.
• Thank the chief guest(s) or special honourees, mentioning their contributions.
• Thank the organizers, participants, and support staff.
• Thank the audience for their presence and attention.
• Conclude with a final expression of gratitude.

Structure: Verb Forms and Tenses Review

Verb Forms

Verb forms refer to the different ways a verb can change to show tense, aspect, mood, and voice. The main forms are base form (e.g., eat), past simple (e.g., ate), past participle (e.g., eaten), and present participle (e.g., eating).

Tenses

Tenses show the time an action happened (past, present, or future).

• Present Tense: Describes actions happening now or habitual actions.
  • Example: I walk to school every day.
  • Example: She is singing a song.
• Past Tense: Describes actions that happened before now.
  • Example: They played football yesterday.
  • Example: He was reading a book.
• Future Tense: Describes actions that will happen after now.
  • Example: We will visit our grandmother tomorrow.
  • Example: She is going to travel next week.

NOTE: Regular verbs form their past tense and past participle by adding ‘-ed’ (e.g., walk-walked-walked). Irregular verbs have different forms (e.g., go-went-gone, eat-ate-eaten).

Comprehension: Similarities and Differences Between Email and Text Messages

Similarities between Email and Text Messages

Both email and text messages are forms of electronic communication. They both:

• Allow for quick exchange of information.
• Can be sent to one or more recipients.
• Require an electronic device (phone, computer) and internet/network access.
• Can include attachments (though text messages are more limited).

Differences between Email and Text Messages

There are key differences in their usage and features:

• Length: Text messages are typically shorter and more concise; emails can be much longer and detailed.
• Formality: Emails are generally more formal and suitable for professional or official communication; text messages are often informal and used for personal, quick chats.
• Attachments: Emails support larger and more varied attachments (documents, photos, videos); text messages have limitations on attachment size and type.
• Recipient Address: Emails use email addresses (e.g., name@example.com); text messages use phone numbers.
• Features: Emails offer features like subject lines, carbon copy (Cc), blind carbon copy (Bcc), and rich text formatting, which are mostly absent in text messages.

Writing/Continuous Writing: Features of Formal Letters

Formal Letter

A formal letter is a letter written for official purposes, such as applying for a job, making a complaint, requesting information, or communicating with organizations. It follows a specific, structured format and uses polite, respectful language.

Salutation in a Formal Letter

The salutation is the greeting in a letter. In a formal letter, it must be respectful and address the recipient by their title and last name if known.

Examples of formal salutations:

• Dear Sir,
• Dear Madam,
• Dear Mr. Johnson,
• Dear Mrs. Adebayo,
• Dear Dr. Okafor,
• Dear Principal,
• Dear Manager,

NOTE: If the recipient’s name is unknown, use “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam”. Always use a comma after the salutation.

Heading/Title in a Formal Letter

The heading of a formal letter includes the sender’s address and the date. The title (or subject line) states the main purpose of the letter concisely.

Example of a sender’s address and date:

No. 5, School Road,
Lagos.
15th March, 2024.

Example of a subject line/title:

• SUBJECT: APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
• REQUEST FOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE

NOTE: The subject line should be brief, clear, and usually written in capital letters or bolded.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Lecture, Demonstration, Question and Answer, Visual Aids

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Set Induction
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and asks them about occasions where people make speeches or write letters. The teacher introduces the lesson by explaining that today’s lesson will cover different aspects of communication, including public speaking, grammar, and formal writing.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the teacher’s questions and listen attentively to the introduction.
Learning Point: Pupils are prepared for the lesson and understand its relevance.

Step 2: Proposing a Toast and Giving a Vote of Thanks

Time: 8 minutes
Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains what it means to propose a toast and give a vote of thanks, providing simple scenarios. The teacher then demonstrates a short toast and a vote of thanks. The teacher guides pupils to identify the key components of each.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, observe the demonstration, and identify the components. Some pupils volunteer to practise proposing a toast or giving a vote of thanks in a mock scenario.
Learning Point: Pupils understand the purpose and structure of proposing a toast and giving a vote of thanks.

Step 3: Verb Forms and Tenses Review

Time: 8 minutes
Teaching Skill: Explanation/Drilling
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher reviews verb forms (base, past simple, past participle, present participle) and explains how they relate to tenses (present, past, future). The teacher provides examples for each tense and asks pupils to form sentences using different tenses.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils recall previous knowledge, listen to explanations, and construct sentences using various verb forms and tenses.
Learning Point: Pupils can correctly use different verb forms to show time through tenses.

Step 4: Comparison of Email and Text Messages

Time: 7 minutes
Teaching Skill: Discussion/Comparison
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher initiates a discussion on how pupils communicate using phones or computers. The teacher then explains the similarities and differences between email and text messages, highlighting their appropriate uses. The teacher uses a chart or writes points on the board.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils share their experiences, discuss the features of email and text messages, and note down the similarities and differences.
Learning Point: Pupils understand when to use email versus text messages based on their features and formality.

Step 5: Formal Letter Salutation and Heading/Title

Time: 7 minutes
Teaching Skill: Explanation/Modelling
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains what a formal letter is and focuses on the correct way to write the salutation and heading/title. The teacher provides examples on the board, emphasizing the use of titles (Mr., Mrs., Dr.) and the subject line.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the examples and practise writing various salutations and subject lines for different formal letter scenarios.
Learning Point: Pupils can correctly write the salutation and heading/title of a formal letter.

Step 6: Integrated Practice

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Guided Practice
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher provides a short activity that combines elements of the lesson, such as asking pupils to write two sentences, one in present tense and one in past tense, or to identify if a given scenario requires an email or a text message.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils complete the short practice tasks individually or in pairs.
Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding of the different lesson components.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. Mention two key elements to include when proposing a toast.
2. Give an example of a sentence in the past tense.
3. State one similarity and one difference between an email and a text message.
4. Write a suitable salutation and subject line for a formal letter to your school principal requesting a day off.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Summarization
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarizes the main points of the lesson, reiterating the importance of effective communication in speech, grammar, and writing. The teacher assigns homework, asking pupils to write a short formal letter to a fictional company applying for a student internship, focusing on correct salutation and heading.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the summary and copy the homework assignment.
Learning Point: Pupils consolidate their learning and apply it in homework.

Home Task: Write four correct English sentences that demonstrate the main language skill in Proposing toast and vote of thanks, verb forms and tenses review, comparison of email and text….

Lesson Keywords

• Toast – A speech made to honour someone or something, usually with a drink.
• Vote of Thanks – A formal speech expressing gratitude at an event.
• Verb Forms – Different forms a verb takes (e.g., base, past simple, past participle).
• Tenses – Grammatical categories that indicate the time of an action (past, present, future).
• Email – Electronic mail, a formal way of sending messages over the internet.
• Text Message – A short electronic message sent between mobile phones.
• Formal Letter – A letter written for official or professional purposes.
• Salutation – The greeting in a letter.
• Heading – The sender’s address and date in a letter.
• Subject Line – A concise title indicating the main topic of a letter or email.

Differentiation

For pupils who grasp concepts quickly, the teacher will encourage them to lead group discussions or help peers with sentence construction and letter writing practice. For pupils who need more support, the teacher will provide simplified examples, offer one-on-one guidance during practice sessions, and use visual aids more extensively. Group activities will allow mixed-ability pupils to learn from each other.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Teachers should adapt the examples and activities to suit the specific context and prior knowledge of their pupils. Encourage active participation and provide constructive feedback on both oral and written exercises. Emphasize real-world applications of these communication skills to enhance pupil engagement.