English lesson plan Β· 12th grade (Year 13 in England) Β· 30 minutes
Adapting register and tone to audience and purpose
Writing & Editing
CCSS W.11-12.4CCSS L.11-12.3England: GCSE English Language Paper 2 Q5England: A-level English Language (language and context)England: AP Language (rhetorical situation)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Adapting register and tone to audience and purpose.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Style, tone and word choice (ACT English); Formal register and tone
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: A model text, Planning frame, Checklists for editing, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up Β· 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Style, tone and word choice (ACT English); Formal register and tone). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- A eulogy for a beloved teacher: "Mr Osei was okay and stuff and people kind of liked him." Which revision best suits the occasion? (Mr Osei? Yeah, decent guy. / Mr Osei was okay and people liked him, mostly. / Mr Osei was a teacher who taught. / Mr Osei's patience and humour shaped the lives of countless students.) β Mr Osei's patience and humour shaped the lives of countless students.Prompt: Who is the audience and what is the purpose?
- An email applying for a summer job. Which closing is most appropriate? (That's all. Bye. / Get back to me ASAP, yeah? / Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you. / Cheers, hope I get it lol.) β Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you.Prompt: Who is the audience, and what is the purpose?
- A report on a charity's work: "The charity helped a whole bunch of families with stuff." Which revision is most precise? (The charity helped many families with things. / The charity provided food and housing support to 340 families. / The charity was helpful to families in lots of ways and stuff. / The charity helped heaps of families with various stuff.) β The charity provided food and housing support to 340 families.Prompt: Who is the audience and what is the purpose?
Hook Β· 3 min
- Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
- Share the objective: Adapting register and tone to audience and purpose. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it Β· 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Purpose: an email to a company complaining that a product broke after one week. Which sentence suits the audience and purpose best?
- Step 1: Effective writers adapt register β formality, vocabulary and tone β to their audience and purpose.
- Step 2: Firm, polite and specific is most effective for a complaint.
- Step 3: So the answer is: I am writing to report that the headphones I bought on 3 May stopped working after one week, and I would like a replacement or refund.
- Answer: I am writing to report that the headphones I bought on 3 May stopped working after one week, and I would like a replacement or refund.
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice Β· 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Is the proposed answer correct? Purpose: a post for your friends' group chat inviting them to a beach clean-up. Which version suits the audience and purpose best? β Beach clean-up Saturday 10am β bring gloves and snacks! Who's in? π (yes, it is correct / no, it is not correct) β yes, it is correctPrompt: Who is the audience, and what is the purpose (request, inform, persuade, entertain)?
- Purpose: a speech to Year 7 pupils encouraging them to join the reading club. Which line suits the audience and purpose best? (Imagine travelling to a new world every week without leaving your chair β that's what our reading club offers. / Notwithstanding prior commitments, attendance is encouraged. / The reading club operates in accordance with library regulations. / Reading club. Tuesdays. Be there.) β Imagine travelling to a new world every week without leaving your chair β that's what our reading club offers.Prompt: Who is the audience, and what is the purpose (request, inform, persuade, entertain)?
You do: independent practice Β· 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket Β· 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Is the proposed answer correct? Purpose: a post for your friends' group chat inviting them to a beach clean-up. Which version suits the audience and purpose best? β The beach will be cleaned. (yes, it is correct / no, it is not correct) β no, it is not correctPrompt: Who is the audience, and what is the purpose (request, inform, persuade, entertain)?
- Purpose: ask your head teacher for permission to start a climate club. Which opening suits the audience and purpose best? (To whom it may concern, I demand that the school immediately creates a club. / Hey Miss! Can we do a climate club pls? / Dear Ms Rahman, I am writing to ask whether a group of Year 12 students could start a lunchtime climate club. / Climate club. Yes or no?) β Dear Ms Rahman, I am writing to ask whether a group of Year 12 students could start a lunchtime climate club.Prompt: Who is the audience, and what is the purpose (request, inform, persuade, entertain)?
Watch out for
- Writing everything at once without planning.
- Editing only spelling and not whether the writing makes sense.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Style, tone and word choice (ACT English).
- Use concrete materials: a model text.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-12.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder