• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Thesis statements and supporting evidence; Active and passive voice). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? The storm destroyed the old barn. • The storm was destroyed by the old barn. • The old barn is destroying by the storm. • The old barn destroyed the storm. • The old barn was destroyed by the storm. (The storm was destroyed by the old barn. / The old barn is destroying by the storm. / The old barn destroyed the storm. / The old barn was destroyed by the storm.) → The old barn was destroyed by the storm.Prompt: In a passive sentence, the thing the action is done TO becomes the subject.
2. Thesis: Learning a second language benefits young children. Which is the most convincing supporting evidence? (Children like songs. / Spanish is spoken in many countries. / Research suggests bilingual children often perform better on tasks requiring attention and switching between rules. / Languages have different alphabets.) → Research suggests bilingual children often perform better on tasks requiring attention and switching between rules.Prompt: A strong thesis takes a clear, arguable position and hints at the reasons.
3. Is this sentence active or passive? The orchestra played three pieces. (active / passive) → activePrompt: Who or what is the subject? Is the subject DOING the action or RECEIVING it?

• Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
• Share the objective: Academic style: hedging, nominalisation and objectivity. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: "This proves that social media causes loneliness." (The evidence is a single correlational survey.) Which revision uses appropriate hedging?
• Step 1: Academic style is objective, precise and cautious about what the evidence shows.
• Step 2: So the answer is: These findings suggest a possible link between social media use and loneliness.
• Answer: These findings suggest a possible link between social media use and loneliness.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. "I think the poet is really sad because her dad died." Which revision is most appropriate for an academic literary essay? (I reckon the poet is sad about her dad. / The poet is super sad, I feel. / The poem's imagery conveys the speaker's grief following a parent's death. / Basically the poem is just about being sad.) → The poem's imagery conveys the speaker's grief following a parent's death.Prompt: Academic writing avoids overclaiming, slang and unnecessary personal pronouns.
2. "This proves that social media causes loneliness." (The evidence is a single correlational survey.) Which revision uses appropriate hedging? (Social media definitely makes everyone lonely. / These findings suggest a possible link between social media use and loneliness. / Nobody could ever disagree that social media causes loneliness. / This totally proves social media causes loneliness.) → These findings suggest a possible link between social media use and loneliness.Prompt: Academic writing avoids overclaiming, slang and unnecessary personal pronouns.

• 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 4 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. "I think the poet is really sad because her dad died." Which revision is most appropriate for an academic literary essay? (The poem's imagery conveys the speaker's grief following a parent's death. / Basically the poem is just about being sad. / The poet is super sad, I feel. / I reckon the poet is sad about her dad.) → The poem's imagery conveys the speaker's grief following a parent's death.Prompt: Academic writing avoids overclaiming, slang and unnecessary personal pronouns.
2. "Everyone knows that homework is pointless." Which revision is most objective? (Some studies have questioned the value of homework for younger pupils. / It's a fact that homework never works. / Homework is obviously useless, as anyone can see. / Everyone knows homework is completely pointless.) → Some studies have questioned the value of homework for younger pupils.Prompt: Academic writing avoids overclaiming, slang and unnecessary personal pronouns.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-12.