Writing a letter to a friendWriting a letter to a friend

One or two of our classmates has been

abroad this summer. Now you have a

chance to interview him/her.

Prepare some questions to ask.

Write down his/her answers.

Interview

How to take notes?

• Think about what questions to ask and write them down in advance.

• Write brief notes only, not whole sentences.

• Write down the most important information.

• Use contractions and abbreviations whenever possible.

Skills building 1: writing down the answers

If you don’t hear or understand an

answer, ask the other person to repeat

it. You can use expressions such as:

I beg your pardon? / Pardon me?

Could you say that again?

Could you repeat that, please?

Did you say… or…?

Moving to a new town or area can be a trying time.

You might worry about how you will find your way

around, how you will meet people and how you will

make new friends...

Read and answer

What will you do when you meet a

new friend for the first time?

What will you do when you meet

new neighbors?

1. What things might worry you when

you move to a new place?

How to find my way around, ______

____ and make new friends

2. What is one way to meet new neighb

ours?

Visit ___________ with a small gifttheir homes

Listen and take notes.

meet people

3. What are some things you should do

when you meet a person for the first

time?

Be _______________ about myself; ask

him/her questions about himself/herself;

listen to _______________________

4. If you want to meet people with similar

interests to yours, what can you do?

Join a local club or _______________

open and honest

what he or she has to say

activity group

5. What are some things you should do if

you want to make true friends?

Always ________________; listen to

what they have to say; ______________

myself and my feelings

be there for them

be honest about

Brainstorming:• What do you do when you have a

personal problem?• Would you talk to your parents or

your friends and ask them for advice?• Have you ever called a radio

programme for advice?

Step 1:calling Teen Talk for advice

Read the leaflet about Teen Talk.

Then complete the notes.

Teen talk

1 You can read Teen Talk by:

e-mail / phone / website.

2 Teen Talk never closes. True False

3 Teenagers’ problems will be reported

to parents True False

phone

True

False

4 Teen Talk listen to _________________

5 Teen Talk offers _______

teenager’s problems

advice

Listen to the tape and finish part B

1. Reason for calling Teen Talk:

_____________________________

2. Description of the problem:

____________________________

______________

3. Feelings about the problem:

____________________________

Have a problem; ask for help

two important friends; don’t like one

another

feel divided

4. Teen Talk’s advice:

____________________________

_____________________________

5. Planned actions to overcome the

problem:

____________________________

___________________

write a letter to each friend to explain;

meet outside of school

write a letter, meet at a café on

Saturday; talk

How do we express agreement and

disagreement in English? There are

many expressions that we can use,

aside from simple Yes and No answers.

Skills building 2: agreeing and disagreeing

Agreeing• I agree with you…• I’m of the same opinion (as…).• Exactly.• That’s a good point.• That’s how I feel (about…) too.• That’s right.• You’ve got a point.• Yes. And another reason is that…

Disagreeing• I don’t agree. What about…• I’m not sure that’s true.• I see things in a little different way.• On the other hand, …• I take your point, but…• That’s true, but…• Perhaps you are mistaken.• Really? I don’t think that…

Work in groups of four. Express your opinions on the following statements by stating whether you agree or disagree. Discuss your ideas with your group.

1. Chinese food is healthier for you than

foreign food.

2. Staying a teenager forever would be

great.

3. Making good friends is more important to me than spending time with family.4. If I want to be happy in the future, I must have a good job.5. Good marks indicate how clever you are.6. Learning a foreign language is important.

Chinese food is healthier for you than

foreign food.

A sample

Debate

A: I agree that Chinese food is healthier

for you than foreign food. Chinese

food usually includes plenty of whole

grains, vegetables and a good source of

calcium, which are considered healthy

and nutritious.

Besides this, Chinese people pay special

attention to the way of cooking food. The

colour, the smell and the taste are all

taken into consideration as they might

affect one’s appetite.

However, most foreign meals contain

more fat and are baked or fried, which

may cause them to lose flavour. Chines

e food is now eaten by a third of the w

orld’s population every day and is wid

ely considered easy to cook, economica

l and tasty.

B: I don’t agree that Chinese food is

healthier for you than foreign food. The

traditional Chinese way of cooking

vegetables may cause vitamins to be

lost. Besides this, Chinese people use too

much oil and salt in cooking, which

might cause many health problems.

However, foreign food, known for its

varied flavours and spices, is rapidly

becoming a trend worldwide.

Interview your classmates and complete

the chart.

Step 2:discussing friendship with others

Discuss the following statements on

friendship and decide whether you

agree or disagree.

Debate

1. Friendship is an important part of my

life.

2. A good friend must be honest, kind and

have a sense of humor.

3. One or two good friends are better than

100 acquaintances.

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Skills building 3: checking your work

Write a letter to your friend about what his/her friendship means to you.Keep the ideas on Page 17 in mind when you write.your feelings about friendshipyour feelings about best friendsthe quantities of a good friendwhat makes a good friendship last

Step 3:writing a letter to your friend