1

Activity 3
Lesson Plan
I.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Lesson Date (hypothetical) Sep 31, 2016

Subject Area(s)

Reading/writing

Topic(s) of Instructional
Unit

Academic essays

LEARNERS PRIOR KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

II.

Learners have to write 8 pages essay about globalization by the end of the semester. Sometimes,
learners use words such as good, bad, and get in their previous academic writing papers. Therefore, this
activity was made to make them avoid using words that are not acceptable in academic writing.

III.

OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to:

Write whether the words in the table are more frequent in academic register or spoken
register

Notice that some words in spoken register are not common or acceptable in academic
register

IV.

Avoid using colloquial words as well as phrasal verbs in their future academic writing. .

ACTIVITY SEQUENCE / PROCEDURE

Distribute the handout

Tell learners to use COCA for this activity

Do the first two words with the whole class to show them how to do the activity

Use the chart and look up each pair of words in COCA and write if each word is common
in Academic register or in spoken register

Ask learners to follow the same technique

Give learners 10-15 mins to do the activity and then ask them to check their answers in
pairs

Go over answers with the whole class

Distribute the second handout

Explain that some words such as get, cute, and guy are not acceptable in academic
writing as we noticed in COCA

Instruct learners to avoid phrasal verbs and use single words in their academic writing

Ask learners to keep the handout and look at it when they write their papers in the
future

V.

CLOSURE

Ask learners what they have learnt

Reflection:
I make out this activity in order to make learners aware of the words that are not
acceptable in academic writing since learners use such words in their essays. I am hoping that
students will avoid using the non-academic words in the future.

VI.

MATERIALS

Instructions: Look up the words in the table below in COCA and indicate in which register each word is
more frequently used.

Words

Academic
register

Spoken
register

Words

Cute

Adorable

Bad

Terrible

Good

Excellent

A lot

Many

Kind of

Type of

Anyways

Anyway

Kid

Child

Find out

Discover

Academic
register

Spoken register

Recommendations
Academic writing
Avoid these words in academic writing

Use these word in academic writing

Cute

Adorable

Bad

Terrible

Good

Excellent, great, brilliantetc.

A lot

Several, many, numerousetc.

A lot as an adverb

A great deal

Kid

Child

Anyways

Anyway

Get

Obtain, Receive, Understandetc.

Fire

Dismiss

Guy

Man

Kind of / sort of

Type of

For sure

I am sure or I am positive

So as intensifier

Very

Things/ (guys in American English)

Be specific (e.g., instead of saying she is

fond of sweet things you can say she is
fond of sweet foods)
Use a single word such as discover
instead of find out

Most phrasal verbs such as find out, put up

withetc

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The table above has been developed from the following websites:
1. http://webdelprofesor.ula.ve/humanidades/azapata/materias/english_4/how_to_avoid_colloquial_informal_writing.pdf
2. http://m.wikihow.com/Avoid-Colloquial-%28Informal%29-Writing