Level: 2nd Year Baccalaureate

Textbook: Gateway to English 2

Lesson Type: Writing
Topic: Formal Letter about Brain Drain
(Causes and Effects)
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Teacher: Abdel-illah Alioui

Unit 8: Brain Drain

Timing:

55 min (1h)

Identify the different parts (layout) of a formal letter.

Use cause effect in their writing
Write a formal letter about brain drain.

Instructional Aids :

Blackboard / textbook
Lesson Outline
Content

Stage
s

Warm
-up

T greets Ss.
T elicits information from Ss about the layout of the informal letter
which they studied during Unit 6 Humour.

PreWriting

Ss check their knowledge of the format of formal letter by matching

the different parts of the letter suggested on p, 112 with their
appropriate parts:
A. The Layout/Format of Formal Letter:

..
.
.
....
.
.
.
Dear ,

Warmingup
Eliciting

Timin
g

Mod
e of
Wor
k

T-S
5
min

S-S

Guessing
Questioni
ng
Checking

( Senders Address)

(Date)

(Recipients Address)

(Formal Salutation)

T-S

Matching
Explainin
g

...
..
..

..
. (Body of the Letter)
..
...
..
..
.
..
Yours Sincerely

Techniques

10
min

S-S

Modeling
Guiding

(Signature)

(Senders Name)

Whilewriting

Reading

T-S

Questioni
ng

B. Topic:
T introduces the topic of the formal letter that Students would write
about as follow:

You have recently read a lot about the phenomenon

of Brain Drain in a magazine. Write a letter to the editor
suggesting some measures that may solve the problem or
at least reduce its negative effects.

10
min

S-S

Explainin
g
Modeling
Guiding

C. Ideas:
T elicits information from Ss about the causes, negative effects and
some practical solutions to reduce the negative effects of Brain Drain.
This brainstorming is to help the students get as more ideas as possible
to facilitate the task of writing the formal letter:

Causes

Negative Effects

Low
salaries
and
wages
Lack of support staff
Unsatisfactory

working and living

conditions
Social unrest, political
conflicts, and wars.

Decrease
of
the
economic growth of
the home country
Declining
in
the
number
of
active
population
Lack
of
certain
branches
and
specializations
People may imitate
the immigrated brains
Economic crisis

Solutions

Higher salaries and

wages
Better working and
living conditions
Support and help staff
Substantial funds for
research
and
advanced technology.
Intellectual freedom

T-S
15
min

Eliciting

Questioni
ng
Brainstormin
g

T-S
15
min

Postwriting

(Your address)

Modeling
Guiding

............................................. (Date)

Explainin
g

...

Questioni
ng

(the editors address)

Dear Editor,
I have recently read a lot about the phenomenon of Brain Drain in
your magazine. Therefore, I am writing to you this letter to talk about
three points:
1) The causes of Brain Drain
2) The negative effects of Brain Drain.
3) Some practical solutions to this problem.
On the one hand, there are several causes of brain drain. First of
all, .....................
.......................................
......
Second,

S-S

Guessing

D. An example to follow:

..
..
.

Drafting

S-S


..
The
third
cause
of
this
problem

is

On the other hand, there are a number of different negative

effects
of
the
present
phenomenon.
Firstly,
...

Secondly,
..

Thirdly,

Finally, I think that the following solutions would help reduce the
negative
effects
of
Brain
Drain.
To
begin
with,
.

Another
one
is
..
.
The
last
solution
is
.
.
Yours Sincerely,
(Your Name)

As homework, Ss use the above example to write a formal letter about

the problem of Brain Drain, stating some causes, negative effects, and
suggesting some practical solutions which help reduce its negative
effects.

Sol
o

Writing
Practicing