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Texas Adult Education Standards and Benchmarks
for ABE ASE and ESL Learners

Lesson Plan Bank

ABE/ASE LESSON PLANS

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Texas Adult Education Standards
Lesson Plan

Before you begin

Title: Complain With a Cause

Setting: ABE/ASE

NRS Level(s): Level 4: High Intermediate Basic Education

Open entry/exit: Yes

Context: Family

Standard(s): ABE/ASE Convey Ideas in Writing

Benchmark(s): 1.4, 2.4, 4.4, 5.4

Objective: To prepare learners to notify or make a complaint to a provider of service.

Materials: What I Have Learned worksheet, paper, pens, pencils

Estimated time needed to prepare for this lesson plan: 15 minutes

Estimated time needed to complete this lesson plan: 2.5 hours

The Lesson Plan

Introduce the lesson:
As a class, have students share the last time they experienced poor service or a mistake was made on a bill they received. Ask what steps were taken to resolve the issue and whether they were successful.

As classes students repeat any stories that were particularly interesting or attention-getting. Note patterns in ways they dealt with particular situations (i.e. asking for the manager, threatening to sue, etc.) Focus on the results that students were able to obtain with their specific approach. Suggest that some (perhaps many) situations can be resolved with a well-written letter explaining the problem along with a request on how to get the issue resolved.

Teach the lesson:
As a class brainstorm on what information should be included in a letter that is seeking resolution. Provide assistance with determining the following:

• What the problem is
• What steps have already been taken
• What needs to be done
• An expression of appreciation for the reader’s interest in getting the matter resolved.
• Outline the letter including the major areas as described above. Complete a rough draft of the letter. Use tools such as a dictionary or a thesaurus to check spelling, word meaning, synonyms, etc.

Practice the lesson:
After students have written their letters, peer feedback should be utilized. In small groups, have students share their letter with other members of the group, requesting feedback and suggestions for improvement. Students will read one another’s letters and provide suggestions for edits and revisions. The letters should be rewritten as needed, incorporating the feedback received from group.

Assess the lesson:
Using a “What I Have Learned” worksheet, students will be led to brainstorm what they learned about the goal they worked on during the learning cycle. From this brainstorming, students will be asked to list on their own worksheet the particular things that they personally learned.

Discuss some examples of how this learning might transfer to other contexts, and then ask each student to fill out the right-hand column of the chart. Have students pair up to share their work, and then ask volunteers to share with the group. Give students time to add ideas to their worksheets after this discussion.

Apply the lesson to the real world:
Students should be able to write about a real-life incident or to envision one where a letter such as described above would be appropriate.

Submitted by: Mike Fulton

 

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Name: ______________________________________    Date:_________________

 

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