Should I ask for further clarity on this lesson?

[Displaypicture11]

I’m an English ect just finished my PGCE and this is the lesson I’m being told to teach for interview. I’m so confused can anyone shed some light here.

Lesson details

Your school is running a competition on the benefits of heathy eating. Write a letter to your head-teacher advising them about the benefits of healthy eating for children.

You should consider the following in your response:

What healthy eating means to you
The benefits gained from eating a healthy diet
Other ways you can improve your health.
Your response is marked for spelling, punctuation and grammar.

I’m slightly confused as to whether this is something that is often asked at interview for lessons for an English teacher? It sounds like some form of persuasive writing but I would’ve thought maybe poetry or a text?

To clarify further the only reason why I’m asking is because I’m used to either doing poetry or texts for interviews. I’ve not heard of doing this at all or how it’ll make for a good lesson in 20 mins?

I was thinking pose the idea of:

Starter 5 mins: what is healthy eating to you and extension task write some names of foods you consider healthy and why
Main: pose the task above and give students an idea of structure and the importance of spag? No run on sentences or when to use full stops etc
Plenary: volunteers to read their persuasive piece OR peer mark

It's likely to be fitting in with where they are now rather than just wanting something ad hoc.
Are you supposed to plan a whole lesson and just teach 20 minutes?

I think that’s a fairly standard task. We teach writing skills as well as Lit, after all!

The 20 mins would be more of struggle! As @MrsHamlet asks, what have they said around planning/ delivery?

It sounds like a standard AQA paper 2, Q5 task to me. Focus on making sure they grasp the conventions of the genre (how to set out a formal letter), audience and purpose.

Oh, and under no circumstances allow them to open the letter with, "I am writing to persuade you about the importance of healthy eating." Dull, dull, dull. A RQ is much more effective IMO.

@StationView

Oh, and under no circumstances allow them to open the letter with, "I am writing to persuade you about the importance of healthy eating." Dull, dull, dull. A RQ is much more effective IMO.

Those always me with joy. Or "the statement says..."

It's a fairly standard writing lesson in my experience and nothing out of the ordinary.

If I was advising any of our trainees with this sort of lesson, I would strongly suggest they are clear on the text type and any associated features, they're clear on the purpose of the text outlined in the task (and the expected language of that purpose), and they were clear about what language would be important for for audience.

20 minutes is challenging, and would be an opportunity for a candidate to show their subject knowledge in that area and illsutrate their knowledge in a way that's clear and appropriate for the students.

I think it’s a little cheeky of you to post this thinly veiled attempt at having the users here help you plan your interview lesson, particularly in light of the way you spoke to people on your last post. Right, RitaKK?

What was it you said to LolaSmiles again?

“Yeah alright lolasmiles I forgot you owned Mumsnet and there’s no such thing as freedom of speech. I think it’s evident you’re wrong on this one and creating silly threads like you have before about positivity and what not is clearly a load of old rubbish because you’re just presenting yourself as someone who can’t stand to be corrected and bitter when you’re being corrected. You’re also spreading incorrect information.”

Interesting that you’re so happy to accept help from the big bad meanie “mumsnet OGs” now that you can’t quite manage to plan an incredibly basic non-fiction writing lesson.

It’s a standard transactional writing task, of the sort you’d get in a gcse language exam.

Keep your focus on English (not healthy eating). Make it so that by the end of the lesson they can do something better than they could at the start - so 20 mins on persuasive techniques OR good openings OR laying out a letter, for example.

And PLEASE stop name changing. It’s pointless and tiresome. We know who you are and we’re still willing to help you

Jammydodger39
Thank you. Other posters have equally been on the receiving end of that sort of reply, including some very experienced posters.

Thankfully a lot of us have worked in teacher training enough to have seen this attitude several times and still believe in trying to help people make a good start to their careers. Leading horses to water springs to mind.

Yep. We all know it’s the same poster- yet the OG’s of Mumsnet (🤣) are still willing to help and support.

Anyone would think we were used to helping people with slightly stroppy behaviour 😂

Good luck @Displaypicture11. I think you want to be a good teacher and I genuinely wish you well.

Bob would piss himself laughing at the idea that I'm an OG of anything 🤣

Poor Bob doesn't know how cool you are though. 😎
I still think OG jackets would be great. We could wear them on duty and Bob would think we were stylish.

What does OG stand for?

Omniscient Goddesses
Outstanding Gallantry
Obliging gentlewomen
On-site Geniuses
Online Gems

I assume that’s what it is anyway. Definitely something positive.

Seems straightforward and maybe they’re looking for someone who is strong on teaching language basics and fully aware some nqts find literature easy but struggle with teaching the language side.

Maybe lots of English lit grads have come through who haven’t put the effort into getting their English language skills and knowledge up to scratch so now that’s exactly what they look for at interview 🤷‍♀️

Surely you've taught some lessons like this before if you've completed PGCE? It is a standard transactional writing task?

This would be an easy but somewhat boring year 6 task.

I'm neither a teacher, nor an English expert, but having had 2 DDs go through secondary I reckon I could give this a punt myself. I mean, I'd probably be hopeless, and get the timings all wrong, but I would know what the learning aims would be.

I've never had to do a lesson as part of an interview (old gimmer). That sounds like a full period task, how much would you actually expect to be done in 20 mins?
5 mins - register, pencils, adjusting masks and no chair swinging.
5 mins - exciting intro about healthy eating
5 mins - explanation and some kind of plan for the task
5 mins left for doing the letter and feedback!!

Mistressiggi
For a 20 minute interview lesson the candidate would be going I'm after the usual entry admin was done.
For something like this task in 20 minutes nobody would expect the whole piece because its a 45 minute exam question. It gives the candidates an opportunity to illustrate a particular element linked to the task though.

Oh it would stress me out to not get it finished though! Would it be enough then to get them to write a good first paragraph in the letter? Or do you teach it as if the lesson continues on after your 20 mins is up?

It’s a standard English Language task; the challenging part is the time given.

I would probably…

Some kind of starter on either persuasive techniques or formal v informal phrases.

Go through conventions of genre (probably using a model)

Work out success criteria for starting a formal letter. Get them to write opening couple of paragraphs and peer assess.

I think that’s all you can do in 20 min.

Given they won't have time to write it I'd go with modelling and getting them to pick out features of what a good one looks like and what a bad one looks like etc as part of it. For example a few letters and two colour highlighters for excellent parts and parts that are out of place, not the right format or kind of language and then help them pick out what they have learned and be able to say what sort of things are important features and what sort of things should be avoided. They could also have another highlighter to pick out examples of persuasive writing.

Perhaps focus on preparing them for the task rather than doing the task and that by the end of your 20 minutes you can do a mini plenary with some no hands up questioning proving to the observers that they could now tackle the task with some degree of confidence and clarity.