Should I ask for further clarity on this lesson?

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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?

Oh and I'd make sure the letters were all on different topics (eg why a company should stop testing on animals, why a school should consider abandoning blazers, why it's important to recycle etc) so that it was very clear that the task was about letter writing and persuasive writing rather than healthy eating and the same rules would apply to whatever the topic.

Possibly because I know I'd have several students side tracked going on about how they're allergic to gluten and completely missing the objectives because the healthy eating bit caught their attention too fully.

Why on earth am I still posting when the OP hasn't even acknowledged anyone's replies?

Because you're one of the mumsnet OG 🤣

Honey I have just screenshotted your suggestion to use later so you're helping someone

Oh good. Still not sure if the OG is old gimmers, old guard, over givers or what but I'm gonna guess we have at least a century of experience between us and were all trained during different trends being emphasised so varied depth knowledge on different pedagogical approaches.

Maybe some should be known as the UFs

They'd all have a crib sheet by the end wouldn't they? Of what to include, what not to include, etc. They would have achieved something that could be assessed and proven through questioning by the candidate and tested by how the task went after they finished their slot.

20 minutes I'd say is getting them to the right, got it, know what I'm doing and they'd still have 25 minutes to have a go at it and maybe do a bit of peer marking at the end.

If you're still reading OP I hope you've gained something from the various ideas people have given you. If you get the job gin is always welcome in the staffroom but bung a bottle of prosecco in too because we've got the odd weirdo who doesn't drink gin.

Collect that crib sheet on the board btw so they can refer to it and use it as a kind of check list. You'll know what you want that crib sheet to say by the end and you'll demonstrate your wonderful questioning skills to get them there so that they volunteer everything you put on it even though you knew that was the destination.

On bad examples include some really easy to spot mistakes like text speak so that even the weakest students will be able to pick some things out and explain why they are inappropriate in a formal letter when questioned and some more subtle 'good' and 'bad' inclusions to to allow for higher ability stretching. You could also produce a literacy aid with sentence starters and scaffolding in case there is anyone in the group with really weak literacy or EAFL. Even if there isn't it will show the observers that you had considered the possibility and are capable of planning and resourcing for students who need a lot of additional support. I'd also print some copies of the example letters on at least blue and yellow paper and ask if anyone needs them. Blue and yellow seem to be the most common coloured paper I get requested for students with dyslexia. High ability accommodation use the words, 'think harder', eg. now this is harder question and you'll need to think harder about this and have a couple of higher order challenging questions. This 'think harder' thing seems quite popular at the minute.

Right I really will stop OG'ing now.

Behaviour wise really positive clear expectations, make sure you give time for them to adjust their behaviour rather than be nervous you've got to be seen to deal with it immediately, eg. if you say I need you to sit down and do x please, give them a non confrontational minute to climb down and do it rather than get caught up in a stalemate confrontation. Our old head liked to remind us to be, 'relentlessly polite'

You're just showing off now Honey

She needs to show off if she wants the job

You’ve proper cracked me up this morning @TheHoneyBadger 🤣

A century of experience and Old Gimmers 😂

@TheHoneyBadger

Oh good. Still not sure if the OG is old gimmers, old guard, over givers or what but I'm gonna guess we have at least a century of experience between us and were all trained during different trends being emphasised so varied depth knowledge on different pedagogical approaches.

Maybe some should be known as the UFs

It's Original Gangster