Exercises and Examples - Instructional Texts - Writing

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Games - Cards explaining how to play different games

Instructional Texts 1: Recipes, Giving Directions, How-to Texts (1 page) It includes a Cooking Glossary and 2 activities: Writing Activity: Notice the format and the language used in recipes, e.g., format: ingredients first, language: imperatives. Forget about the format peculiarities of recipes on the Internet. Oral Activity: Notice the differences when we tell somebody how to make a meal. For instance, we combine the imperative with “have to” and “should” and “must”. Before writing your recipe or preparing your monologue, read several recipes and practice explaining them.

2 Recipes + exercise (1 page) Samosas and Paella
Before writing your recipe or preparing your monologue, read several recipes and practice explaining them. Focus: textual analysis and cultural insights. Notice the structure—layout with a list of ingredients and then an explanatory paragraph. Notice the language—use of imperatives and omission of certain words. Exploitation: Reading (two recipes) + Vocabulary (working on vocabulary: list verbs connected to cooking: which are for ways of cutting?, of cooking?, of handling food?) + Writing (a recipe for Empanadillas and Paella, + preliminary comment) + Speaking/Listening (explaining to classmates).

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Recipe 1: about 100 words. Potato Omelette From Sofeminine

Ingredients:
4 eggs
15 new potatoes
2 onions
3 tablespoons olive oil

Recipe:
Wash, peel and thinly slice potatoes.
Slice onions.
Beat the eggs in a bowl, season.
Heat oil in a frying pan, sauté onions.
Add potatoes and leave to cook over a low heat for 20 or 30 minutes.
Leave to cool and add beaten egg.
Cook for 15 minutes in frying pan.

Advice:
Finish off in oven for 10 minutes.
Serve your omelette in pieces as a snack or starter, or as a main course with a light green salad and some Roquefort.
Eat with sangria.

See recipes published in Your Stuff!

Enjoy Halloween making one of these revolting cocktails while listening to these creepy voices from thrillers and the like.

Textual Analysis 02: Overview of types of texts