Letter 2: My home

 

General In this letter you are going to tell your partner about your home and the neighbourhood it is in. Use the questions that are given, but you should also think of more information yourself. From now on, you can add some personal information too. For instance, tell him or her about some interesting things that have happened at home or at school recently, or perhaps you have some questions you would like to ask. Always put this informal information at the end of your letters.

  Content
Bricks are used to build walls and houses. Use the answers to the next questions as bricks to construct a letter. Of course, bricks are only a part of building something; you need many other things when you want to build a nice comfortable house. The same goes for the bricks to form your letter. Don't just write down the answers to the questions as you would during a test, but use them together with lots of other sentences, to form a letter which your partner will enjoy to read.

Build your letter
Start with a general introduction. At the end, you may want to put in some extra information or some questions. Finish your letter appropriately.

You could start with:
    Now I'll tell you about my home and the neighbourhood in which I live.
Or:
    I have just received your letter. Thank you very much.

Now use the answers to these questions to build your letter:

•  What kind of house do you live in?

• Does your house have a garden?

•  How many rooms are there?

• How many floors are there?

• Do you have your own room? Can you describe the room that you sleep in?

• Can you describe the place you like most in your home?

• Where do you usually study / do your homework?

• What do you usually do when you are at home?

• Do you have a computer at home? Do you use it very often?

• Do you have any pets at home?

• What is the neighbourhood in which you live like?

• What are the neighbours like? (quiet, noisy,.....)

• What kind of people lives in your area?

• Have you got many friends in your neighbourhood?

• What kind of activities/games do you and your friends play and where?

• Mention some things which you like about your neighbourhood?  (shops, playgrounds,.....)

• Mention some things which are not so nice in your neighbourhood?  (crime, pollution, etc.)

• Now you can add some personal information. Don't ask the same things as in the previous questions because your partner works with the same topic!

You could finish with:
    I am looking forward to your next letter. Best wishes to everyone.

WORDS and SENTENCES
Sentences

My house is big/small.
It has a garden. / It doesn't have a garden.
It has ....... two/three/four/five rooms.
................ one/two/three floors
I live in a/an apartment / detached house / semi-detached house /
terraced house / cottage.
The area I live in is crowded / quiet / in the country / in a city.
There are many...... houses in my area.
.................................trees
Words
 

agricultural city football shopping-centre apartment city centre garden sofa bathroom colour grey stereo bench cottage hide-and-seek television black crime hi-fi terraced house block of flats crowded in the country to go for a walk blue desk living-room town building detached house pink urban carpet disco playground video recorder CD-player elevator pollution village chair farm red wallpaper cinema field semi-detached house white

Further ideas

You can send your partner, images photos or scanned drawings via e-mails with attached documents edited in word processor.

Now that you have finished the letter about your home, create a Webpage to be published in your school Website, where you give your partner information on the following topics:

·                     the best place in my home

·                     the place where I usually study / do my homework 

·                     the thing/s I like most in my neighbourhood

·                     the  thing/s I dislike most about my neighbourhood

Take pictures or make drawings of the above mentioned items. Insert them in your Webpage, but remember you have to scan the images first, if you didn't use a digital camera. Beneath each picture write a caption where you shortly describe the images and justify your choices . 

If you want you are welcome to add further information to the one that is requested from you. You can entitle this Webpage after your own name (Mark's Home).