Reporting in Academic Writing ESL Lesson Plan (C1, 60 Minutes)

Who it is for. Advanced students preparing for university. They report sources mechanically with said and says, always backshift the tense (Silva said that exercise improved memory for a fact still believed), and cannot show their attitude to a source.

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

Main aim. To develop students' ability to report sources in academic writing using stance verbs (argue, claim, acknowledge, contend, refute), appropriate tense choice (present, past, present perfect, no backshift for current truths) and nominalised reports (the claim that ..., Silva's assertion that ...).

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can write a 150-word literature review paragraph that reports and evaluates three sources using at least six different reporting structures accurately.

• Subsidiary aim. To raise awareness of how reporting verbs show agreement, neutrality or doubt.
• Subsidiary aim. To write a short literature review paragraph that synthesises sources.

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

• verb + that-clause: Silva argues that ...
• verb + noun phrase: Jayasinghe challenges this view. / disputes the findings.
• as + subject + verb: As Perera (2021) notes, ...
• According to + source: According to Silva (2020), ... (do not combine with argues: not According to Silva, he argues).
• Nominalised reports: the claim / argument / assertion / finding / suggestion + that-clause: Silva's claim that homework is harmful has been widely criticised.

• Present simple: the most common; the source's view is presented as current: Silva argues ...
• Past simple: a specific study or event: Perera (2021) found that ...
• Present perfect: a research area or several studies: Several studies have shown ...
• No backshift in the reported clause when the content is still considered true: Perera found that sleep is essential for memory.

• Not a focus; when reading aloud, the author's name and date are often said with a slight pause: Silva, 2020, argues ...

• Silva (2020) claims that homework is harmful. Does the writer definitely agree with Silva? (Not necessarily; claims can show doubt.) · Would demonstrates show more or less agreement? (More.)
• Perera found that sleep is essential for memory. Why is and not was? (Because it is still considered true.)

The paragraph uses at least six different reporting structures accurately. Verb choice reflects a clear stance towards each source. 7 out of 8 or better on Handout 3, Exercise A.

Did students choose verbs that matched their attitude to each source? Did they avoid automatic backshift?

Version A

Silva (2020) said that homework was harmful for children. Perera (2021) said that students who slept more did better in exams. Jayasinghe (2022) said that Silva was wrong. Fernando (2019) said that phones affected sleep. All these writers said interesting things about homework and sleep.

Version B

The relationship between homework, sleep and academic performance has been widely debated. Silva (2020) argues that homework is harmful for younger children, although she acknowledges that her sample was small. Jayasinghe (2022) disputes this view, contending that moderate homework improves self-discipline. Silva's claim that homework reduces sleep is, however, supported by Perera (2021), who found that students who sleep more than eight hours perform significantly better in examinations. As Fernando (2019) suggests, the effect of homework on sleep may be less important than that of late-night phone use.

Which version is better for a university essay? Give three reasons.

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Find these structures in Version B.

Discuss.

• Perera (2021) found that students who sleep more ... perform better. Why does the writer use present tenses after found? ______________________________
• Does the writer seem to agree more with Silva or with Jayasinghe? How do you know? ______________________________
• Why is Version B easier to follow than Version A? ______________________________

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Choose the most appropriate option.

B. Rewrite using the word given.

• Rodrigo (2018) argues / demonstrates that social media is the main cause of teenage anxiety, but she provides little evidence.
• In a large study of 5,000 students, Kumar (2020) found / suggests that breakfast improves concentration.
• Several researchers have shown / showed a link between exercise and memory.
• Weerasinghe (2017) acknowledges / insists that her conclusions are based on a small sample.
• According to Silva, / According to Silva, she argues homework should be limited.
• Perera found that sleep is / was essential for memory. (This is now widely accepted.)
• Dias (2021) disputes / disputes about the findings of earlier studies.
• The claim that / The claiming that online learning is less effective has been challenged.
• Silva says homework is harmful, and I'm not sure she's right. (claims) → ______________________________
• Perera's study proved that sleep improves exam results. (demonstrates) → ______________________________
• Jayasinghe said Silva was wrong. (disputes) → ______________________________
• Silva argues that homework is harmful. This argument has been criticised. (Silva's argument) → ______________________________

Topic: Should schools start later in the morning?

Your paragraph (about 150 words):

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Handout 1 (possible reasons)

Version B uses varied reporting verbs; it shows the writer's attitude to each source; it connects sources (disputes this view, is supported by); it uses appropriate tenses; it avoids repetition and automatic backshift.

Handout 2

Handout 3, Exercise A

Handout 3, Exercise B (examples)

Handout 4 (model paragraph)

Whether schools should start later has attracted growing attention. Gunawardena (2021) found that students who began after 8.30 am slept 45 minutes longer and achieved higher grades, although she acknowledges that the data were self-reported. These findings are partly confirmed by Lim (2022), whose experiment showed improved attention in class; however, Lim found no effect on examination results and suggests that further research is needed. In contrast, Hettiarachchi (2019) argues that a later start would cause traffic problems and reduce time for sport. This claim, however, is not supported by data. Overall, the evidence suggests that a later start benefits sleep and attention, but its effect on academic results remains unclear.

Common errors to watch for

• Present perfect: has been widely debated · Strong claim: argues that homework is harmful; contending that ... · Concession: acknowledges that her sample was small · Disagreement: disputes this view · Nominalised report: Silva's claim that homework reduces sleep · Past simple: Perera (2021) ... found that · As + source: As Fernando (2019) suggests · Tentative: suggests ... may be
• Because the finding is presented as still true (no backshift). · 2. With Silva's claim about sleep, partly, because it is supported by Perera; the writer reports Jayasinghe neutrally. · 3. Sources are connected and evaluated, not listed.
• argues (demonstrates would mean the writer accepts it as proven) · 2. found · 3. have shown · 4. acknowledges · 5. According to Silva, · 6. is · 7. disputes · 8. The claim that
• Silva claims that homework is harmful. · 2. Perera's study demonstrates that sleep improves exam results. · 3. Jayasinghe disputes Silva's view / conclusion. · 4. Silva's argument that homework is harmful has been criticised.