Members Only ESL Writing Activity Grade 8

Healthy Habits Writing Activity

About This Resource

A four-page guided writing activity for Grade 8 ESL in which students write a reply letter of advice to a pen pal describing unhealthy habits, using should/shouldn't and health vocabulary, supported by a planning table, sentence frames, and a model example.

Overview

Students read a short letter from a pen pal, Kanya, who describes several unhealthy habits (working late at her computer, drinking too much coffee, and giving up her regular badminton games). Before writing, students plan three habits Kanya should change using a simple planning table, then draft a reply letter of at least 60 words that includes a greeting, at least three pieces of should/shouldn't advice, and a closing. A self-check list and a full model example are provided so students can review their own work against a clear standard before finishing.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Healthy Habits
Category: Writing
File Type: PDF
File Size: 51.8 KB
Published: 06 Sep 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 8 40-50 Minutes Writing Healthy Habits

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to plan a short piece of writing by identifying specific problems to address.
Students will be able to write a reply letter that follows a greeting-body-closing structure.
Students will be able to give written advice using should/shouldn't accurately.
Students will be able to use health vocabulary appropriately in a piece of extended writing.

How to Use This Resource

Read Kanya's letter aloud as a class and check understanding of her situation before students begin planning. Have students complete the planning table individually, then draft their reply letters, either independently or with a partner for extra support. Once students have finished a full draft, have them use the self-check list before reading the model example, so they evaluate their own writing first rather than simply copying the model's ideas.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Once letters are finished, have students swap with a partner and write one sentence of feedback identifying which piece of advice they found most helpful and why, giving writers real audience feedback beyond the teacher's assessment.

Differentiation

Support: Reduce the minimum word count and the number of required pieces of advice from three to two, and allow students to keep the sentence-frame box visible while writing rather than only during planning.
On-Level: Students complete the planning table and write a full reply letter as designed.
Challenge: Ask students to add a fourth piece of advice with a justification using "because," or to write a short reply from Kanya's point of view responding to the advice they were given.

Assessment

Use the Health and Healthy Habits Grading Rubric to assess the finished letter, focusing on should/shouldn't accuracy, vocabulary use, relevance of advice, and overall organization.

Teacher Tips

Encourage students to read Kanya's letter twice — once for the general situation, and a second time specifically to underline the three habits she mentions — before they begin planning their reply. This usually produces more specific, relevant advice than planning from memory alone.