Gêneros textuais e ensino de línguas: o gênero "thank you letter" em uma turma de escola de idiomas

Abstract

Although the concept of genres is not completely new to the academic realm, its relevance is still quite marked in a great deal of studies related to language teaching. More specifically in foreign language teaching (FLT), text genres seem to introduce a new paradigm to the approaches and a challenge to applied linguists, appearing in a growing number of inquiries. This study carried out a descriptive analysis of the application of a didactic sequence for the teaching and learning of the written genre thank you letter to a class of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a binational cultural center. The investigations were of qualitative, interpretive and participatory basis. The theoretical references are focused on socio-discursive interactionism (SDI) as a theoretical and methodological framework to analyze language and define the concept of genres. Some theoretical and methodological assumptions by Schneuwly and Dolz were considered for didactic interventions in the light of SDI, as well as the model of didactic sequences proposed by Schneuwly, Dolz and Noverraz for the teaching and learning of genres. Based on the didactic sequences procedure, methodology unfolded into the following stages: i) literature review; ii) development of a didactic model and didactic sequence for the teaching and learning of the written genre thank you letter; iii) implementation of the plan in the classroom and data collection; iv) analysis of the collected data. The viability of the proposal in the context where it was researched could be verified, despite the time constraints and pre-estabilishment of curriculum by the institution. Working with the didactic sequence not only led to the appropriation of a new written school genre, but also to the development of language skills that are mobilized to communicate through this genre.