Inspired by: Meerkat Mail - Week 5

Through a series of engaging activities, students delve into the art of communication by examining the writing style of Sunny, the letter-loving meerkat from "Meerkat Mail". They revisit Sunny's correspondence to his mother, discussing the distinctive 'style' he employs in his writing. The students are encouraged to analyse the tone Sunny creates and the literary devices he uses to achieve this tone. They debate what makes his writing effective and are tasked with explaining their reasoning, which helps them understand how language, structure, and presentation work together to convey meaning.

Further activities build upon this understanding, as students are asked to write a fan letter emulating Sunny's style, incorporating praise, requests, and opinions that mirror the tone and style of Sunny's own letters. Additionally, they explore the use of Standard English forms for verb inflections, discussing why Sunny's mum might be disappointed with his use of local spoken forms during a television interview. This leads to a reflection on the importance of proper diction. In another activity, students scrutinise advertising language, comparing the effectiveness of different phrases in selling products and holidays in the Kalahari Desert. Through these exercises, students gain insight into how specific language choices can captivate an audience and enhance communication.