ci407-writing project

8/7/2019 CI407-Writing Project

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Kelly Gibbons

CI 476²Cohort 2Writing Project

Dear Mr. Write-A-Lot: A Letter-Writing Unit

Overview of the Classroom:

Mrs. Reder¶s third grade room is composed of 22 students, each with their own (and very different)

writing ability. Students in this third grade room at Thomas Paine Elementary School in Urbana, Illinois are

either exceeding grade level standards or fall below grade level requirements. There are no ³yellow´ level, or

warning kids, in Mrs. Reder¶s room. This makes writing instruction difficult in the classroom. Mrs. Reder

breaks her writing instruction down into three different components. First, students work in the ³writing center´

during center times and compose their own stories, poems, etc. Second, students have a structured short

response prompt during reading to respond to in order to gauge comprehension. Finally, students have a

structured writing block time during their daily schedule where they practice a writing form listed in thecurriculum basal book.

During writing center, students are able to free write. This writing time is unstructured and allows

children to express themselves without having to worry about conforming to specific format. Center writing is

especially aimed at lower level students, as a way to develop the listed skills and help them improve their

writing habits. It also allows lower level children to write in a way that is unpressured and enjoyable. The

stories, poems, reports, etc. that are created in the ³writing center´ are shared with the class during share time.

After the classmates have given the student feedback, the teacher then edits the story. The child can then go

back during another center period and finalize the writing work they have put together. The child has a chance

to illustrate this product or copy it into a story book and add illustrations. This process continues on a daily

basis throughout the entire year. The goal of writing in centers is to allow children to enjoy writing and learn

how to communicate their feelings, experiences, etc. in written form. This thirty minute center period also helps

students to build writing stamina and be able to work efficiently for a long period of time.

Extended responses during reading time are also a major form of writing that takes place in the third

grade classroom. This type of writing is based off of question prompts and helps students develop ³research´

and ³support´ skills. The students are reminded before each prompt that they must go back and review the

passage and pull support for their thoughts out of the passage. The teacher models this for the students for each

question that they must answer to help those children who are below level have a visual and auditory

explanation. Moreover, this writing technique allows for lower level children to answer the question without

having to recall the answer, as they are taught to go back and find the answer in their text. This helps to build

confidence and allow for explicit, direct instruction. The writing and support skills that are developed during

extended responses help the students to prepare for ISAT. Extended responses are a great way for a teacher to



modify comprehension and ability to explain thoughts in written words. Extended responses are not edited or

shared with anyone. They are a simple assessment for the teacher and provide the data necessary in order to

track learning and progress from the students.

The basal-based writing is a program mandated by the Urbana School District. This program helps

children compose and understand the rationale behind specific writing forms such as narrative, expository,

persuasive, etc. These forms are modeled by the teacher, as her and the class put together a model piece

together. The students then compose their own personal drafts of the given form. For example, during the

narrative unit, the students helped the teacher put together a narrative story on the overhead. The teacher went

through each component of a narrative (setting, characters, plot) and made sure the students understood how to

incorporate each component. The students then worked on their own personal narratives for the rest of the unit.

After the narratives were composed, they were turned in and edited by the teacher. The teacher made the

necessary capitalization, verb and spelling corrections. During this editing process the teacher also checked to

make sure the students have the correct focus and components of a narrative piece. After the teacher¶s editing,

the student was then allowed to copy the narrative onto a ³nice´ piece of paper and create a final draft. This

final draft is what the teacher grades. The culmination of the writing assignments done during this basal-based

writing time is what makes a students writing grade on report cards. This writing assessment also helps the

teacher determine RTI processes and reflect on her teaching.

Overall, there is a very well-established writing curriculum in place in Mrs. Reder¶s third grade

classroom. The students experience a variety of writing forms, writing styles and writing times. This helps them

to become well-rounded writers and use writing in both a formal and informal setting. Writing is an essential

part of learning; all students must be given the tools and modeling necessary for them to succeed. I believe that

my student teaching classroom is an environment where children not only learn to write, but learn to enjoy

writing.

Lesson 1: Formatting a Letter



1) What do letters help people do? What is a letter used for? Why do people write them?2) Have you ever written a letter?3) Who did you write a letter to?

4) Is there a certain format or way that a person must use to write a letter?

For each question, the teacher should ensure that the students have the correct answer. The

following responses to the questions should follow this model:

1) Yes, people write letters to communicate with their friends, to tell their opinion and to businesses so that they can introduce themselves.

2) (if yes) That is really neat! You are going to get to practice those skills more today, so thatyou can become an even better author! (if no) Well, don¶t worry because you are going to

get to write your very first letter today!3) That is very neat! I am sure that he/she enjoyed hearing from you! Did you get a response?

4) Yes, there is a certain format to a letter. Look at the letters in this book. They all look theSame. There are pieces of information that must be included in a letter, such as the date,

A greeting, the body and a salutation or ending. You also can¶t forget a signature, which is

just a fancy word for signing your name.The teacher should then instruct the students to return to their seats quietly so that he/shecan start the mini lesson for the day.

30 minutes Procedure:Mini Lesson:

The teacher should put the overhead template of a letter on the overhead. The

teacher should go through each part of the letter and where it is placed on the paper. For example,the teacher should point to the line where the date goes and then explain to the student that the

date is to be written in the top right corner of a letter. The teacher should go through each part of

the letter with the students and add writing or details to remind the student what goes in each spot.The teacher may write the words, ³date, body, salutation, etc.´ or may write an example of these

components such as ³March 5th, Dear Susie, Sincerely, Ann, etc.´ The teacher should also explain

the words, indent and paragraph to the students. The teacher should leave the overhead template

on. The teacher should pass out a letter template to each student. The teacher should inform the

students that they are going to be writing a letter to a friend in the classroom. The teacher shouldremind the students that they should use the following template in the correct manner.

Work Time:The students should be given 15 minutes to compose their letter to a classmate. The teacher shouldcirculate the room during this time to answer any questions that the students may have. The

teacher should pull individual students who may be struggling to a table in the back of the room

for a writing conference. During the writing conference the teacher should ask the student whathe or she wants to include in the letter and how they are going to organize it. The teacher shouldthen guide the student through the first paragraph. The teacher should send the student back to his

or her desk to finish the rest of the letter, but frequently monitor the progress of the student.Sharing:

The teacher will instruct the students to switch letters with the person sitting next to them. The

teacher should tell the students that they should check their partner¶s letter to make sure that theyhave their ideas in the correct space and that the letter makes sense. The checker should also makesure that there are capital letters and periods at the end of each sentence. Before letting the students

begin this process, the teacher should model the process orally with a letter. The students can then

see what is supposed to be done and how they are supposed to check through a letter for accuracy.

5 minutes Summary/Closing:The teacher should instruct the students to give their letters back to their partners and say: ³Good



job ______! I really enjoyed reading your work!´ The teacher should then collect the letters andmake sure that the student understands the components of a letter and understands the editing

process. If there are any students struggling with these concepts, the teacher should make a note

to pull those students for a conference the next day.

***The teacher should assign the ³formal´ copy of the letter for homework that night.

.Student Assessment:

The student will be assessed based on their completion of the assignment and work ethic duringwork time. The students will be formally assessed on their ³formal copy´ of the letter. The studentwill be graded on punctuation, capitalization, use of paragraphs and correct formatting of

a letter.

Reflection:

The students were very engaged in the lesson and showed understanding of the material by the end of thewriting time. The students met the objectives and showed their knowledge of indenting, using proper headingsand salutations. However, there was a little bit of confusion on how to separate information into different

paragraphs, and some students did not use proper paragraphing at all. Students included their own voice in their writing and wrote letters based on their own inquiries and background knowledge of the student they werewriting to. The students included all of the formal components of a letter and were able to write for the entire

allotted time.

The student¶s revealed in their writing responses that they need to work on proper paragraph formatting. They

also need to work on proofreading their work prior to coming to writing conferences. Many students had major

changes to work when signing up for conferences, and some students had little written work to bring to thewriting conference. Expectations of when to sign up for a writing conference and what is expected during awriting conference need to be reiterated.

I feel that the next lesson should work on letter and paragraph organization, so that the students can put together

a cohesive and logical document.

Letter Template



________________________

________________________

________________________

______________________________,

___________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________,

_______________________

Lesson 2: Organizing A Letter

Name: Kelly Gibbons



Grade Level/Subject: 3/Writing

Prerequisite Knowledge: Children must know how to write complete sentences. They must also know how togroup similar thoughts into the same paragraphs.

Approximate Time: 50-55 minutes

Student Objectives/Student Outcomes:

y Students will understand the meaning of the words: indent, paragraph, greeting, salutation and body

y Students will be able to organize ideas into a formal letter format

y Students will be able to identify like ideas and group ideas based on commonalities

y Students will be able to apply learned knowledge to their own writing skills.

y Students will develop independent work and listening skills

y Students will develop collaboration skills and learn to adjust writing from constructive criticism

y Students will develop their own ³voice´ in creative writing

Content Standards:

3.A. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure.3.A.1 Construct complete sentences, which demonstrate subject/verb agreement; appropriate

capitalization and punctuation; correct spelling of appropriate, high frequency words; and appropriate

use of the eight parts of speech.3.B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.

3.B.1b Demonstrate focus, organization, elaboration and integration in written compositions (e.g., short

stories, letters, essays, reports).

Materials/Resources/Technology:

y All About Me worksheet (one for each student)

y Overhead copy of All About Me worksheet

y

Overhead projector y Lined paper (one for each student)

y Writing Utensil (one for each student)

y Poster Board

y Markers

ImplementationTime

10 minutes Opening of lesson:

The teacher will tell the students that they are going to be writing a letter to themselves today, asa way to document their likes/dislikes and life in the year 2011. The teacher will tell the studentsthat this letter will be given back to them at the end of their 5 th grade year, right as they are going

into middle school. The teacher will explain to the students that the letter must be organized andwritten in a logical manner. The teacher will explain to the students that they are going to fill outthe All About Me sheet as a way to gather information and organize it. The teacher will go throughsome of the questions on the All About Me sheet on the overhead so that the students understand

what is expected of them. The teacher will pass out the All About Me sheet to each student.

30 minutes Procedure:

Mini Lesson:

The teacher will go through the All About Me sheet on the overhead and have the students



brainstorm ways to group the information. Suggestions that the teacher may give include: all of the student¶s favorite things, the student¶s family and the student¶s hobbies, etc. The teacher willexplain to the students that each of these groups of ideas would be a separate paragraph in the body

of the letter. The teacher will then model the paragraphs of the letter on the poster board. The

teacher will write a model letter with the students help. The teacher should explain to the

students that they must include at least 3 paragraphs in their letter in order for it to meet the

standards of the writing curriculum. The teacher should also show the students during themodeling process that each paragraph starts with an indentation, as a way to show the reader that

a new thought is being explained.Work Time:

The students will then be in charge of grouping their own information during writing time andwriting a letter to themselves about what their life as a third grade is at the moment. The teacher

will have 2 minute conferences with each of the students during this time in order to make surethat the students have organized their thoughts into logical paragraphs and have indented at the

beginning of each paragraph.

Share Time:The students should pass their letters to the person sitting across from them. The checker shouldlook at their partner¶s letter. The checker should make sure that the letter has indented at each

paragraph and that each paragraph contains the same type of information. The checker should thenreturn the letter to the author and explain to them what they think might need changed. The teacher

should model this to the class before allowing them to begin. The teacher should let the studentsknow that constructive criticism is what will allow them to be better writers²opinions should not

be taken as negative statements about the author¶s writing.

10 minutes Summary/Closing:

. The teacher should instruct the students to give their letters back to their partners and say: ³Good job ______! I really enjoyed reading your work!´ The teacher should then collect the letters and

make sure that the student understands the components of a letter and understands the editing

process. If there are any students struggling with these concepts, the teacher should make a noteto pull those students for a conference the next day.

***The teacher should assign the ³formal´ copy of the letter for homework that night.

Student Assessment:

The student will be assessed based on their completion of the assignment and work ethic during

work time. The students will be formally assessed on their ³formal copy´ of the letter. The studentwill be graded on punctuation, capitalization, use of paragraphs and correct formatting of a letter.

Reflection:

The students really enjoyed this lesson and getting to write about themselves. They showed understanding of the material by the end of the writing time and were able to understand proper grouping techniques. Most of thestudents met the objectives, but some of them still need to work on proper paragraphing. It would also behelpful for the students to review the letter formatting before the next lesson, as I believe that the format needs

to be re-taught in order to solidify the knowledge in their mind. Students included their own voice in their writing and wrote letters based on their own inquiries and background knowledge of the student they were

writing to. The students included all of the formal components of a letter and were able to write for the entire

allotted time.



The student¶s revealed in their writing responses that they need to continue to work on paragraphing and letter

formatting. They also need to work on proofreading their work before saying that they are finished with thedraft.

I feel that the next lesson should continue to work on letter and paragraph organization, so that the students can

put together a cohesive and logical document.



All About Me: _____________________________

My hair color is ____________________________________________________.

My eye color is

I am ______________ tall.

I love to do _____________________________________________ at recess.

I live with __________________________________________________________________.

The pet(s) that I have are __________________________________________.

My best friends are: __________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________.

My favorite food is ___________________________________________________.

My favorite color is ________________________________.

My favorite subject in school is __________________________________________.

My favorite game to play is ______________________________________.

My favorite song is __________________________________________________.

My favorite book is _____________________________________________________________.

The sports that I play are: __________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________.

The clubs that I am in and instruments that I play are: __________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________.

The things that I do after school are: __________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________.



When I grow up I want to be ________________________________________________

because ___________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________.

Lesson 3: Writing A Friendly Letter

Name: Kelly Gibbons


Prerequisite Knowledge: Students must know and understand the letter writing process. Students must be able

to read in order to read their pen pals letter. Students must also know how to answer questions through writing.



y Students will be able to organize their thoughts into paragraphs.

y

Students will be able to apply learned letter template skills to their own writing piecesy Students will be able to work independently and build writing stamina

y Students will develop their own ³voice´ in their written work

y Students will demonstrate an ability to create a letter with least 2 paragraphs

y Students will be able to edit letters for clarity, punctuation, capitalization, and organization of thoughtsinto paragraphs.

Content Standards:

3.A. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure.

3.A.1 Construct complete sentences, which demonstrate subject/verb agreement; appropriatecapitalization and punctuation; correct spelling of appropriate, high frequency words; and appropriateuse of the eight parts of speech.

3.B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.3.B.1b Demonstrate focus, organization, elaboration and integration in written compositions (e.g., shortstories, letters, essays, reports).


y All About Me Sheet (from previous lesson)

y Writing utensil (one for each student)

y Lined paper (one for each student)

y Poster with model letter (from previous lesson)

y Overhead projector

Implementation

Time15 minutes Opening of lesson:

The teacher should ask the students if they know what a "pen pal" is. The teacher should ask the

students if they have ever had a pen pal. The teacher should then explain to the children that a pen

pal is someone that you either know or don¶t know that you communicate with via letter. Theteacher should tell the students about any personal experience that he or she may have had with

a pen pal when they were in school. An example of a story to share might be:

When I was in fourth grade I started writing a girl in another city in Illinois. We wrote back and



forth and got to know each other from writing letters to one another. We continued to talk over theyears and then found out that we would be attending the same college. We became roommates our first year of college and are still friends today. The teacher should explain to the students, then,

how important it is to communicate via letter and be able to make sense when writing to someone

else who may not know anything about them. The teacher should then tell the students that

they are going to be getting pen pals from a third grade classroom in Urbana, Illinois. The teacher

should pass out the letters and give the children a few seconds to read about the student they are partnered with. The teacher should explain to the students that their task today, is to compose a

friendly, response letter to their pen pal.


Mini Lesson:

The teacher should help the children brainstorm ideas to write in their response letter. The teacher should ask the children what information they think should be included in their letter back totheir pen pal. The teacher should offer the first suggestion, then ask the students to further the

possibilities. The teacher should remind the students that their pen pals may have visited this partof Urbana. The teacher should also remind the students that they should try to ask their pen pal

questions, so that person has something to respond to. The teacher should write all of the possible

writing ideas on the overhead for the students to refer back to. The teacher should then reviewwith the students the model letter that was created in the previous lesson. The teacher should tellthe students to first organize their information and then begin to write their letters. Finally, the

teacher should remind the students to use their All About Me sheet as a source for more

information or to guide the organization of their letter.Work Time:The teacher should let the students know prior to work time that their letters must have at least two

paragraphs and include capital letters and correct punctuation. The teacher should have the students begin writing their letters. While the students are writing, the teacher should circulate around the

room. If the teacher sees a student struggling, he or she should pull that student back for a

conference and talk to them about their letter. The teacher should ask the student what parts of theletter are giving him or her trouble.

Share Time:Once letters are completed, the student should switch letters with another classmate whose letter is

completed. The pair should check the partner¶s letter for correct spelling, punctuation and correctnumber of paragraphs. When this step has been completed, the students should make an

appointment with the teacher. The teacher should then conference with the student over his or her letter. Once this final conference has been done, the student can begin writing their final copy of

the letter.


Students should continue to work on the final draft of the letter during the allotted time. Once theletter is finished, the student should turn it into the teacher to be mailed.

**If the letter cannot be finished in class, it should be assigned as morning work the followingday.

Student Assessment:

The student will be assessed based on their completion of the assignment and work ethic duringwork time. The students will be formally assessed on their ³formal copy´ of the letter. The student

will be graded on punctuation, capitalization, use of paragraphs and correct formatting of

a letter.



Reflection:The students really enjoyed this lesson because they knew that another third grader was going to be reading

their work. They all had a lot of motivation to complete the letters and do their best work so that they couldshow their pen pals their writing skills. The children showed understanding of the material by the end of the

writing time and were able to apply their learned writing techniques and ³writing voice´ in their letters. Most of

the students met the objectives, but some of them still need to work on letter formatting. The studentsunderstand the objectives behind writing a friendly letter and know when and how to use the friendly letter format. Students wrote letters based on their personal interests and pen pal information. The students includedall of the formal components of a letter and were able to write for the entire allotted time.

The student¶s revealed in their writing responses that they need to work on proofreading their work beforesaying that they are finished with the draft.

I feel that the next lesson should show the students a different letter writing purpose, as they are very familiar

and competent in writing friendly letters.



Lesson 4: Writing A Formal Letter

Name: Kelly Gibbons


Prerequisite Knowledge: Students must know and understand the letter writing process. Students must also

know how to explain personal thought process through writing.

Approximate Time: 40 minutes



y Students will be able to organize ideas into a formal, business letter format

y Students will be able to compare the difference between a formal letter and a friendly letter y Students will be able to identify like ideas and group ideas based on commonalities




Content Standards:

3.A. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure.3.A.1 Construct complete sentences, which demonstrate subject/verb agreement; appropriate

capitalization and punctuation; correct spelling of appropriate, high frequency words; and appropriateuse of the eight parts of speech.

3.B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.

3.B.1a Use prewriting strategies to generate and organize ideas (e.g., focus on one topic; organize

writing to include a beginning, middle and end; use descriptive words when writing about people, places, things, events).3.B.1b Demonstrate focus, organization, elaboration and integration in written compositions (e.g., short

stories, letters, essays, reports).

3.C. Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes.3.C.1a Write for a variety of purposes including description, information, explanation, persuasion and

narration.


y Overhead of School Issue

y Overhead of business letter template

y Lined sheet of paper (one for each student)


Implementation

Time

10 minutes Opening of lesson:

The teacher should state the words: business letter. The teacher should then ask the kids the

following questions:



1) When would you write a business letter?2) Who would you write a business letter to?3) Would you write a business letter the same way you would write a letter to your friends?

Why or why not?

The teacher should hold a discussion about the answer to these questions. The teacher

should help the children with the answers if they struggle to come up with logical responses.

The teacher should then tell the students that they are going to write a business letter to the principal of the school. The teacher will pose the following issue to the students. ³Alright. I

want everyone to put on their imagination caps and pretend that Principal ____________ justmade this announcement over the intercom. Students, there has been a lot of loud noise and

outside on the playground at recess. Because of all of this noise, I am going to cancel recessevery day for the entire school.´ The teacher will then tell the students that they need to

write a letter to the principal stating why they think that should or should not have recess.


Mini Lesson:The teacher should talk to the students about the type of information that should be included in the

letter. The teacher should make a list on the overhead. The teacher should then go through the

letter format with the children. The teacher should make sure to remind the students that this is a business letter, therefore it should start with Dear Principal ______, start with the sentence µI amwriting to talk to you about _____¶ and use complete sentences.

The teacher should also remind the students that they should make paragraphs that include the

same information. For example, if a student is going to write about their favorite parts of recess,those details should all be included in the same paragraph.

Work Time:

The teacher should give the students 20 minutes to compose their business letter. The teacher should circulate and watch the students work on the letters. The teacher should pull students who

seem to be having trouble in for a conference. The teacher should talk to the students about their ideas and help them formulate paragraphs. After meeting with the students in need of help, the

teacher should start to conference with those that have completed the letter. The teacher should

talk with the students about areas they would like to discuss and work with the student on waysto improve the letter.

Share Time:At the end of the writing period, students can volunteer to share their letters with the class. Theclass can then vote on if the letter would change the Principal¶s mind on the issue.

5 minutes Summary/Closing:The teacher should then collect the letters and make sure that the student understands the

components of a letter and understands the editing process. If there are any students struggling

with these concepts, the teacher should make a note to pull those students for a conference thenext day.

Student Assessment:The student will be assessed based on their completion of the assignment and work ethic during

work time. The students will be formally assessed on their edited version of the letter. The student

will be graded on punctuation, capitalization, use of paragraphs and correct formatting of a letter.

Reflection:



The students really enjoyed this lesson, but did have some confusion about the formal letter context. They

struggled with understanding the purpose of a formal letter and how the language differed from a friendly letter.I feel that the confusion resulted because they do not have a personal application to writing a business letter.

However, the students did show understanding of the material by the end of the writing time and were able tounderstand proper formatting techniques. Most of the students met the objectives, but some of them still need to

work on formal language and formatting. I feel that it would have been helpful to compare and contrast the

friendly letter/formal letter formatting and language prior to writing the letters so that the students had an ideaof what the letter should look and sound like before being introduced to the template. The students included allof the formal components of a letter and were able to write for the entire allotted time.

The student¶s revealed in their writing responses that they need to work on proofreading their work before

saying that they are finished with the draft.

I feel that the next lesson should review the friendly letter and formal letter and teach children a letter formatthat is new, but also applicable to their lives.



Business Letter Template

________________________

________________________ ________________________

Dear Mr. / Ms. _____________________,

I am writing this letter to talk to discuss __________________________________________________

_____________ _____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________,

_______________________



Lesson 5: Writing A Thank You Letter

Name: Kelly Gibbons


Prerequisite Knowledge: : Students must know and understand the letter writing process.




y Students will be able to organize ideas in a thank you letter format

y Students will be able to compare the difference between the purpose of thank you letter and a businessletter

y Students will be able to identify like ideas and group ideas based on commonalities




Content Standards:

3.A. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure.

3.A.1 Construct complete sentences, which demonstrate subject/verb agreement; appropriatecapitalization and punctuation; correct spelling of appropriate, high frequency words; and appropriate

use of the eight parts of speech.3.B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.

3.B.1a Use prewriting strategies to generate and organize ideas (e.g., focus on one topic; organize

writing to include a beginning, middle and end; use descriptive words when writing about people,

places, things, events).3.B.1b Demonstrate focus, organization, elaboration and integration in written compositions (e.g., shortstories, letters, essays, reports).

3.C. Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes.

3.C.1a Write for a variety of purposes including description, information, explanation, persuasion andnarration.


y Overhead of thank you letter template

y Lined sheet of paper (one for each student)


Implementation

Time

10 minutes Opening of lesson:The teacher should state the words: business letter. The teacher should then ask the kids the

following questions:

1) When would you write a thank you letter?2) What might you be thanking someone for?



3) Would you write a thank you letter the same way you would write a letter to your friends?Why or why not?

The teacher should hold a discussion about the answer to these questions. The teacher

should help the children with the answers if they struggle to come up with logical responses.

The teacher should then tell the students that they are going to write a thank letter to their pen pals,

Thanking them for coming to meet them at the playground. The teacher should explain to the

students that a thank you note is often times a friendly note (and will be in this case.) The teacher will ask the students to brainstorm ideas that they might put in their thank you note. Ideas such as,

what words can you use to show the reader that you are thankful? What should you say to let thereader know that you mean what you say? What types of words will make the reader feel good

about him or herself?

20 minutes Procedure:Mini Lesson:The teacher should model the thank you note on the overhead for the students. The students should

help the teacher compose the letter. The teacher should then go through and explain thecomponents of a thank you letter and why they are important. The teacher should review the

proper format of a friendly letter.

Work Time:The teacher should give the students 20 minutes to compose their business letter. The teacher should circulate and watch the students work on the letters. The teacher should pull students who

seem to be having trouble in for a conference. The teacher should talk to the students about their

ideas and help them formulate paragraphs. After meeting with the students in need of help, theteacher should start to conference with those that have completed the letter. The teacher shouldtalk with the students about areas they would like to discuss and work with the student on ways

to improve the letter.Share Time:

At the end of the writing period, students should partner with the person sitting next to them.

The student should read the letter aloud. The partner can help the student talk about the changesthat should be made to the letter before writing a final copy. After writing the final copies, the

students can volunteer to share their letters with the class.

**The teacher should ask the students who shared how their thank you letter was different thantheir business letter.


The teacher should then collect the letters and make sure that the student understands thecomponents of a letter and understands the editing process. If there are any students strugglingwith these concepts, the teacher should make a note to pull those students for a conference the

next day.

Student Assessment:

The student will be assessed based on their completion of the assignment and work ethic duringwork time. The students will be formally assessed on their edited version of the letter. The studentwill be graded on punctuation, capitalization, use of paragraphs and correct formatting of a letter.

Reflection:

The students really enjoyed this lesson because of the experience they had prior to writing the letters. They

showed understanding of the material by the end of the writing time and were able to understand proper thank



you letter formatting and language. Most of the students met the objectives, but some of them still need to work

on proper sentence structure and formatting skills. Students included their own voice in their writing and wroteletters that were suitable for the person receiving the letter. The students included all of the formal components

of a letter and were able to write for the entire allotted time.

The student¶s revealed in their writing responses that they have come close to mastering the letter writing

process and have shown great improvement in their writing stamina and paragraphing over the course of theunit.

I feel that the lesson was well organized and was a great closure to the letter-writing unit.



Reflection of Experiences (Planning and Teaching):

The letter writing unit was one that I planned for and composed on my own. In previous years, letter

writing was not a component of writing education, but one that I believe to be vital to elementary education.

Therefore, incorporating this unit into the writing curriculum was a difficult transition, as it not only involved a

lot of planning for the unit itself, but also learning the strategy for how to fit the lesson plans into the already-

structured writing period. Putting together the lesson plans, formatting the templates and writing the lesson

plans took a lot of time and effort, as I had to come up with the ideas from scratch. Moreover, the planning time

was intense, as I had to ensure that my lesson plans came together in a cohesive unit. These lessons had to not

only be cohesive, but also comprehensible for third graders. The lesson plans were not hard to write, but did

involve a lot of revision and re-formatting to make them suitable for the allotted time periods and student

knowledge. The letter writing unit taught me how to plan for lessons when working with others¶ schedules and

short time periods. For example, I taught my students how to write friendly letters (samples attached), however,

I had to coordinate this lesson plan with the time table for when the students were receiving and mailing their

pen pal letters. The planning for this lesson was especially difficult as I had a specific time period to fit the

friendly letter lesson in, look at the students¶ drafts and mail the letters. Overall, the planning process for this

unit taught me a lot about the thought and effort that goes into structuring a unit and the time management skills

that are needed in order to make the unit planning process effective and efficient.

Teaching this unit was extremely rewarding, fun and educational for all involved. I was excited to teach

this unit, as I had put so much effort into constructing the lessons and making them fun and engaging for the

students. Based on the student participation and reactions during the lessons, I feel that they also had fun writing

the letters and learning about the different letter purposes. I also felt that I was able to communicate the

objectives well, and help the students reach the expected goals for each lesson. While most of my lessons went

well, I did find that teaching the letter writing process was harder than I imagined. I feel that this resulted

because many children did not understand the formatting and paragraphing process, which were skills that I had

anticipated the children would have already acquired or had some experience with. Overall, I learned through

teaching these lessons, that I must always review specific terminologies with the students, such as ³paragraphs,

punctuation, greeting and closing,´ as not all students had the background knowledge of what these words

meant. I also learned that I can plan perfectly for the lessons, but can never expect to follow my planning

process, as re-teaching and reviewing may need to be added or omitted.

In the future, I would add a ³pre-writing´ assignment into my unit before I began to teach the lessons

from the letter writing unit. The ³pre-write´ would consist of the students writing a letter to someone, so that

they would have to demonstrate some of the skills that would be learned in the unit. I would use these ³pre-

writing letters´ as an assessment to judge what the students do and do not know about the unit subject material



and what lessons may need to be omitted or added. This ³pre-write´ would have specifically helped me plan for

my formatting, friendly letter and business letter lesson plans for my third grade class. Knowing that students

would struggle with breaking a letter into paragraphs would have helped me design a more detailed and intense

lesson plan, which may have helped the students grasp the concepts better. Conducing a ³pre-write´ assessment

would also help give me the data to drive my instruction and modify lesson based on the different writing

abilities in the classroom.

There are not many extensions I can put on the letter writing lessons, as they each require the students

to do the same amount of work in a specific time period. However, I could fit the letter writing formats into

different contexts. For the business letter lesson I could have the students write to a local business in the area

concerning a specific topic/concern or write to a state government during their state projects in Social Studies. I

could also extend the thank you letter lessons to thanking parent and tutor volunteers in the classroom for their

time and effort. Finally, I could use the paragraphing/formatting lesson in many other writing units throughout

the third grade year, as paragraphs are important in all areas of writing.

Modifications for ELL students and learning disability students were and could be made. For ELL

students, the teacher could use comprehensible input throughout the lesson and hold up the specific diagrams

when referring to them. The ELL student could also conference with the teacher before writing the letter to

ensure that they know what is expected of them and how to structure a letter. If needed, the student could first

write the letter in their native language and then translate it into English for one their draft copies. Finally, ELL

students could be given a template of the letter writing process in which they just had to fill in specific

sentences and words in order to complete the letter. For learning disability students, the same modifications can

be used. The students can meet with the teacher prior to writing their letters and also be given a template to

work off of; they would just be required to fill in specific sentences and words. This would help them

understand the purpose and formatting of the letter, but would not overwhelm them with the amount of writing

that is expected in a letter.

Overall, I believe that my letter writing unit was successful. I could document through the many

different letter drafts and final drafts that I received from my students that learning did take place. I was able to

see the transformation in writing style, as many of my students developed and practiced including their own

voice in writing (when appropriate.) As seen the attached writing samples, students of all ability levels were

able to succeed during this unit, but were also held to high expectations in order to reach that writing level. I am

proud of the work that was accomplished during this letter writing unit and would definitely implement in other

grade levels that I teach.

ci407-writing project

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