Objectives

Method of Summative Evaluation

1.  Student will describe the purpose of a personal letter and give some related examples with 100% accuracy as evaluated by the teacher.

Oral evaluation – questioning during class time

2.  Student will compose a personal letter to their older, graduating senior self with 70% accuracy as determined by the project rubric.

Project evaluation - rubric

W

The students will know where they are going because the introduction by the teacher tells them that they will discuss writing a letter, talk about why letter writing is important, and write a personal letter to a very important person. The motivational set includes a discussion about personal letters and will give the teacher an indication of which students have experience writing or receiving this type of letter, as well as an understanding of which students understand the concept of personal letter writing. At the end of the motivational set a series of questions will also help the teacher determine the students’ understanding of personal matters. As the lesson progresses, the teacher will introduce students to the main activity of writing a personal letter to themselves and students will gain a clear understanding that they are the important person that will receive this letter when they are older.

H

The attention of the students will be hooked when they realize that they are the important person they will be writing a personal letter to. The content of the personal letter reflects those items in which the students are interested and enjoy discussing. By having the student complete the brainstorming worksheet they will consider things that are meaningful at this point in their life, as well as consider and projecting plans for their future.

E

The personal letter to the lunch ladies will engage the students by providing an example that they can relate to. They are also given the opportunity to consider and share examples of personal letters they may have received, or could write in the future. The brainstorming worksheet will help apply the lesson to the student’s life as they consider contents they may want to include in the final performance task.

R

The brainstorming worksheet will help the student collect information about the things they enjoy, what careers they are considering, and how they will include these items in their letters. By reviewing the parts of the personal letter students will reflect on what they had learned earlier and review the format for their own letter. Students will have the opportunity to rewrite their personal letters, using their own work and the teacher’s comments as a guide for success. Reflection will occur again when the students open the letter, reread their work and enjoy the content and goals they included from 9 years earlier.

E

Students will exhibit their understanding by reviewing the parts of a personal letter. They will also exhibit their understanding by composing a personal letter of their own. The project rubric will help guide the students in self-evaluation. The comments of the teacher after the assessment will help guide the students to success as they rewrite their original letter and improve their work.

T

Each student will be composing a personal letter that focuses on individual interests and goals for the future. The lesson can be easily adjusted to accommodate all intelligences and individual needs by reading the brainstorming worksheet to the students; scribing the students’ letter as they dictate the content; or expanding the content and opportunities to elaborate as the students complete the final draft of their personal letters.

O

This lesson is teacher guided through the introductions and motivational sets. When the teacher displays the example of a personal letter and the class reads through it the lesson begins to transition to a class discussion as students provide examples of personal letters they have received or may have written. Though the teacher will guide the segment on labeling the parts of the letter, students will attempt to identify the letter parts using a word bank. The brainstorming worksheet will help the students organize information they can include in their letters, and the actual writing of the letter puts the students in charge as they apply what they have learned about personal letters.

Strategy

Outline

Resources/Materials

Related Skills

Objective 1 - Students will describe the purpose of a personal letter and give some related examples with 100% accuracy as evaluated by the teacher.

Introduction

Tell the students that today you are going to:

• discuss writing a letter,
• talk about why letter writing is important, and
• write a personal letter to a very important person.

Motivational Set/Discussion

Explain to the students that friendly letters, also called personal letters, are usually sent from one person to another person. Provide a few examples:

• ·      perhaps a grandmother will write a personal letter in a birthday card to her grandchild to wish them a happy birthday
• ·      a friend who has moved across the country may write a letter or send a postcard to you telling you all about the new town they live in
• ·      a sister or brother who has gone away to college might write a letter to his/her family telling them all about college life.

Tell the students that personal letters usually contain information about a personal matter. Revisit the previous examples. Point out to the students that in the first example the personal matter was wishing the child a happy birthday; in the second example the personal matter was news about the new town into which a friend moved. Ask the students “What is the personal matter in the third example?” (answer: college life). If needed, provide additional examples. Ask the students to provide examples of personal letters they may have received or written. When the teacher is satisfied that the class understands the purpose of a personal letter, move on to the next step.

Objective 2 - Students will compose a personal letter to their older, graduating senior self with 70% accuracy as determined by the project rubric.

Demonstration

Using a computer/laptop and a projector, project A Friendly Letter to the Lunch Ladies to the class. Read the letter to the class.

Explain to the students that a personal letter has five important parts: a heading (includes the date), a greeting, the body, a closing, and a signature. Ask the students if they can identify these parts in the letter projected on the board. Allow the students to come to the front and point as they attempt to identify the parts of the letter. As they correctly identify the parts, label them on the projected letter. An answer key is attached.

Resource 1

Resource 2

Equipment 1

Equipment 2

Introduction to Activity

Tell the students that today they are going to write a personal letter to a very important person. Tell them they know this person very well. Allow the student to guess who they might be writing to. After a few guesses, tell the students that the person they are writing to is older than they are. Tell them they are very close to this person. Allow a few more guesses.

It’s unlikely that the students will guess correctly.

Reveal that they will be writing a letter to their future selves. Their future selves are eighteen years old and about to graduate from high school.

Explain that in the letter they should tell their future selves:

• ·      all about the things they like and don’t like (music, food, sports, your friends, hobbies),
• ·      what they enjoy doing, including things they would like to do as they move through each school year (sports, music, acting, clubs, activities),
• ·      their dreams about the future (school, career).

Activity

Distribute Letter to My Older Self: Brainstorm Worksheet. Read through the worksheet and explain that this worksheet will help them organize their thoughts and ideas as they prepare to write their letter.

Address any questions the students may have.

Instruct the students to begin working on the worksheet. Monitor the students’ progress and assist when necessary. Collect and review the worksheets.

Resource 3

Motivational Set

Return Letter to My Older Self: Brainstorm Worksheet to the students. Tell the students that they will write their letter to their older, graduating self today. Review the parts of the letter using Letter to the Lunch Ladies: Parts of a Letter. Distribute copies of A Letter to My Older Self: Project Rubric to students and review each of the criteria to make sure they understand how the letters will be graded.

Distribute lined paper to the class and instruct students to place their name and address in the top right area of the paper. Then instruct the students to place the date under their address. Moving down a line, instruct the students to begin their letter by entering a greeting. They should continue writing their personal letter independently. Monitor the students’ progress and answer questions as needed.

Upon completion students should submit their letter to the teacher. Assess the letters using the project rubric. Allow students the opportunity to make corrections and resubmit if needed.

Resource 2

Resource 3

Resource 4

13.2.3.C