W   =

The lesson is introduced to students using examples and providing them with a rubric.  The activities together clearly map out for students the purpose of the lesson and what is being expected of them.

H   =

This lesson uses student affinity for one another as a hook, as students will identify someone within their classroom to which they will write their personal letter.

E   =

Students are provided with models to review and then are given the opportunity to build a personal letter using cutouts prior to having to write their own letters.

R   =

Students will use the developed rubric as a checks and balances for their work.

E   =

Students will express what they know through two products.  One product will be a letter that was constructed through a cut and paste activity and the other will be in the form of a letter that will be evaluated using a teacher provided rubric.

T   =

Accommodations to this lesson may include reducing quantity requirements, allowing students final products for review that are built, rather than a composed letter and/or permitting students to direct the placement of information in a personal letter format via dictation.

O   =

The progression of this lesson moves from teacher delivery, to student construction via scaffolding that gradually is removed, requiring students to independently draft a personal letter.

Strategy

Outline

Resources/Equipment

Performance Standard 1

Compose a personal letter as practiced in class according to the rubric with 85% accuracy.

Introduction

Introduce a personal letter and the format in which it should be written.  Provide students with some common questions to include in the personal letter.  Assign students the task of writing a personal letter to another student in the school.  Discuss the greeting, body of the letter, and closing/signature.  Show some examples of personal letters to the class.

Resource #1

Resource #2

Activity/ Demonstration

Read The Gardener to the whole class.  The story is written in a personal letter style.  Discuss the elements of the personal letter as you read.  Call on students randomly to identify the parts of a personal letter found in the story.

Demonstrate to students how to paste individually cut personal letter elements to a piece of composition paper in the appropriate place.  Complete an example for them.

Related Academic Skills: 1.6.3A, B, D 

Resource #3

Resource #4

Equipment #1

Equipment #2

Assignment

Provide students with separated/cut apart paper personal letter elements.  Have them paste the elements on composition paper at the appropriate place.  Review the appropriate rubric with the students.

Related SCAN/Soft Skills: Information B

Resource #4

Resource #5

Equipment #1

Equipment #2

Assessment

Have students compose their own personal letter being sure to include all important components at the appropriate place.

Before writing the letter, review the criteria and descriptions of the scoring in the rubric as a class.

Evaluate each letter using the rubric and share the results with each student.  Go over common errors with the whole class.

Related Academic Skills: 1.4.3B; 1.5.3B, E

Resource #6