Standard Lesson
The Correspondence Project: A Lesson of Letters
Grades
9 - 12
Lesson Plan Type
Standard Lesson
Estimated Time
Five 50-minute sessions
Author
Publisher
NCTE
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Overview
Students practice writing effective letters for a variety of real-life situations, such as responding to a prompt on a standardized test, corresponding with distant family members, or communicating with a business. They begin by reviewing the differences between business and friendly letter formats, using examples and a Venn diagram. Next, students write two letters, choosing from a list of prompts that include letters for varying audiences and purposes. After completing drafts and revisions, students complete their final versions using an online tool.
Featured Resources
Letter Generator: This online tool allows students to read about the parts of a letter. They can then write and print their own friendly or business letter.
Interactive Venn Diagram: Use this online tool to organize ideas for a compare and contrast essay, or while reading to compare and contrast two works of literature.
From Theory to Practice
In Both Art and Craft: Teaching Ideas That Spark Learning, Diana Mitchell explains that teaching is "about gently uncovering ways for students to find their way into the learning by making connections within themselves" (23). Students are more likely to "find their way into learning" when assignments have clear application to real-world tasks. As Mitchell explains it, these types of assignments, "have a ‘nowness' about them; there is a reason for an importance to doing them at this point in time" (24). In addition, personal connections are made more easily when students have a degree of choice within a writing assignment. Mitchell triumphs assignments that "are fun and interesting," as well as those that "provide lots of possibilities and tap into . . . imagination" (24). In that spirit, this lesson in letter writing provides a functional application for writing and, at the same time, encourages students to make personal connections through a variety of letter topics.
Further Reading
Common Core Standards
This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.
State Standards
This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.
NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts
- 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
- 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
- 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
- 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
- 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
- 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
- 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
Materials and Technology
Computers with Internet access for student use
Printouts
Websites
Preparation
- Review the Correspondence Project Prompts and determine the requirements for the class. Decide on the number of letters students will write as well as any letters that you will require. You may wish to choose specific prompts to ensure that students write at least one letter using business format and one using friendly format. You can also require 2 letters and allow students to choose additional letters freely.
- Make one copy per student of each of the following handouts:
- Contemplating Correspondence
- Business and Friendly Letter Samples
- Venn Diagram handout (if computer access is not available)
- Correspondence Project Prompts
- Rubric for Correspondence Project
- Contemplating Correspondence
- Make one copy of the Contemplating Correspondence Key for yourself.
- Make overhead transparencies of the Business and Friendly Letter Samples and the Venn Diagram handout (needed only if computer access is not available).
- Test the interactive Venn Diagram and Letter Generator on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tools and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.
Student Objectives
Students will
- review examples of business and friendly letters.
- compare business and friendly letter formats.
- write letters in response to specific writing prompts.
- apply knowledge of language structure and conventions.
- adjust their use of writing conventions, style, and vocabulary for a variety of audiences and purposes.
Session One
- Distribute copies of the Contemplating Correspondence sheet.
- Explain that most questions have more than one “correct” answers. Suggest that students leave any questions that they are unsure about blank and return to them after the class discussion of the sheets.
- Allow students a few minutes to respond.
- Review the students' responses to the Contemplating Correspondence sheet, using the questions as a springboard for a brief class discussion about writing letters. Refer to the Contemplating Correspondence Key to ensure students recognize the most basic details.
- Tell students that they will be completing a letter writing project. Before writing the letters, however, they will review standard business and friendly letter formats.
- Discuss the difference between the friendly letter format and a friendly tone. Explain that people can use the friendly letter format for letters that have a more formal tone (e.g., a condolence letter to someone the author does not know well).
- Share the Friendly Letter Sample by distributing copies to students, and displaying the sample using an overhead transparency.
- Have students take turns reading the body of the letter aloud.
- Identify the main parts of a friendly letter (heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature) by allowing student volunteers to take turns using a non-permanent transparency marker to label each of the five main parts. Ask students to label their handouts in the same manner.
- Use Writing the Basic Business Letter from the Purdue OWL to supplement the discussion of the parts of letters.
Session Two
- Review the information covered in Session One by asking students what they remember about friendly letter format.
- Tell students that during this session, they will be reviewing business letter format.
- Ask students if business letter format is for use only by businesses. Use student responses as a springboard for discussion on the various uses for business letters (e.g., applying for employment, expressing a consumer complaint to company).
- Share the Business Letter Sample by distributing copies to students and displaying the sample by using an overhead transparency.
- Have students take turns reading the body of the letter aloud.
- Identify the main parts of a business letter (heading, inside address, greeting, body, closing, and signature) by allowing student volunteers to take turns using a non-permanent transparency marker to label each of the six main parts. Instruct students to label their handouts in the same manner.
- Again, you can use Writing the Basic Business Letter from the Purdue OWL to supplement the discussion of the parts of letters.
- Discuss the differences between the full-block and modified-block formats. Point to the additional sample letters from the Purdue OWL or Sample Complaint Letter to discuss the formats.
- Have students compare friendly and business letter formats using the interactive Venn Diagram. Teachers also may wish to have students complete a separate Venn Diagram to compare and contrast full-block and modified-block formats. If computer access is not available, distribute copies of the Venn Diagram handout to students and display the diagram using an overhead transparency. Allow students to complete the diagram together by allowing student volunteers to take turns using a non-permanent transparency maker to identify common and dissimilar traits between the two letter formats. Students should follow along by filling in their own diagrams on their handouts.
- Distribute the Correspondence Project Prompts and the Rubric for Correspondence Project to students. Explain the requirements you have chosen for the project, giving students details on the number of letters they should write and any required prompts they must respond to.
- Review the Rubric for Correspondence Project and ensure that students understand the expectations for the project.
- In the remaining time, have students begin the process of choosing letters to write and drafting their correspondence. Explain that students will continue this work during the next class session.
Session Three
- Review the Correspondence Project Prompts and the Rubric for Correspondence Project. Answer any questions regarding the project.
- Tell students that the goal for this session is to complete drafts of at least two letters.
- Make newspapers, scissors, and tape available to students for use with the first prompt (a job application letter).
- Circulate among students as they work, and assist as needed.
- Students who require extra time to complete their drafts should do so as homework.
Session Four
- Check for completion of at least two letters.
- Review the Correspondence Project Prompts and the Rubric for Correspondence Project.
- Tell students that the goal for this session is to complete drafts for the remaining letters.
- Circulate among students as they work, and assist as needed.
- Students who require extra time to complete their letters should do so as homework.
- Ask students to bring all completed drafts with them to the next class session.
Session Five
- Review the Rubric for Correspondence Project.
- Introduce students to the interactive Letter Generator, and explain that they will be revising their drafts and using this tool to create final versions of their work.
- Allow students time to revise their drafts. Revision options are endless and open to teacher preference. Students may proofread and revise independently, through “pair and share” edit sessions with classmates, or by basing revisions on teacher remarks and comments if the teacher wishes to collect the drafts prior to Session Five and return them with comments at the beginning of the session.
- Students should complete their draft revisions and create final versions using the interactive Letter Generator.
- If needed, add a sixth session to the lesson to allow students time to complete their letters using the interactive Letter Generator.
Extensions
- For additional letter writing options, use these ReadWriteThink lessons:
- Communicating on Local Issues: Exploring Audience in Persuasive Letter Writing
- Draft Letters: Improving Student Writing through Critical Thinking
- E-pals Around the World
- Exploring Literature through Letter-Writing Groups
- Persuading an Audience: Writing Effective Letters to the Editor
- Worth Its Weight: Letter Writing with “The Things They Carried”
- Communicating on Local Issues: Exploring Audience in Persuasive Letter Writing
- Consider introducing pen pals or “key pals” into your classroom community. Many programs are available online and can easily be located through most of the popular search engines using the keyword search “school pen pals.”
- Depending on the grade and skill level of students, a mini-lesson on properly addressing an envelope and folding a letter might be a worthwhile addition to this project.
- Use the online interactive Postcard Creator as a lesson extension or letter alternative. Many of the friendly letter prompts would adapt easily to a postcard format.
- The EDSITEment lesson I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Someone a Letter offers a collection of historically significant letters and can provide a useful extension to this lesson.
Student Assessment / Reflections
- Assess students’ understanding of the purposes and formats of business and friendly letters through observation and anecdotal notes of student participation during classroom discussions.
- Assess students’ use of interactive tools through observation and anecdotal notes of student work while using the interactive tools.
- Check for proper completion of the interactive Venn Diagram contrasting letter formats.
- Use the Rubric for Correspondence Project to assess the letters students have written.
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