SuccessLink Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Great Teaching Ideas

lesson & unit viewer

Friendly Letter to Ma

published on: 2/28/2003

Contributing Teacher(s): Tammy Price

Subject Area: Communication Arts/Reading/literature, Social Studies/Behavioral Science, Social Studies/U.S. History

Grade Range: Upper Elementary (4-5)

Materials Needed:

A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon
Paper
Pencil

Objective:

Students will write a friendly letter in the correct format.
Students will show knowledge of comprehension from the reading in order to include the necessary items in the letter.

Process Standards:

Goal 2.1 plan and make written, oral and visual presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences
Goal 2.2 review and revise communications to improve accuracy and clarity

Content Standards:

Communication Arts 1 - Speaking and writing standard English (including grammar, usage, punctuation, spelling, ...)

Communication Arts 4. Writing formally (such as reports, narratives, essays) and informally (such as outlines, notes)

Time Allowance: Actual activity time for the letter is approximately two to three 60-minute class periods.

Description: Students read and reflect on the book, A Family Apart.

Comments: Students will need to read the book A Family Apart prior to starting this activity.

Classroom Component:

Modifications

IEP - I allowed one of my IEP students to type his writing on the computer due to his poor fine motor skills. He also had difficulty with spelling, which the computer also assists with. I also modified the assignment so he only did two items instead of three.

ESL - I have never had an ESL student, but the first modification I think of is to have an interpreter present to assist with the language barrier.

At-risk or slow learner - For this student I often do many of the same things I would do for an LD student. For this particular case, I had a student who had difficulty staying focused. I made sure he repeated all directions back to me prior to starting. I also gave him a copy of the letter format with all the parts identified with lines for him to write on. Then he transferred the material to his own notebook paper.

Enrichment or gifted - I did not have a gifted student in my class, but one idea I could do for enrichment is to have the students take on the role as Ma and write back to Francis. They could trade letters so they could write back to someone else.

Instructions

After completing the book and carrying out discussion groups, give the prompt.
Have students choose three items they want to include in their letter.
Students will then fill out the graphic organizer for each item they chose.
Instruct the students to put at least three details down for each item chosen.
Some items may require more details.
Review the parts of a friendly letter including margins.
Have the students begin writing their letter by using the details they wrote on the graphic organizer.
After students finish their letter, I have them score themselves using the same scoring guide I will use to grade them.
After the letters are complete have the students share with a partner or the whole class.

Prompt

Francis Kelly is missing her ma terribly and wants to tell her all about everything that has happened to her since Ma gave the children away. You have become Francis. Think about all that has happened to you over the past several days and weeks since you left New York City. Think about the separation from your family. Think about the emptiness you feel because of the decision Ma made. You miss her so much, yet you are starting to understand why she did what she did. You know your Ma wants to hear from you. You decide the best thing to do is write a letter to her telling her you are all right. Make sure you include THREE of the following items in your letter.

What you felt when you lost Ma in the courtroom.
Why you had to pose as a boy.
At least 3 things that happened on the train trip.
Who adopted each child?
Descriptions of your new home, family, and life.
Your wishes for your family in the future.
Your new understanding of "sacrifice".

Also make sure you include the following:

Heading
Date
Greeting
Body
Closing
Signature
Correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
Neat writing
Don't forget the margins!!!

Scoring Guide

5 Points	4 Points	3 Points	2 Points	1 Point	0 Points
The letter contains all five parts.	The letter is missing one part.	The letter is missing one part.	The letter is missing 3 parts.	The letter is missing 4 parts.	The letter is missing all the parts.
The three items you chose to include in your letter are present.		Only two of the three items you chose to include in your letter are present.		Only one of the three items you chose is present.	Your letter does not contain any of the items listed.
You added three details for each item you chose.		You are missing one to three details.		You are missing four to six details.	You are missing too many details.
Your letter is written with correct capitalization and punctuation.	Your letter has 2-3 mistakes in capitalization or punctuation.	Your letter has 4-5 mistakes.	Your letter has 6-7 mistakes.	Your letter has 8-9 mistakes.	Your letter has too many mistakes.
There are no spelling errors in your letter.	Your letter contains 2-3 misspelled words.	Your letter has 4-5 misspelled words.	Your letter has 6-7 misspelled words.	Your letter has 8-9 misspelled words.	There are too many misspelled words in your letter.
		Bonus	Your name is on the letter
		Bonus	You have the scoring guide attached

Graphic Organizer
A Letter to Ma

Teacher Notes

My initial impression of this assignment was good. The assignment took a bit longer to complete than I originally expected, but it was worth the time. I felt this lesson was a great way to check for understanding. The students had to use information they read about several days before. This book captured the students' interests. They get so wrapped up into what is happening to the children that the comprehension seemed to come easily. I was concerned at first that I had required too much in the letter writing. However, the students jumped right into it and many of them did not have to go back to the book to find details. They remembered from the reading and discussions. I also thought for some it would be difficult to take on the role and stay in the role of Francis, but that did not seem to be a problem after all. All the students stayed in the role, even the IEP students.

Classroom management was not a problem at all. The students were so interested in the lives of the characters and did not want to miss anything. I had no problems during the reading or writing of the letter.

The assessment was good. I had the students score themselves with the same scoring guide I was going to use to grade them. They also graded a peer's paper with the same scoring guide prior to turning it in. The scoring guide became a bit lengthy when I was grading the letters. Since I am a SPED teacher, I tend to focus mostly on spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and complete sentences. The scoring guide may put too much emphasis on those areas and not as much on the comprehension, which was the main reason for doing this activity. The letter format was also included on the scoring guide to check mostly for maintenance of the skill rather than learning the skill.

The materials I used were not a problem. The books were a bit worn out and falling apart, but we managed to keep them intact. Materials for the letter writing were not a problem. We had everything we needed.

Time became a concern during the letter writing. It was the only obstacle I encountered. The students became so involved in portraying Francis that they added many more details to their letter than they needed to. They also wanted to do more than just the three required items. They took such pride in their work that they slowed down to get everything just right. I did not allow the students to take the work home as homework because I wanted to see what they could do on their own without help from any outside person. This also made the assignment take longer than expected.

I chose this activity to share because of the enthusiasm the students had toward the task given to them. They fell head over heels into this story and the assignment. I also feel this task improved student achievement by practicing letter writing, strengthening their comprehension skills and writing skills. Letter writing is a type of informal writing that is used in real life. The students need all the opportunities they can get to practice the skills they will use in the real world. I also feel this story allowed the students to view the lives of people who are less fortunate than them. Many times we tend to look the other way. This was a great way for them to walk down the paths these children were forced to walk and feel some of the pain they experienced.

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For additional information contact :
Tammy Price
Central Elem.
Chillicothe R-II
(660) 646-2359
EMAIL: pricetammy@yahoo.com