Pen Pal LettersPen Pal Letters

Carrie Sohnle & Carrie Sohnle & Whitney WilliamsWhitney Williams

ECED 4300 A Fall 2007 ECED 4300 A Fall 2007 Dr. Tonja RootDr. Tonja Root

55thth grade grade

Whitney Williams Whitney Williams ECED 4300 AECED 4300 A

Dr. Tonja Root Fall 2007Dr. Tonja Root Fall 2007

55thth grade grade Pen Pal LettersPen Pal Letters

Prewriting StagePrewriting Stage

GPS:GPS: ELA5W2. The student ELA5W2. The student demonstrates competence in demonstrates competence in variety of genres: The variety of genres: The student produces a narrative student produces a narrative that: b. Establishes a plot, that: b. Establishes a plot, point of view, setting, and point of view, setting, and conflict, and/or the conflict, and/or the significance of events. c. significance of events. c. Creates an organizing Creates an organizing structure.structure.

PLO: Students will complete a PLO: Students will complete a graphic organizer.graphic organizer.

PrewritingPrewriting

Correspondence Writing: Correspondence Writing: Pen Pal LettersPen Pal Letters

Pen pal letters are letters written Pen pal letters are letters written regularly between two students from regularly between two students from different countries and are less different countries and are less formal than business letters.formal than business letters.

Includes 5 parts: Includes 5 parts: – Heading, Greeting, Body, Closure, and Heading, Greeting, Body, Closure, and

SignatureSignature

PrewritingPrewriting This is the “getting ready to This is the “getting ready to

write” stage.write” stage. Brainstorming occurs to help Brainstorming occurs to help

with choosing a topic.with choosing a topic. A purpose is decided and the A purpose is decided and the

audience is considered.audience is considered. Graphic organizers are used to Graphic organizers are used to

organize ideas.organize ideas.

Prewriting Prewriting Graphic OrganizerGraphic Organizer

ExampleExample

Putting it in writing. Retrieved November 15, 2007, from Friendly Letters Web site: http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/blisscarman/friendlyletters.htm

Ways to Use the ExampleWays to Use the Example

This example shows the This example shows the format of a pen pal letter format of a pen pal letter with all appropriate parts.with all appropriate parts.

This is a good model for This is a good model for students to see what their students to see what their letters should look like.letters should look like.

Practice ActivityPractice Activity

We will be writing to our We will be writing to our pen pal in Germany pen pal in Germany named Sally Sue.named Sally Sue.

We will complete the We will complete the graphic organizer as a graphic organizer as a class to form ideas for the class to form ideas for the pen pal letter to Sally Sue.pen pal letter to Sally Sue.

Assessment ActivityAssessment Activity

Students will complete their Students will complete their own graphic organizer to own graphic organizer to organize their thoughts and organize their thoughts and ideas to write in their letter ideas to write in their letter to their own pen pal.to their own pen pal.

Carrie Sohnle Carrie Sohnle ECED 4300 AECED 4300 A

Dr. Tonja Root Fall 2007Dr. Tonja Root Fall 2007

55thth grade grade Pen Pal LettersPen Pal LettersDrafting StageDrafting Stage

DraftingDrafting GPS:GPS: ELA5W1. The student produces ELA5W1. The student produces

writing that establishes an appropriate writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals a coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure; the student b. Writes satisfying closure; the student b. Writes texts of a length appropriate to address texts of a length appropriate to address the topic or tell the story. C. Uses the topic or tell the story. C. Uses traditional structures for conveying traditional structures for conveying information (e.g., chronological order, information (e.g., chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a difference, and posing and answering a question).question).

PLO: Students will use their graphic PLO: Students will use their graphic organizer to write their first draft.organizer to write their first draft.

Correspondence Writing: Correspondence Writing: Pen Pal LettersPen Pal Letters

Pen pal letters are letters written Pen pal letters are letters written regularly between two students from regularly between two students from different countries and are less different countries and are less formal than business letters.formal than business letters.

Includes 5 parts: Includes 5 parts: – Heading, Greeting, Body, Closure, and Heading, Greeting, Body, Closure, and

SignatureSignature

DraftingDrafting Drafting is forming ideas into Drafting is forming ideas into

complete sentences or complete sentences or thoughts.thoughts.

The draft is labeled rough draft.The draft is labeled rough draft. Skip lines to leave space for Skip lines to leave space for

editing and revising.editing and revising. Don’t worry about punctuation, Don’t worry about punctuation,

neatness or spelling.neatness or spelling.

ExampleExample

(2003). Pen Pal Letters 2003. Retrieved November 15, 2000, from http://www.gambiahelp.org/Images/penpal_gallery_2003/index.htm

Ways to Use the ExampleWays to Use the Example

This example shows the This example shows the format of a pen pal letter.format of a pen pal letter.

This is a good model for This is a good model for students to see what their students to see what their letters should look like.letters should look like.

Practice ActivityPractice Activity Together as a class we will use Together as a class we will use

our prewriting graphic organizer our prewriting graphic organizer to create our own draft of a pen to create our own draft of a pen pal letter to Sally Sue.pal letter to Sally Sue.

Guide the students on how to Guide the students on how to create a greeting, introduction create a greeting, introduction and closure.and closure.

GreetingGreeting____

BodyBody________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__Closure_Closure_

Assessment ActivityAssessment Activity

The students will write The students will write their own pen pal letters.their own pen pal letters.

They will use the graphic They will use the graphic organizers to get ideas organizers to get ideas about what to write about.about what to write about.

They will write their own They will write their own letters according to the letters according to the model’s format.model’s format.