Topic:

Language Arts

Grade Level:

Fourth

Instructional Objectives:

• Students will write a friendly letter including all key components.
• Students will convey knowledge of life in a sod house through the friendly letter.
• Students will peer edit another students letter using a checklist.

• Peer Review Checklist (one for each student)

        What was it like for settlers who lived in the Midwest? (lonely, left family and friends back home)  Close your eyes and think about what it would be like to live in a one room sod house after leaving your friends and school behind you.  Think about looking through your doorway and seeing nothing but fields of grass for miles.  Your daily conveniences are now gone, you can't run to the grocery store to get something to eat, you have to make everything yourself.  Open your eyes.  Do you think that would be hard work? Why?

Procedure:

        Review the parts of a friendly letter: heading, greeting, body, closing, signature. (prior knowledge) As well as their specific places on the paper.  Explain to the students that they will be taking the role of settlers of the Midwest when writing their letter.  They are to write a letter to a friend back in Pennsylvania from the Midwest after settling there.  The students should explain what daily life is like, as well as what it was like building a sod house to live in.  They should include what it is like to live in that sod house.  The heading should be creative, and the state should be part of the Midwest region.  All parts of a friendly letter should be included and in the proper position.

        The following day, collect friendly letters and distribute them randomly around the room.  Each student should have another students work.  Explain to the students that they are going to help each other become better writers by editing each others letters.  Hand out the peer review checklist to each student and review the directions on how to fill it out.  It is important to stress giving constructive criticism to other students writing.

        When the author of the letter receives his/her paper, he/she should take time to review the suggestions and ask any questions of their peer.  That night for homework, students should complete a final copy of the friendly letter.  (Typing the letter is optional.) Also, the student should practice reading the letter aloud for an oral presentation.

Key Discussion Questions:

• What was it like for settlers who lived in the Midwest?
• Do you think that would be hard work? Why?
• What are the five key parts of a friendly letter?
• Where are each of these parts located?

    Have a student share his/her friendly letter to the class to demonstrate creativity in writing and to fuel the minds of other students.

Assessment:

• Students will be given an effort grade on the amount of energy they put into the peer review process. (check plus, check, check minus, minus)
• The friendly letter will be graded with a rubric during the presentation. (See Lesson 5) The rubric has 3 levels and 4 criteria for the letter: contains all parts of a friendly letter, displays knowledge of life on a soddy, creative and original, and good mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation)

Extension Activities:

        Students could pair up with each other and practice reading their friendly letters for the presentation.  By using the rubric, they could make suggestions on how to improve.