Write Me a Letter

Lesson Five
Write Me a Letter

Grade Level: 3

Subjects: Reading, English, Spelling, Writing, and Listening,

Learner Outcomes:
Students will:

write complete sentences.
answer comprension questions.
write a book review.
write a friendly letter.

Duration of Lesson: 2 -3 60-90 minute sessions

Materials: Little House In The Big Woods
Writing Assessment Form
Comprehension questions and vocabulary

Technology Tools/Courseware: Internet accessible computers
                                                     Bookmarked Internet sites
                                                     Printer
                                                    Word processor

Teacher Notes:

Students will be answering comprehension questions both orally and in writing throughout this unit.
There will be discussions after reading each lesson
Each student will be provided with an assignment folder.
Lessons will be done in cooperative groups and/or individually throughout the unit.
An acceptable use policy must be in effect for each student before using the Internet.
If a classroom set of Little House In The Big Woods is available distribute to the class.
Internet sites should be bookmarked before lesson introduction.
County and/or state guidelines pertaining to web publishing should be reviewed before publishing student writing to the web.

1. Review material in previously read chapters. Read Chapters 11-13 aloud as a class. Discuss what the Ingalls did on the long summer days in the Big Woods. Discuss how other people came to help the Ingalls with the farm work. Explain that this is called cooperation. Relate this to the cooperative groups that the students work in during school and that cooperation is used in our everyday lives. Stress that without cooperation life would be much more difficult and everything would take longer to accomplish.

2. After completing the book Little House In The Big Woods remind students that Laura Ingalls Wilder was a real person and that this book and the other “Little House” books were stories based on her life in the 1860’s. Have students visit Internet site Laura's Letter to Children This site features an authentic letter written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. After reading Laura's letter, students will write a letter to the children of the future telling them what life is like for a third grader in today's world. The letter may be handwritten or typed on a word processor and printed to be placed in the student folder.

3. Discuss the meaning of a book review and the items that would be contained in one. Have students write a short book review for Little House In The Big Woods. The book review may be published on one of the following Internet sites according to state/county guidelines.
Author Search
Book Reviews
Kids Discovery
Radio Show

Modifications:

Readings will be done orally with discussions following.
Varying abilities of reading and writing skills should be noted and lessons modified accordingly.
Students will utilize peer tutoring for use with students with special needs.
Student lessons will be modified according to IEP specifications.

Enrichment Activities: Students may design a stamp honoring Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Evaluation/Assessment:

Evaluation will be an ongoing process throughout the lesson. Students will be expected to participate in reading and discussions.
The letter and the book review will be graded using marked items on the Writing Assessment Form.
Comprehension questions and vocabulary words will be graded.

West Virginia Instructional Goals And Objectives:
Reading 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, 3.18, 3.19, 3.20, 3.24, 3.31, 3.34, 3.38,
English 3.57, 3.58, 3.59,
Spelling 3.473.60, 3.61, 3.62, 3.64, 3.68
Writing 3.40, 3.41, 3.42, 3.42, 3.44,
Listening 3.1, 3.2, 3.8, 3.13

National Standards

References: Little House In The Big Woods

Internet Sites:
Author Search
Book Reviews
Kids Discovery
Radio Show

Springfield Green Spring School

Authors: Kathy Green
Patricia Ricker
Sandra Wolenski

Introduction Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 11
Harvest

cradles shock
1. What were Pa and Uncle Henry cutting?
2. Why were they in a hurry?
3. Name 3 things that Charley could do to help Pa and Uncle Henry.
4. What is the expression used when a person claims there is something wrong when there isn’t?
5. How did Aunt Polly and Ma help Charley’s bee stings?

Chapter 12
The Wonderful Machine

sumac johnny-cake flails
1. What did Ma use to make the hats?
2. What season was it becoming? How do you know?
3. What two machines did the men bring to the Ingalls’ farm?
4. Did Pa like the new machines? How do you know?

Chapter 13
The Deer in the Wood

deer-lick chinked
1. Why had there been no fresh meat since spring?
2. Why didn’t Pa kill the deer he saw?
3. What happened to the bear that Pa saw?
4. How did the Ingalls family spend their long winter evenings?

WRITING ASSESSMENT

Each indicator is scored from 0 to 5.

1._____ The topic is clearly stated.
2._____ The details fit the topic.
3._____ The details are in an order that makes sense.
4._____ The purpose of the writing is clear.
5._____ The events are in logical order.
6._____ The work has a beginning, middle, and end.
7._____ Each sentence has a subject and a predicate.
8._____ The subject/verb agreement in every sentence is correct.
9._____ Verbs and verb tenses are used correctly.
10._____ Singular, plural, and possessive nouns are used correctly.
11._____ There are no run-on sentences or sentence fragments.
12._____ Spelling is correct.
13._____ Punctuation is correct.
14._____ Capitalization is correct.
15._____ The paragraph contains a variety of sentences.
16._____ Length is appropriate.
17._____ The work is interesting and shows creativity.
18._____ The final draft is neat, clean, and easy to read.
_____ TOTAL

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Prescription for Remediation: