Launching family message journals
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=77
A lesson plan for grades K–2 English Language Arts
This lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces Family Message Journals, a tool for encouraging family involvement and supporting writing to reflect and learn. First and second graders are led into composing through demonstration, guided writing, and finally independent writing of messages that they will bring home for family to read and write a reply.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 1
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.04: Extend skills in using oral and written language:
- clarifying purposes for engaging in communication.
- using clear and precise language to paraphrase messages.
- engaging in more extended oral discussions.
- producing written products.
- completing graphic organizers.
- Objective 4.05: Write and/or participate in writing by using an author's model of language and extending the model (e.g., writing different ending for a story, composing an innovation of a poem).
- Objective 4.06: Compose a variety of products (e.g., stories, journal entries, letters, response logs, simple poems, oral retellings).
- Objective 4.04: Extend skills in using oral and written language:
- Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective 5.04: Use complete sentences to write simple texts.
- Objective 5.07: Use legible manuscript handwriting.
Grade 2
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.06: Plan and make judgments about what to include in written products (e.g., narratives of personal experiences, creative stories, skits based on familiar stories and/or experiences).
- Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective 5.07: Use legible manuscript handwriting.
Kindergarten
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.06: Write and/or participate in writing behaviors by using authors' models of language.
- Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective 5.01: Develop spelling strategies and skills by:
- representing spoken language with temporary and/or conventional spelling.
- writing most letters of the alphabet.
- analyzing sounds in a word and writing dominant consonant letters.
- Objective 5.01: Develop spelling strategies and skills by:
