Browse lesson plans

Tobacco bag stringing: Elementary activity three

In this activity for grades 3–6, students will read and evaluate primary source letters from the Tobacco Bag Stringing collection. This should be done after Activity one, which is the introductory activity about tobacco bag stringing.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Tobacco bag stringing: Secondary activity two

In this lesson, students will read and evaluate primary source letters from the Great Depression about the effects of the Fair Labor Standards Act on North Carolina's tobacco bag stringers.

Format: lesson plan (multiple pages)

Wish you were here!

Students apply their knowledge of vocabulary and writing skills along with art skills to create a postcard.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts and English Language Development)

By Maggie Harder.

Resources on the web

Dear Librarian: Writing a persuasive letter

In this lesson, students use online writing tools to plan and write a persuasive letter to their school librarian requesting new books be added to the library collection. After students have read Emily’s Runaway Imagination,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

E-pals around the world

This lesson from ReadWriteThink helps teachers select e-pals for their students and develop real-life writing and learning experiences for them. Students learn the format of a friendly letter and the parts of an e-mail message. With careful selection of... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

A genre study of letters with "The Jolly Postman"

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, The Jolly Postman is used as an authentic example to discuss letter writing as a genre. Students explore the letters to the storybook characters delivered by The Jolly Postman They then learn how... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

I'm gonna sit right down and write someone a letter

Through the vast online resources available from EDSITEment, you and your students can read the correspondence of the famous, the infamous and the ordinary, some of whom lived through extraordinary times. Use these fascinating letters as a starting point... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Letter poems deliver: Experimenting with line breaks in poetry writing

Students learn to demonstrate their understanding of line breaks and how format creates dramatic effect by writing their own letter poems. As a whole class, students use the Letter Poem Interactive tool, which demonstrates how to turn a letter into a poem... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Mail time! An integrated postcard and geography study

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students write to friends and family asking them to send picture postcards. This activity provides motivation for writing and reading and provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about maps as students discover where... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Social Studies)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Teaching audience through interactive writing

This ReadWriteThink lesson supports young writers in learning about audience. Through interactive writing, students work together to create an invitation letter for a group of their peers. In addition, students work independently to create invitation letters... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

What's the difference? Beginning writers compare e-mail with letter writing

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students explore the differences between e-mail and letter writing by contrasting and identifying different forms, and experimenting with their own e-mail and letter compositions. This lesson incorporates an “E-Mail... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Who's got mail? Using literature to promote authentic letter writing

This lesson uses literature and shared writing to teach letter-writing format and promote authentic writing skills. Students listen to and talk about The Gardener by Sarah Stewart and Dear Mr. Blueberry... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink