12th Grade Writing A Letter-To-The-Editor Lesson Plan Example (English)

Topic: Writing a Letter-to-the-Editor

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to write a persuasive letter-to-the-editor on a current issue.

Materials

• Writing prompts related to current events
• Sample letter-to-the-editor
• Writing prompt related to current events
• Small-group worksheet for brainstorming and drafting

Warm-up

• Have students look at a recent issue of their local newspaper and find an article that they are interested in discussing.
• Ask them to form small groups and discuss the issue.
• Encourage them to consider how the issue affects them and others in their community and what actions they might take as a result.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of letter-to-the-editor writing and explain the purpose of such articles (i.e. to provide readers with the opportunity to voice their opinions on a topic and to spark discussion).
• Provide students with the writing prompt and ask them to brainstorm ideas and draft a first draft.
• As a class, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the draft and provide feedback.
• Model the revision process, making necessary corrections and improvements to the draft.

Guided Practice

• Provide students with a published letter-to-the-editor and have them analyze the author's purpose and the effectiveness of the writing.
• Have students work in small groups to brainstorm ideas for a letter-to-the-editor on a topic of their choice.
• Assist students in drafting their own letters-to-the-editor, providing feedback as needed.

Independent Practice

• Have students work on writing their own letter-to-the-editor projects, with supervision as needed.

Closure

• Have students share their letter-to-the-editor projects with the class.
• Review the steps for writing a letter-to-the-editor and the importance of publishing letters-to-the-editor in local newspapers.

Assessment

• Collect and grade the letter-to-the-editor projects for completion and adherence to the steps for writing a letter-to-the-editor and the template provided.
• Use a rubric to assess the quality of the letter-to-the-editor and the student's demonstration of the four skill qualities (accuracy, completeness, organization, and style).