MINI LESSON: Thank You Letters

Overview: Students will write thank you letters that express gratitude to someone who has done something meaningful for them.

Objectives:

• I can compose a thank you letter
• I can write with a specific audience and purpose in mind

Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4  
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.6
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4  
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.6
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4         
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.6
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4

Materials:

• One to one devices

Lesson Outline:

• Part One: Explain the Activity, Brainstorm, and Give Examples
• Get into the spirit of giving thanks! Explain to students that they will be writing thank you letters to someone who has done something meaningful for them.
• Have students take a few minutes to think and share about the people in their lives. Who helps them get to school? Who prepares their meals? Who helps them with their homework? Who takes care of them when they are sick? Who recently gave them a gift?
• Use imagery from Ideas on Write About to help spark brainstorming. Explore topics submitted by students or use this Idea Gallery for Gratitude
• Once students have had time to brainstorm, ask them to narrow their list down to one person they'd like to send a thank you letter to, and why.
  
  
• Part Two: Write!
• Have students create their letters in a Post from scratch, from one of the Ideas in the Gallery for Gratitude, or from this existing Idea.

• Part Three: Share and Respond
• When students are done writing (or the allotted writing time is up) have them share their writing and take the time to read what their classmates wrote. Students can leave comments and feedback on the Posts of their peers.
• Allow students to share their published Thank You with the person they have written to. Posts can be printed and shared physically, or, if the Post is published to the Public layer, can be shared using the link (by email, social media, etc)

Enrichment/Extensions:

• Prior to the activity, students can keep a list for 24 hours of people who have done something nice or meaningful for them.
• Students can use the audio feature to publish  a personal message attached to their Post

Accommodations:

• Create a custom Idea which uses the Description area to provide step-by-step instructions or links to instructional references (ie skill videos, visual aids, etc) specific to your class needs.
• Use the audio tool to record instructions when creating the Idea. You can read the Idea and Idea Description text out loud so students can listen and replay them as needed.
• Modify the lesson to include small groups and be sure to follow provided personalized accommodations based upon any student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).