4th+Persuasive+Writing


 * Class ** : Grade 4
 * Unit ** : Reading/Grammar
 * Teacher ** : Kathy Curry
 * School ** : Burwell Elementary
 * Objectives ** : The students will write a persuasive letter to our Agriculture pen pal family of Nebraska, encouraging them to visit our classroom, using the five parts of a friendly letter.
 * Previous knowledge before this lesson ** : The students will have experience writing the Topic Sentence Practice for a persuasive piece. __The Write__ __Tools__/__Teaching the Genre of Persuasive Writing__, page 25. This will be the third friendly letter the class will have sent to their pen pal; however, this letter will be persuading our pen pal family to visit our classroom. Six + 1 traits will be discussed also.
 * Materials ** : paper, pencil, e-board, highlighters of green, yellow and pink or strips of green, yellow and pink, chart paper, or pocket chart
 * Duration: ** 5 days in March or April (third or fourth nine weeks of school)
 * Day 1 ** : Find a topic. Brainstorm the various reasons why we would like our pen pal to speak in our classroom. Use whole group instruction with the e-board using a web as a graphic organizer.
 * Day 2 ** : Drafting. Small groups of students (3-4 per group). With the web as a graphic organizer write four types of topic sentences that will grab our pen pals attention on the green strips of paper, __The Write Tools/Teaching the Genre of Persuasive__, page 25. The students will choose one sentence for the topic and one will be the conclusion to their letter.
 * Day 3 ** : Drafting. Small groups of students. T-charts or number notes will be used to help organize their 2-3 big ideas. Write these big ideas on yellow strips of paper. Place these under the green topic sentence. Add the sentence for the conclusion to their list at the bottom of their chart of strips. Read aloud in the groups the topic sentence and big ideas with the conclusion.
 * Day 4 ** : Revising and Proofreading. Small groups. Using the pocket charts with the strips, preview what has been written, read aloud in small groups and present to the whole class.
 * Day 5 ** . Proofreading and Publishing. The class will be in in small groups and will begin individual work. Using the pocket charts of strips write the final copy of the persuasive letter.