Grade: 1

Subject: Language Arts

Length of Lesson: 45 minutes

Topic/Theme: Process Writing

Purpose:

Students will learn how to write a postcard through a basic process writing lesson. Students will learn to brainstorm ideas that one would usually convey in a postcard (prewriting). The ideas will be written onto a mock postcard as first draft (drafting). The draft would then be revised by the teacher (revision, editing) and copied once again to a good copy, mock postcard (publishing). Since not much information can be written on a postcard, the writing process takes less time and students become familiar with the basic process. Students also are introduced to the idea of communicating through a postcard. Since the exercise is serving an authentic communicative purpose, it means more to students. Students are not just writing down words or filling in blanks, they are sharing ideas. Students would be sharing greetings with family or friends and can use their knowledge of writing postcards in the future. Writing postcards is quite common and students will gain real, useful skills. The chance to communicate ideas of their own and learn a different type of writing would broaden students’ sense of writing processes.

Materials, Resources, Methods, Classroom procedures:

postcard

construction paper

scissors

pencils, paper, crayons

chalk, chalkboard

Students listen to teacher for explanation of what a postcard is and its purpose. The teacher shows examle of his/her postcard and brainstorms ideas. Students write ideas down and create their own postcard. Students are also urged to draw a picture of the destination from which they are sending their postcards.

Background Knowledge:

It would be beneficial for students to have knowledge of what a letter or postcard is and its purpose but not necessary. Students would need to be introduced to the idea of relating basic ideas and greetings to paper for friends or family. Mock postcards would need to be made in advance which would be the teacher’s responsibility. The demonstration of what a postcard should look like should give students a good idea of proper form.

Body of Lesson:

The lesson would begin with the teacher introducing a postcard and asking students if they know what it is. Once the teacher gets a sense of the classes experience with postcards he/she explains what they are used for. The class engages in student/teacher interaction to find if anybody in the class has ever written or received a postcard. The teacher is in pursuit of a general idea as to what is usually written on a postcard and when they are sent. Students are allowed the chance to explain what should be written on a postcard, whether it be a guess or a response from experience. When do people send postcards? Do postcards require a lot of writing? Who would you write a postcard to? These could all be useful questions when introducing postcards. Ideas are written down on the chalkboard for students, although they may not be able to read them. A great number of ideas are accumulated by the teacher for use of the whole class. This first process is a form of prewriting.

Once the teacher has felt most every student out for answers or comments and it is clear that students know what a postcard is, the teacher moves from interaction with students to facilitator. Mock postcards are handed out and it is explained that students will be writing their own postcards. It is made clear that not much writing goes on a postcard, and where the writing goes. Students work on writing down messages on their postcards. The teacher patrols the room in search of students needing help. Should students need help they can refer to the example of a postcard which the teacher carries. If a large group is in need of help for ideas the teacher could take them to a neutral table and generate more thoughts. The teacher has stressed that not much writing goes into a postcard and students can feel confident knowing that. The ideas must be used in the right context but creativity is also greatly welcomed. Once students have written down their message they are told to draw a picture on the front showing where they are writing their postcard from. This completes the drafting section of the writing process.

The teacher roams the room to check on progress and passes out good copy, mock postcards. This final stage is the editing and publishing version of the postcard writing experience. Students are told that once they have finished their first draft, they can have a good copy to complete a neat, final product. Students need to know that they are making this postcard very neat. The teacher can correct spelling and grammar but accentuates the positive because these are emerging writers and everything is progress as long as it means something to the students.

Closure of Lesson:

First draft and good copy postcards are pinned up around the class as examples of writing and the writing process. Students are urged to tour the room to look at postcards, asking what the messages say and guessing where they are written from. This lesson generates ideas in the beginning and allows students the chance to share the ideas on their postcards with fellow students. The teacher tells students that they have written possibly their first postcard and tells them to remember to write one next time they are away from home.

Assessment:

The postcards are very valuable because they introduce students to many things. First the students are faced with something they might not have ever seen before, a postcard. They have a chance at developing their writing skills while learning a new form of communication. The postcard requires students to think of ideas to communicate and write down. This could be different than writing down single words, or copying letters out or finishing off things like _at, _og, _ouse. A postcard is a more complete text. It does not require a lot of writing but must have sentences, vocabulary and grammar. Writing even a few sentences is more beneficial and develops more components than filling in blanks or finishing off sentences. Some might argue that grade one students do not have the ability to write well enough to complete a message on a postcard. The concept of emergent literacy would welcome any form of writing as a communicative act in a state of evolution. Just as babies babble, emerging writers babble on paper with scribbles, markings or words written with invented spellings. Students are learning to write and will correct themselves just as babies learn to speak as they get older. Assessment would be constant checking on students progress by the teacher as they go through the writing process. No marks would be given, just a supervision of students understanding of what a postcard’s purpose is and the proper way to use one.