Why We Write

Grades 8–12

7 Sessions: 1 Hour Each

Narrative

Projects

PS You Sound like Someone I Can Trust

by Maria Villareal, 826CHI

1. Introduction to the Project

2. Meet Your Partner & Introduce Yourself

3. Finish Your Introduction Letters

4. Why We Write

5. A Time for Reflection

6. Big Changes

7. A Time for Celebration

Students will exchange letters with students from different classes or schools. By listening to others’ stories and sharing stories of their own, students will practice to read and write with empathy.

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SESSION 4 OF 7

Previous Session

Next Session

In this session, students read and respond to a new set of letters.

What Your Students Will Learn

Students consider what drives people to write, responding to another letter from their partner and continuing to include strong details and a regard for their audience.

Common core standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2.B

Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2.A

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2.D

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.4

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.A

Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.B

Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.D

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.A

Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.B

Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.D

Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4

What Your Students Will Produce

Students write another letter of correspondence.

What You Will Need

Paper and writing utensils
Optional: markers and stickers
Method of watching the TEDTalk
Letters from your buddies!

Before You Start

Before you start, make sure that you have delivered the letters you students wrote to their buddies and received the replies from your partner classroom.

You will also need to ensure that you have a method of watching the TEDTalk—the easiest would be projecting it so your class can watch it together, but you could also print the transcript and read it if you don’t have access to a working projector.