Texas
Adult Education Standards and Benchmarks
for ABE ASE and ESL Learners
Lesson Plan Bank
esl LESSON PLANS
Texas Adult Education Standards
Lesson Plan
Before you begin
Title: Writing Personal Letters
Setting: ESL
NRS Level(s):
Level 3: High Beginning
Level 4: Low Intermediate
Open entry/exit: Yes
Context: Academic
Standard(s): ESL Convey Ideas in Writing
Benchmark(s): 1.3, 1.4, 2.3, 2.4, 3.3, 3.4, 4.3, 4.4, 5.3, 5.4
Objective: To write a letter or note to friends, family or children’s school personnel.
Materials: Paper, pencils
Estimated time needed to prepare for this lesson plan: 15 minutes
Estimated time needed to complete this lesson plan: 2 hours
The Lesson Plan
Introduce the lesson:
Discuss with the class occasions they have written letters to family,
friends, or maybe to school personnel regarding their children. From
the discussion that develops, discuss how some personal letters will
require a specific vocabulary and use a certain tone than other types
of personal letter writing (e.g. writing to family vs. writing to a
child’s teacher or principal).
Review basic computer skills using word processing software.
Teach the lesson:
Hand out copies of a sample letter to the class. Discuss the basic parts
of the letter.
Create lectures that include drafting, formatting, printing, and signing
letters; addressing envelopes and mailing letters. Basic computer word
processing skills should be included in lectures.
Practice the lesson:
Using the computer, each student will write a letter to a family member.
Next they will write a letter to their child’s school (e.g. child’s
progress or similar type of letter). Break the class into small groups
where they will share their letters. Students should be encouraged
to notice the difference in tone between informal personal writing
and formal personal writing.
Assess the lesson:
Teacher gives individual feedback. Students will correct errors and revise
their letters.
Apply the lesson to the real world:
Students will be able to distinguish the type of letters that require
specific vocabulary and tone.
Submitted by: Oscar Gomez
