Skip to content | Contact Us | Email | Site Map | Home

Texas Adult Education Standards and Benchmarks
for ABE ASE and ESL Learners

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

---

Table of Contents