Language Arts Lesson




Select a first- to fifth-grade level lesson plan from the Internet aligned to a Common Core English Language Arts standard (national or state).



In a 500-750 word analysis, deconstruct and critique the thoroughness of the lesson plan components, with special emphasis on the learning and related activities of the lesson.



Use the COE Lesson Plan Template as a point of reference for evaluating the components. After your critique, rewrite the lesson on the COE Lesson Plan Template integrating standards and skills from another discipline (for example, math or science).



Submit the lesson plan you found, your analysis of it and your revised, integrated lesson plan to your instructor.



APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected

Writing Lesson: Vacation Postcard
Standard 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Standard 5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Standard 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and
to interact and collaborate with others.

Overview:
Children develop as writers as they do as readers, in stages. This Kidspiration  activity allows children, no matter what their developmental stage of writing, to develop a writing project of their
choice. This activity encourages students to attend to word choice, audience, voice, ideas and
conventions while allowing students to be creative in their final design and copy.

Preparation:
This lesson requires the Kidspiration software application published by Inspiration Software, Inc. 
30-day trials can be downloaded at <http://www.inspiration.com/kidspiration.

Lesson:
1. Open Vacation Postcard Exemplar.kid and explain to students that they will be designing
a postcard. Read the instructions aloud.
Writing Lesson: Vacation Postcard


Note: Prior to this lesson, the teacher may wish to have students bring in examples of postcards for discussion. Using Picture View, brainstorm and record the types of postcards, their purposes, designs, and intended audiences and note observations related to word choice. Discuss how these aspects relate to the postcard in the template.

2. Consider defining project guidelines:
a) Should the location featured on the postcard be real or fictional?
b) Should the intended audience be real or fictional?
c) What is the purpose of the postcard?
d) Should students brainstorm ideas prior to designing their postcard?

3. Open Vacation Postcard.kia from Kidspiration Starter>Activities>Reading and Writing. Following the project guidelines in step 2 (above), model completing the activity. 
4. Demonstrate how to use the Word Guide to clarify and enhance word choice.
5. Utilizing the writing process, model for students how to edit and proofread the postcard.

Writing Lesson: Vacation Postcard
Assessment:

 You may wish to incorporate writing rubrics used in your classroom or search
http://www.readwritethink.org for a grade appropriate writing rubric.

 Confirm that students followed the established project guidelines previously determined.
Adaptations / Extensions:

 Have students design several postcards using the same location but varying the audience, e.g., written to a travel agent, to a young child, etc.

 Have students design a postcard enticing someone to vacation where no one would 
want to visit, e.g., a landfill, an alley, etc.

 Have students design the postcard in conjunction with another project, i.e. report on a
state or foreign country.

 Have students design a postcard for a specific time in history or civilization, e.g.,

Colonial America, Ancient Rome, etc.