Lesson Plan: 5 Parts of a Friendly Letter

Date: January 6, 2015

Time: 11:35 am - 12:05 pm

Subjects
Writing and Geometry

Objectives
Writing:
2.12 The student will write stories, letters, and simple explanations.
2.13 The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation,
and spelling.
Geometry:
2.15 The student will draw a line of symmetry in a figure and identify and create
figures with at least one line of symmetry.

Materials
Teacher:
Real Letter
Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James
Chart paper and permanent markers
Youtube video on the 5 parts of a friendly letter
Students:
Writing Notebook
Pencils

Procedure
1) 1. Hold up a real letter and ask if anyone has received one of these. What is
it called? Are they all alike? How do you know you are writing a letter and not
taking a phone message?
2) What do you know about letters already? Share out.
3) Students come to big rug. Read book about letters (Dear Mr. Blueberry by
Simon James).
4) Response to book: Share with a partner what you noticed about a letter. Did
you see the parts? What they are called? (stretch break)
5) Youtube Video Enrichment: How to Write a Friendly Letter: First Grade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUx6vv5wCPY
6) Share-out what they noticed (use the name sticks in the black/white tin on
the tray for random choices).
7) There are certain set parts of a friendly letter and (on chart) they are placed
on a page like this:
Write down the 5 parts of the friendly letter as you talk. The letter format is
rather like a person from top to bottom:
The paper is folded lengthwise to give us a sight line.
a. First, theres the HEADING that begins from the middle. It includes the
Month, Day, and Year.
b. Next, we come back to the left margin line to begin the GREETING. It
begins with Dear Someone. Yes, dear and deer are homophones! Be
sure to use the d-e-a-r spelling.
c. The third part is called the BODY of the letter. You begin by INDENTING
or moving in to the right about two-finger space. In a friendly letter
the first sentence in the body of the letter is a happy one that tells the

person thank you or sends good wishes. All of the sentences in the
letter will go from the left to right and follow after one another. The
writer will write each sentence and check it for capital letters,
punctuation, and to see if it makes sense, and then keep on writing
until your letter ideas or message is completed.
d. To put a CLOSING to your letter, you will move over to the mid line and
write such words as Sincerely, (comma) or Your friend, or Love,.
Dont write anything else on this line.
e. The fifth part of a friendly letter is the SIGNATURE line. This is where
you will write your own name, beginning at the middle line underneath
the closing.
Next check over your friendly letter. Do you have the 5 essential (must have)
parts?
8) Students will copy this chart in their own notebook on the next clean page.
Begin by folding over the page to find the center line. Copy carefully.
9) If time allows: Read out riddles for the 5 parts of a letter.
I am one of the 5 parts of a friendly letter. I am at the top of the paper to tell the
date.
I am the part of the friendly letter where the person who wrote the letter puts
his/her name. This name shows the author of the letter.
I am the part of the friendly letter where the name is placed to know who this letter
or note will be sent to or who will be reading this letter.
I am one of the 5 parts of a friendly letter. I am the part where the author writes
sentences. I am the
I am one of the 5 parts of a friendly letter. I am the part where the author shows a
respectful or friendly end to his/her writing. I am called the.

Heading
Signature
Greeting
Body
Closing

Closing
Point to the chart and review:
1) What goes at the top: Heading, and includes what?
2) Next, the writer says hello with the : Greeting.
It begins with D-e-a-r Someone and comma,
3) The sentences of a friendly letter are indented from the left margin line and
form the : Body
Sentences move from left to right one after another.
4) Its time to conclude the letter, so the writer uses a CLOSING and comma
such as
Sincerely, or Your friend, or Love (note that in friend, the word is NOT
capitalized but the first word of the closing is capitalized: rules!)
5) Finally, for the reader to know who has sent the letter, we sign our name, and
thats the:Signature