B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y

Skills and Strategies

Comprehension Strategies• Distinguish and evaluate fact

and opinion• Identify main idea and supporting

details

Genre Study• Recognize genre features• Analyze genre texts• Make text-to-text genre connections

Tier Two Vocabulary• See book’s glossary

Word Study• Emotion words

Fluency• Read with inflection/tone: volume

Writing• Writer’s tools: State and defend your

position• Write a persuasive letter using writing-

process steps

Letters to the Editor: Old Oak ParkTeacher’S Guide

Level Q/40

Unit at a Glance

Day 1 Prepare to Read Day 4 Reread last letter in “Con: Letters Against”*

Day 2 Read “Pro: Letters For”* Day 5 Literature Circle Discussion/Reinforce Skills*

Day 3 Read “Con: Letters Against”* Days 6–15 Write a persuasive letter using the writing-process steps on page 10

*While you are meeting with small groups, other students can:• read independently from your classroom library• reflect on their learning in reading response journals• engage in literacy workstations

Genre: Persuasive Text

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chart. We will look for how these features appear in each persuasive letter we read.

• Ask students to turn to pages 4–7. Say: Persuasive letters try to convince us to believe in or do something about an issue. Let’s read an article about a town that is divided over the issue of destroying a historic park to build a mall.

• Have a student read aloud about the controversy while others follow along.

• Say: Some people favor cutting Old Oak down and building a mall. Other people do not. How can you decide which side of the issue you will support? Allow responses. Prompt students to understand that the persuasive letters they will read include arguments by people on both sides of the issue. By evaluating these arguments, students can decide their own position.

Introduce the Tools Writers Use: State and Defend Your Position• Read aloud “Tools Writers Use” on page 7. • Say: Writers who want to persuade state their

position, or opinion, clearly. Then they defend, or support, their position using facts, examples, and emotional language. This technique affects the way readers think and feel about the issue. Let’s practice identifying stated positions and the ideas the author uses to defend them so we can recognize them in the persuasive letters we read.

• Distribute BLM 1 (State and Defend Your Position). Read aloud Paragraph A with students.

• Model Identifying a Position Statement and Defense: The first sentence states the issue—whether to collect an annual fee for education outside the classroom—and the author’s position on the issue—it is a good idea. To support this position, the author says that the fee will allow students to take field trips once again, cites research that shows field trips help students learn better, and reminds readers that “children are the future”—an emotional idea that will appeal to many readers.

• Ask students to work with a partner or in small groups to identify the position statement and evidence used to defend it in Paragraph B. Then, brainstorm issues at school that students might write about and have them write their own position statements, using at least one emotion word.

• Bring the groups together to share their findings. Point out that writers use examples from their own experiences as well as facts they have looked up to support their positions.

• Ask each group to read the position statement they wrote, and invite classmates to help come up with facts and examples to defend it. Use the examples

Persuasive Letters2

Prepare to ReadBuild Genre Background• Write the word genre on chart paper. Ask: Who

can explain what the word genre means? Allow responses. Say: The word genre means “a kind of something.” Pottery and weaving are different kinds, or genres, of art. Each genre has some unique characteristics. When we look at pottery or weavings, we use these characteristics to identify the genre. In the same way, we can identify literary genres by their characteristics. As readers, we identify the genre to help us predict what a work of literature will contain and what its purpose is. As writers, we use our knowledge of genre to help us develop and organize our ideas.

• Ask: Who can name some literary genres? Let’s make a list. Allow responses. Post the list on the classroom wall as an anchor chart.

• Draw a concept web on chart paper or the chalk­board. Write Persuasive Letters in the center circle of the web.

• Say: Persuasive letters are one example of a literary genre. Think of any persuasive letters you have read. How would you define what a persuasive letter is?

• Turn and Talk. Ask students to turn and talk to a classmate and jot down any features of a persuasive letter they can think of. Then bring students together and ask them to share their ideas. Record them on the group web. Reinforce the concept that all persuasive letters have certain common features.

Introduce the Book• Distribute a copy of the book to each student. Read

the title aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on the cover and table of contents.

• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week we are going to read persuasive letters that will help us learn about this genre. First we’re going to focus on this genre as readers. Then we’re going to study persuasive letters from a writer’s perspective. Our goal this week is to really understand this genre.

• Ask a student to read aloud the text on page 2 while others follow along. Invite a different student to read the web on page 3.

• Point to your Persuasive Letters web on chart paper. Say: Let’s compare our initial ideas about persuasive letters with what we just read. What new features of this genre did you learn? Allow responses. Add new information to the class web.

• Post this chart in your classroom during your persuasive letters unit. Say: As we read persuasive letters this week, we will come back to this anchor

Day 1

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.ISBN: 978-1-4509-0014-0

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3Persuasive Letters©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

to build students’ understanding of how and why writers state and defend a position. Remind students that readers who can recognize facts, examples, and emotional appeals are more likely to make logical decisions about their own opinions on an issue.

• Ask groups to hand in their position statements. Transfer student­written texts to chart paper, title the page “State and Defend Your Position,” and post it as an anchor chart in your classroom.

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Write one or more of the following

questions on chart paper. What is a literary genre, and why do readers and writers separate literature into genres? What did you learn today about the persuasive letter genre? How can readers tell whether a writer has stated and defended a position in a persuasive letter? Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas and report them back to the whole group as a way to summarize the day’s learning.

Before ReadingIntroduce “Pro: Letters For”• Reread the Persuasive Letters anchor chart or

the web on page 3 to review the features of a persuasive letter.

• Ask students to turn to pages 8–12. Ask: Based on the title, photographs, and blueprint, what do you predict these persuasive letters might be about? Allow responses.

• Invite students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced words (condemned, disaster, squander, stressed, concerned). Say: As you read, pay attention to these words. If you don’t know what they mean, try to use clues in the surrounding text to help you define them. We’ll come back to these words after we read.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the persuasive letters,

focusing on the genre elements they noted on the anchor chart. They should also look at the letters’ position statements and details defending the position and think about how stating and defending a position adds to the letters’ power to convince readers.

Read “Pro: Letters For”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask students to read the persuasive letters silently, whisper­read, or read with a partner.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and their use of fix­up strategies.

After ReadingBuild Comprehension: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Lead a student discussion using the “Understand

the Letters” questions on page 13. Then, use the following steps to provide explicit modeling of how to evaluate fact and opinion in persuasive letters.

• Explain: We learned yesterday that a persuasive letter states the author’s position about a prob­lem or issue and supports the position with facts. Analyzing the author’s facts and opinions helps you decide whether the letter is convincing and whether you agree or disagree with the author.

Day 2

Management TipAsk students to place self­stick notes in the margins where they notice examples of position statements, supporting evidence, or other features of the genre.

Name Date

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCPErsuasivE LEttErs BLm 1

State and Defend Your Position

Directions: Read each paragraph. Highlight the statement of position. Underline facts and examples that defend it. Circle words that stir emotions.

Paragraph AThe annual fee for education outside the classroom is a good idea that deserves your vote. This fee will permit classes to take field trips again. Studies show that students learn better and retain more of what they learn if they can apply classroom learning to real life. For two years, our classes have suffered without field trips because transportation costs too much. The fee will assure that there is money for field trips. If you believe children are the future, vote for the fee for education outside the classroom!

Paragraph BOur class should buy more books for our classroom library with the Readers’ Award money we received. The usefulness of books is not limited to a sunny day the way sports equipment would be. Books are ready and waiting for us in any weather. Reading opens minds and doors. Ideas and stories in books bring the whole world within reach and help us find dreams for the future. Reading helps us become better thinkers and students. Purchasing books is more than a smart idea; it is a wise investment in our future.

Directions: Write a position statement about an issue at your school. Use at least one emotion word in your statement. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC4

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment• Remind students that when they answer questions

on standardized assessments, they must be able to support their answers with facts or clues and evidence directly from the text.

• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small groups of students to practice answering text­dependent comprehension questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Find It! questions. The answer to a Find It! question is right in the book. You can find the answer in one place in the text.

• Model. Read the first Find It! question. Say: When I read the question, I look for important words that tell me what to look for in the book. What words in this question do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I’m looking for the words George Washington Middle School and old. On page 9, I read “George Washington Middle School is seventy years old.” This sentence answers the question.

• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Find It! questions.

Focus on Vocabulary: Emotion Words• Explain/Model: Emotion words express how a

writer feels about a subject. For example, if I say, “I was helpless when my computer froze,” the word helpless adds a real­life perspective to an everyday situation. Writers use emotion words to make connections to readers in persuasive texts. Readers should pay attention to these words and the ways the words fairly or unfairly influence their feelings.

• Practice. Ask students to think of emotion words they already know, such as noble, thoughtless, heroic, dangerous, loyal, pathetic, courageous, and hysterical. List the words on the board and help students categorize them as conveying positive or negative emotions.

• Say: Let’s find the boldfaced words in these persuasive letters. How can you figure out what these words mean? Allow discussion. Say: Besides looking in the glossary or a dictionary, you can use context clues in the letters to determine the words’ meanings. Next, decide whether each word is associated with positive or negative emotions. Finally, think about how the author wants the word to affect readers.

• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the “Focus on Words” activity on page 13 using BLM 3 (Focus on Emotion Words). Explain that they should read the sentences around the boldfaced word to understand the context. They should consider the word’s meaning, its effect on readers’ feelings, and whether the word is an effective choice.

Day 2 (cont.)• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Evaluate Fact and

Opinion) and/or draw a chart like the one below.

Author Opinion or Position on Issue

Facts That Support Position

Freeman Our town needs the new mall to survive economically.

• It will bring jobs we need during construction and after.

• People are moving away because there are no good jobs here.

Spencer We should sell the land to get a badly needed new middle school.

• The old school is falling apart.• Windows won’t open.• Half the bathrooms don’t work.• It is infested with mice.

Taylor We should sell the park to get money for improvements to the town that benefit all citizens, not just a few.

• We already pay too much for education.

• We need to repair potholes, light our streets, and get public transportation.

Smith We should sell the park, but the money should be distributed to all as a tax break.

• Letting the mayor decide how to use the money is not democratic.

• A tax break would let us all spend money to stimulate the economy.

Lee I support the sale of the land only if a new hospital is part of the plan.

• It takes more than an hour to get to a hospital now.

• Time can mean life or death in an emergency.

• Every year of delay costs lives.

• Model: In the first letter, Lawrence Freeman states that the town needs a new mall to survive economically. Then, he provides two facts to support his opinion, both based on the need for jobs. In this letter and the others, I can evaluate the author’s opinion by determining whether the supporting facts are true, accurate, and convincing. In a well­written persuasive letter, these elements should work together to persuade me that the writer is correct.

• Guide Practice. Work with students to locate opinions and supporting facts in the letters. Then, discuss which facts are most convincing.

• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studies folders.

Persuasive Letters

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5©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

• Transfer Through Oral Language. Ask groups of students to share their findings. Then have students work in pairs. One student says an emotion word. The other student should explain the emotion this word generates and offer a word that produces an opposite emotion. For example, bold creates a positive emotion, but reckless causes an unfavorable feeling. Partners should continue until they have brainstormed several word pairs. Invite individuals to share some of their words with the whole group.

• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies folders to continue on Days 3 and 4.

Page Word Dictionary Definition

Why is it an effective word choice?

9 condemned judged unfit for use

It makes the school sound unsafe.

9 disaster something causing ruin

It associates the old school with loss and destruction.

10 squander spend wastefully It suggests that it is foolish to waste money.

11 stressed emotionally and mentally strained

It creates anxiety about lack of money.

12 concerned worried; troubled It creates nagging doubt and worry.

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to

reread the “Features of a Persuasive Letter” web on page 3 and decide whether all of these features are present in the letters for selling the park to a mall developer. Ask groups to share and support their findings.

Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Volume• You may wish to have students reread one of the

persuasive letters with a partner during independent reading time. Have them focus on varying the volume of their voices to reflect the content of the letter. For example, all of the letter writers are upset or angry about the issue, so it might be tempting to read the entire letter in a loud voice. However, this will only annoy listeners and distract them from the author’s argument. Instead, the students must make decisions about which parts to read more loudly and which parts to read more softly.

Before ReadingIntroduce “Con: Letters Against” • Ask students to turn to page 14. Say: Today

we are going to read another set of persuasive letters. The last letter is written in a different format from the others. Notice the notes in the margin. First, we will read to understand the letter. Tomorrow, we will read this letter like a writer and think about how the notes in the margin can help us write our own persuasive letters.

• Say: Let’s look at the title and photographs in these persuasive letters. What do you predict they might be about?

• Ask students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced words (disappoint, destroy, mistake, shocked, disgrace). Ask: What do you notice about these words? Why do you think they appear in boldfaced type? (All of these words elicit emotional responses.)

• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meanings and emotional impact of these words. Look for clues to their meanings in the text. Notice what emotions are associated with each word.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the persuasive letters,

focusing on the authors’ opinions and supporting evidence. Encourage students to think about each author’s ability to state and defend a position.

Read “Con: Letters Against”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask students to read the persuasive letters silently, whisper­read, or read with a partner.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and their use of fix­up strategies.

After ReadingBuild Comprehension: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Say: Yesterday we evaluated facts and opinions

in letters that favored selling Old Oak Park to develop a mall. Today’s letters contain facts and opinions against the idea. What are these authors’ positions? How do they support their opinions with facts? Record responses on a whole­group chart like the one below.

Day 3

Persuasive Letters

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©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCPersuasive Letters6

to come up with other ways to get the money. The writer on page 17 wants to put the mall on other land. I have found the answer in the book. I looked in several sentences to find the answer.

• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Look Closer! questions.

Focus on Vocabulary: Emotion Words• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the

“Focus on Words” activity on page 21 using BLM 3. Have groups of students share their findings.

Page Word Dictionary Definition

Why is it an effective word choice?

14 disappoint fail to meet hopes and expectations of

Disappointment is a bad feeling everyone wants to avoid.

14 destroy completely ruin; smash

The idea of a ruined community is scary.

16 mistake an error or blunder

No one wants to do things wrong.

18 shocked horrified; very upset and sorry

It makes the sale seem indecent or immoral.

20 disgrace a condition of shame or dishonor

It associates the action with shame and wrongdoing.

• Transfer Through Oral Language. Pairs of students take turns making up a sentence using each emotion word, such as “Carrying eggs in my backpack was a big mistake,” while the other student acts out the emotion it expresses. As they share their sentences and pantomimes with other students, ask the audience to identify the emotion word and explain how the sentence and actions make them feel.

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to discuss

the following questions: Do you agree with the “con” letters? Why or why not? Did any of the “con” letters fail to convince you? Why? What aspects of the park, Old Oak, and the mall seem to be most important to the writers of the “con” letters?

Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Volume• Have students reread one of the persuasive letters

with a partner, focusing on varying their volume to suit the content of the letter. For example, students should read the position statement in their letter at a louder volume because this is important information that listeners need to know. Remind students that they have to make conscious decisions about which parts to read more loudly and which parts to read more softly.

Day 3 (cont.)

Author Opinion or Position on Issue

Facts That Support Position

Cooper Selling the park will hurt residents and destroy the community.

• Many residents use the park.• Vendors need the park.• Park workers will lose their jobs.• The town is people, not buildings.

Mandel Old Oak should never be destroyed.

• It is ancient and can live hundreds of years more.

• Louisiana and South Carolina have oaks more than 1,500 years old.

• Old Oak is living part of community.

Oates We should save the park and instead get money in other ways.

• Charge admission to park.• Market Old Oak products.• Build café, skating rink, etc.

Fremont The mayor should work out a deal that includes both keeping the park and building a mall.

• There is land available by the river and at retired landfill.

• This land is near the highway.

Singer Keeping Old Oak protects our living history and a symbol of our strength.

• Indians lived in the forest here.• Civil War soldiers passed here.• Since 1871, the park has been part of

individual and community history.

• Discuss Fact and Opinion Across Texts. Lead a discussion using the following questions: How is the structure of the “pro” letters similar to the structure of the “con” letters? Which “pro” arguments do you find most convincing? Which “con” arguments? Why? What is the role of facts in each letter? Which letter has the strongest emotional appeal? How do the emotion words affect your opinion of the sale?

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card to practice

answering text­dependent questions.• Say: Today we will answer Look Closer! questions.

The answer to a Look Closer! question is in the book. You have to look in more than one place. You find the different parts of the answer, then you put the parts together.

• Model. Read the second Look Closer! question. Say: This question asks me to compare and contrast. I know because it has the clue words different from. Now I need to look for other important information to find in the book. What information do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to reread pages 16 and 17 to find ways the writers want to save the park. The writer on page 16 wants

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©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC Persuasive Letters 7

Before ReadingSet a Purpose for Rereading• Have students turn to page 18. Say: Until now, we

have been thinking about persuasive letters from the perspective of the reader. Learning the features of persuasive letters has helped us be critical readers. Now we are going to put on a different hat. We are going to reread the last “con” letter and think like writers. We are going to pay attention to the anno­tations in the margins. These annotations will help us understand what the author did and why he did it.

Reread Last Letter in “Con: Letters Against”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask students to reread the persuasive letter silently or whisper­read.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and annotations.

After ReadingAnalyze the Mentor Text• Explain to students that the text they have just read

is a mentor text. A mentor text is a text that teaches. This text is designed to help them understand what writers do to write a persuasive letter and why they do it.

• Read and discuss each mentor annotation with students. Encourage students to comment on the writer’s style, the letter’s facts and opinions, and the use of literary techniques such as stating and defending a position.

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card with small

groups of students to practice answering text­dependent questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Prove It! questions. The answer to a Prove It! question is not stated in the book. You have to look for clues and evidence to prove the answer.

• Model. Read the first Prove It! question. Say: I will show you how I answer a Prove It! question. This question asks me to find details that support an unstated main idea. I know because it has the clue phrases mainly about and find clues. Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to reread page 17 to find other places for building a mall. The author says there is other available land around the town. Then she asks, “What about the undeveloped land by the river? How about the retired landfill two miles north of town? Both of those properties are big enough for a mall.” I have located the clues I need.

• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Prove It! questions.

Analyze the Writer’s Craft• Ask students to turn to page 22. Explain:

Over the next few days, you will have the opportunity to write your own persuasive letters. First, let’s think about how Thornton Singer wrote his letter. When he developed this letter, he followed certain steps. You can follow these same steps to write your own persuasive letter.

• Read step 1. Say: The first thing you’ll do is decide on a problem or issue you want to write about. The first five letters we read spoke in favor of selling the park to build a mall; the last five spoke against it. What problem or issue concerns you? For example, I might write a letter to convince students to clean up the playground. What other problems could we explore? Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.

• Read step 2. Say: In the letters we read, each writer had a particular audience in mind. For example, Benjamin Taylor wrote his letter to appeal to taxpayers. He wanted to convince them that money from the sale should be used for public improvements that benefit everyone, not just families with children. Who will our audience be? Let’s list the people or groups we want to persuade with our letter. Remember—different audiences respond to different supporting facts. Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.

• Read step 3. Say: Before you’re ready to write, you need to list all the facts, examples, and other evidence you will use to support your position. As part of her evidence, Vivian Spencer researched the deterioration and health problems of the old school, and Veronica Mandel researched the life spans of other ancient oaks in the United States. When you write your letter, you want to provide as much evidence as possible to convince your audience that your opinion is correct. Choose one of the problems and audiences the class has brainstormed and work as a group to list supporting facts, examples, and other evidence.

Build Comprehension: Identify Main Idea and Supporting Details• Explain: In a persuasive letter, the author

tries to convince you to agree with his or her opinion by stating an idea and backing it up with supporting details. As a reader, you must ask yourself, “What point is the writer making? What evidence does the writer use to support the point? Are the supporting details logical? How strong is the writer’s argument?” On page 16, Laurie Oates argues that the town can find other

Day 4

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Analyze & SynthesizePractice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card with small

groups of students to practice answering text­dependent questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Take It Apart! questions. To figure out the answer to a Take It Apart! question, you must think like the author.

• Model. Read the second Take It Apart! question. Say: This question asks me to evaluate the author’s purpose. I know because I must explain why the author uses a specific photograph. Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to look at the photograph and read the text on page 16. The letter talks about ways the community can raise money without destroying the park. I think the author includes the photograph to show an example of a postcard that could be sold to raise money. The photograph supports the writer’s argument. Thinking about the author’s purpose helped me figure out the answer.

• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Take It Apart! questions.

Summarize & Make Connections Across Texts• Engage students in a discussion about the persuasive

letters in this book. Invite a different student to summarize each letter. Encourage other students to add their ideas and details.

• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of the book. Say: Good readers think about how literary works are related. We know, for example, that all of these letters share certain features. They all state a position on a problem or issue. They all present facts and examples to support that position. What else do they have in common? Allow responses. Say: Today we will think about how the letters are alike and different and what we can learn from them.

• Ask students to work individually or in small groups to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).

• Class Discussion or Literature Circles. Facilitate a whole­class discussion or keep students in their small groups for a literature circle discussion. If you choose to conduct literature circles, share the rules for good discussion below. Each group should discuss and be prepared to share its ideas about the following. Which “pro” and “con” letters are most alike? How are they alike? Which letter is least convincing? How would you improve it? Would you say your position on the issue is “pro,” “con,” or a little of both? What arguments convinced you?

ways to make money. She supports this main idea by describing three ways: (1) charge admission to the park; (2) sell Old Oak products, such as postcards and a history book; and (3) build a café and skating rink or miniature golf course. Oates’s creative supporting details help make her argument convincing.

• Model: On page 8, Lawrence Freeman says that no town can survive without jobs, and a project this big promises many new jobs. He then lists all the types of jobs that the mall’s construction and existence will create. These details give concrete support to Freeman’s argument. Readers can visualize the many workers and understand the value of the mall to the community.

• Guide Practice. Invite students to work in small groups to identify the main idea and supporting details in one “pro” and one “con” letter. Remind them that some main ideas are directly stated in the text. Other times, readers must determine what a passage is mostly about and formulate an unstated main idea. Ask groups to share their findings and explain how understanding main ideas and supporting details helps them better understand the writers’ arguments.

Reflect and Review • Ask and discuss the following questions.

How is thinking about a persuasive letter as a reader different from thinking about it as a writer? How is it similar? What have you learned this week about emotion words? Which letter is most like one you would write? Why? Why is it important for a writer to state and defend a position in persuasive text?

Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Volume• You may wish to have students reread the last

persuasive letter with a partner during independent reading time. Have them focus on varying their volume to call attention to the important points in the letter. Ask students to discuss Thornton Singer’s position on the issue and his feelings about the park. Then ask them which parts of his letter they would read more loudly and why. Invite them to demonstrate by reading aloud one or more paragraphs of their choosing.

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCPersuasive Letters8

Day 4 (cont.) Day 5

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example, for disgust, a student might make a face, push away an imaginary plate, and say, “Disgust. These rotten eggs disgust me.”

• Ask the group to show “thumbs up” if the word has positive feelings or “thumbs down” if it has negative feelings associated with it. Before moving on, invite students to tell the meaning of the word and explain how it makes them feel. Then, continue until each student has had a turn drawing a word.

Reread for Fluency: Oral Reading Performance• Discuss with students the various emotions shown

by the authors of these persuasive letters.• Say: The letter writers show many emotions,

such as anger, sadness, frustration, nostalgia, and determination. When you read one of the letters aloud, you can demonstrate your understanding of these emotions through your expression. This will not only make your reading more interesting for your listeners, it will also help them understand and appreciate the author’s argument and point of view.

• Invite individual students to read aloud all or part of one of the persuasive letters with expression that helps listeners understand the writer’s various emotions.

• Encourage students to have fun with their readings and to make them as dramatic as possible.

• As a whole class, discuss each reader’s interpretation. Think about alternate ways to express and interpret the letter writer’s emotions.

Review Writer’s Tools: State and Defend Your Position• Ask students to look for other examples of a

stated position in newspapers or magazines in your classroom library or the school’s library. Each student should select one text at his or her independent reading level. Ask students to read the text specifically to find an example of a position statement that is defended or supported with evidence.

• Invite students to share their examples with the class. Encourage them to discuss how the position statement and its support influenced them. Remind students that a well­written persuasive text will have a clearly stated position supported by accurate, compelling facts and examples.

• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you will ask them to share the important text­to­text, text­to­world, and text­to­self connections they have made.

• While each small group of students discusses the book, confer with individual or small groups of students. You may wish to revisit elements of the genre, take running records, or model fluent reading skills.

Directions: Complete the chart. How are the “pro” letters alike? How are they different? How are the “con” letters alike? How are they different?

Person Reasons For (Pro) Reasons Against (Con)Lawrence Freeman

jobs

Vivian Spencer

new school

Benjamin Taylor

repair existing school and work on transportation issues

Martin Smith

democratic process and fairness to all

Seymour Lee

hospital

Justin Cooper

park creates jobs for community

Veronica Mandel

tree enthusiast

Laurie Oates

other solution—use park to make money

Alison Fremont

other solution—different locations for mall

Thornton Singer

tree’s historical importance

Rules for Good Discussion• Pay attention to the person who is talking and

do not interrupt him or her.

• Think about what others are saying so you can respond and add to their ideas.

• Allow and encourage everyone in the group to speak.

• Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.

Reinforce SkillsIf time permits, choose from the following activities to reinforce vocabulary and fluency.

Reinforce Vocabulary: Emotion Words• Place students in small groups. Have volunteers write

each glossary word on a slip of paper and put it in a box.

• Ask a student to draw a word, say it, and use it in a sentence, adding expression, gestures, and actions to model the emotion associated with the word. For

9Persuasive Letters©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Day 5 (cont.)

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Write a Persuasive Letter• Use the suggested daily schedule to guide

students through the writing­process steps. Allow approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As students work independently, circulate around the room and monitor student progress. Confer with individual students to discuss their ideas and help them move forward. Use the explicit mini­lessons, conferencing strategies, and assessment rubrics in Using Genre Models to Teach Writing for additional support.

• Before students begin planning their letters, pass out copies of BLM 5 (Persuasive Letter Checklist). Review the characteristics and conventions of writing that will be assessed. Tell students that they will use this checklist when they complete their drafts.

• This daily plan incorporates the generally accepted six traits of writing as they pertain to persuasive letters.

Days 6–7: Plan • Ask students to use BLM 6 (Persuasive Letter

Planning Guide) to brainstorm a problem or issue, audience, position and supporting evidence, and solution or action.

• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of a Persuasive Letter” web on page 3 and to the steps in “The Writer’s Craft” on pages 22–23 of the book.

• Confer with students and focus on their ideas. Did students begin their letters with an issue in mind? Did they support the issue with facts and examples?

Days 8–9: Draft • Tell students that they will be using their completed

Persuasive Letter Planning Guides to begin drafting their letters.

• Say: Remember that when writers draft their ideas, they focus on getting their ideas on paper. They can cross things out. They can make mistakes in spelling. What’s important is to focus on stating your opinion clearly and strongly, supporting it with facts and examples. You will have an opportunity to make corrections and improvements later.

• Confer with students as they complete their drafts. Use the Persuasive Letter Checklist to draw students’ attention to characteristics of the persuasive letter genre that they may have overlooked. Focus on how students have organized their ideas and the voice of the writer. Did students introduce an issue at the beginning of their letter? Did they support their position with convincing facts and present a solution? Does the letter have a strong voice? Will the voice keep readers interested?

• Pair students for peer conferencing.

Days 10–11: Edit and Revise • Based on your observations of students’ writing,

select appropriate mini­lessons from Using Genre Models to Teach Writing.

• Remind students to use the Persuasive Letter Checklist as they edit and revise their letters independently.

• Confer with students focusing on sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions. Did students include both long and short sentences? Do the sentences read smoothly? Have students used emotion words? Did they state and defend their position? Did they use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and grammar?

• You may want students to continue their editing and revision at home.

Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and Illustrations • Ask students to rewrite or type a final draft of their

letters.• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with one

or more drawings or graphic features that depict specific facts or suggested actions in their persuasive letters.

• Confer with students about their publishing plans and deadlines.

Days 14–15: Publish and Share• Explain: Authors work long and hard to develop

their works. You have worked very hard. And one of the great joys of writing is when you can share it with others. Authors do this in many ways. They publish their books so that people can buy them. They make their work available on the Internet. They hold readings. We can share our writing, too.

• Use one or more of the ideas below for sharing students’ work: Make a class display of students’ completed persuasive letters. Hold a class reading in which students can read their letters to one another and/or to parents. Create a binder of all the letters and loan it to the library so that other students can read them. Create a binder of all the letters for your classroom library.

Persuasive Letters ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC10

Days 6–15

rEviEws of two moviE musiCaLs ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBLm 5

Persuasive Letter Checklist

Name Date

Title:

Features of the Genre Checklist Yes No 1. My persuasive letter has a strong lead. 2. My persuasive letter has an intended audience. 3. My persuasive letter is logically sequenced. 4. My persuasive letter states a strong case. 5. I stated my case using facts and evidence. 6. My persuasive letter suggests solutions and actions. 7. I used emotional words to affect the reader. 8. My persuasive letter has a strong ending.

Quality Writing Checklist Yes No I looked for and corrected . . .

• run-on sentences • sentence fragments • subject/verb agreement • correct verb tense • punctuation • capitalization • spelling • indented paragraphs

Name Date

PErsuasivE LEttErs ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBLm 6

Persuasive Letter Planning Guide

Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own persuasive letter.

1. Choose a problem or issue to write about and identify your position.

2. Identify your audience.

3. Brainstorm facts and examples to support your position.

4. Provide a solution or suggest an action.

Problem or Issue

Position

Audience

Supporting Facts

Examples

Solution or Action

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©2011 Benchmark education Company, LLCPersuasive Letters BLm 1

State and Defend Your Position

Directions: Read each paragraph. Highlight the statement of position. Underline facts and examples that defend it. Circle words that stir emotions.

Paragraph A

The annual fee for education outside the classroom is a good idea that deserves your vote. This fee will permit classes to take field trips again. Studies show that students learn better and retain more of what they learn if they can apply classroom learning to real life. For two years, our classes have suffered without field trips because transportation costs too much. The fee will assure that there is money for field trips. If you believe children are the future, vote for the fee for education outside the classroom!

Paragraph B

Our class should buy more books for our classroom library with the Readers’ Award money we received. The usefulness of books is not limited to a sunny day the way sports equipment would be. Books are ready and waiting for us in any weather. Reading opens minds and doors. Ideas and stories in books bring the whole world within reach and help us find dreams for the future. Reading helps us become better thinkers and students. Purchasing books is more than a smart idea; it is a wise investment in our future.

Directions: Write a position statement about an issue at your school. Use at least one emotion word in your statement. __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Name Date

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Persuasive Letters ©2011 Benchmark education Company, LLC

Evaluate Fact and OpinionDirections: Use the chart below to evaluate facts and opinions in the persuasive letters.

BLm 2

Name Date

Author Opinion or Position on Issue

Facts That Support Position

Freeman

Spencer

Taylor

Smith

Lee

Cooper

Mandel

Oates

Fremont

Singer

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Focus on Emotion Words

Directions: Reread each persuasive letter that contains boldfaced words. Define each word and explain why it is an effective word choice for the letter.

©2011 Benchmark education Company, LLCPersuasive Letters BLm 3

Name Date

Page Word Dictionary Definition

Why is it an effective word choice?

9 condemned

9 disaster

10 squander

11 stressed

12 concerned

14 disappoint

14 destroy

16 mistake

18 shocked

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Make Connections Across TextsDirections: Complete the chart. How are the “pro” letters alike? How are they different? How are the “con” letters alike? How are they different?

Persuasive Letters ©2011 Benchmark education Company, LLCBLm 4

Name Date

Person Reasons For (Pro) Reasons Against (Con)Lawrence Freeman

Vivian Spencer

Benjamin Taylor

Martin Smith

Seymour Lee

Justin Cooper

Veronica Mandel

Laurie Oates

Alison Fremont

Thornton Singer

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Persuasive Letters ©2011 Benchmark education Company, LLCBLm 5

Title:

Name Date

Features of the Genre Checklist Yes No

1. My persuasive letter has a strong lead. 2. My persuasive letter has an intended audience. 3. My persuasive letter is logically sequenced. 4. My persuasive letter states a strong position. 5. I stated my case using facts and evidence. 6. My persuasive letter suggests solutions and actions. 7. I used emotional words to affect the reader. 8. My persuasive letter has a strong ending.

Quality Writing Checklist Yes No

I looked for and corrected . . .

• run-on sentences • sentence fragments • subject/verb agreement • correct verb tense • punctuation • capitalization • spelling • indented paragraphs

Persuasive Letter Checklist

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Persuasive Letters ©2011 Benchmark education Company, LLCBLm 6

Persuasive Letter Planning Guide

Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own persuasive letter.

Name Date

1. Choose a problem or issue to write about and identify your position.

2. Identify your audience.

3. Brainstorm facts and examples to support your position.

4. Provide a solution or suggest an action.

Problem or Issue

Position

Audience

Supporting Facts

Examples

Solution or Action

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