Freelance Writing Jobs | Today's Articles | sign in

Writing Using Sarah, Plain and Tall

Integrate a Pioneer Unit with a Letter Writing Lesson Plan

Feb 4, 2009 Debbie DeSpirt

Integrate your pioneer unit with the novel Sarah, Plain and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan, HarperCollins, 1985) to teach letter writing to kids.

Sarah, Plain and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan, HarperCollins, 1985) is a very good novel to complement a social studies unit on pioneers. Teach letter writing to students and use pioneer facts and information from Sarah, Plain, and Tall as a guide for students to write their letter.

Letter Writing Lesson

Begin a discussion about letters to students. Ask students who sends letters, what is written in letters and why are letters written. Write the information on chart paper, with letter writing in the center of the page.

After the discussion, ask students what specific information is included on every letter. Outline the salutation, closing, date, address, and body of paragraph.

Students are to write a letter to Sarah's brother William in Maine to describe her life on a farm in pioneer times. Students are to gather information from the novel Sarah, Plain, and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan, HarperCollins, 1985) and from their social studies lessons on pioneers. It is best for students to write their letters to conclude their social studies unit. Students will be able to write a more informative letter to William after they have learned about the daily lives of women, men, and children during the mid to late 1800's.

Students will reinforce their knowledge of pioneers as they write to William. Letter writing allows them to be a part of the past and decide what information is important to share with William. Some students may find the life of students fascinating while others may want to write about the many chores of children.

Drawings

Students were born into a world where photographs are a norm. Letters received during the holidays are usually accompanied by photographs however, many pioneers did not have access or money to be photographed.

Students will include a drawing of pioneer life using materials common to the era. Students can use charcoal to draw their picture as this was a more common writing tool.

Envelope

Students will make an envelope and address it to William in Maine. Students are allowed to create a fictitious town, street address but must use accurate information about William found in the novel. It is known her brother's full name and state of residency. Furthermore, students will create a stamp from this time period.

Mail Delivery

Teacher or a student can be the mail carrier that collects the letters to be sent to William in Maine. After all the letters are collected, it is a good opening to discuss how letters are delivered today and in the past. Have students brainstorm with a friend on the delivery of letters and packages in the 1800's and discuss how long it would take for a package to be delivered today and during pioneer times.

Letters are a common form of communication between family and friends to stay connected. After this lesson has been concluded it is a good stepping stone for students to identify ways to stay connected with family and friends in the 21st century.

The copyright of the article Writing Using Sarah, Plain and Tall in Primary School is owned by Debbie DeSpirt. Permission to republish Writing Using Sarah, Plain and Tall in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Letter Writing Lesson Plan