Research has shown that children gain greater understanding of what they have read when they are given frequent opportunities to respond to what they’ve
read, especially through writing. The writing response, in turn, helps to
develop the students’ critical reading and thinking skills. And so the cycle goes:
Children who read, write better;
children who write, read more.
This reading-writing link is the very heart of the Letters about Literature (LAL) program. Readers enter LAL by writing a letter to an author — living or dead
— explaining how that author’s work somehow changed the reader’s view of the world or self. The program has three competition levels: Level I, grades 4–6; Level II, grades 7 & 8; and Level III, grades 9–12.
Submission deadline for the Letters About Literature, 2009 initiative,
all
levels, is postmarked December 6, 2008.
This educational supplement provides classroom activities and blackline masters to assist teachers in guiding their
students through the book discussion and writing process. The unit has four lessons that take readers from prewriting discussions through writing and finally assessment. They are:
Lesson 1: Focus --
Introduces readers to the concept that books can change lives.
Lesson 2:
Inquiry --
Provides activities to help readers explore the unique relationship between themselves, an author, and a book.
Lesson 3:
Application --
Provides writing tips to help readers shape their letters.
Lesson 4:
Assessment --
Provides a checklist for editing and rewriting their letters.
NOTE:
Refer to “LAL Worksheets” (Part 2) for the blackline masters to accompany these lessons.
Each blackline master that accompanies the
lessons are recommended for one or more of the three competition levels. However, teachers should feel free to adapt the materials to fit the specific needs of their students. Depending on the group and how much work is completed during class time, the
lessons — including the writing of the letters — may require five to ten 45-minute sessions.
NCTE AND IRA STANDARDS
Thousands of teachers have found LAL a
valuable classroom project. Each year, the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress receives hundreds of letters from teachers testifying how the program’s theme and guidelines dovetail with state standards for language arts. Listed below are the
standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association which apply to the LAL program and recommended teaching activities included in this educational supplement.
Students will
• apply a
wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate and appreciate texts.
• adjust
their use of spoken, written, and visual language for a variety of audiences and purposes.
• employ
a wide range of writing strategies.
• apply
knowledge of language structure and conventions.
•
participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
• use
spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes.
Target is proud to sponsor the Letters About Literature program.
Letters About Literature Teaching Resources
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