Sending a Letter: Academic Vocabulary Lesson
Grades 3–5
Sending a Letter: Academic Vocabulary Lesson is designed to thoughtfully incorporate academic vocabulary instruction into the process of teaching students in grades 3–5 about sending a letter. By embedding vocabulary learning within this context, the lesson ensures that students can make meaningful connections between new words and the activity of writing and sending letters. It provides two straightforward and effective strategies for teaching vocabulary specific to this topic. The first strategy involves direct instruction of key terms such as "salutation," "recipient," and "postage," where definitions, examples, and usage are clearly explained and reinforced through engaging activities like letter-writing exercises. The second strategy focuses on contextual learning, encouraging students to deduce meanings from sample letters and apply these words in their own writing and discussions. These strategies are carefully aligned with the step-by-step, standards-based letter-writing lesson, ensuring that vocabulary development is an integral part of the learning process, supporting both language acquisition and mastery of letter-writing skills.
