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AFTER READING
OBJECTIVES
Genre E-mail Invitation
Writer's Craft Know Your Purpose
Writing Trait Focus/Ideas
  • Identify qualities of an
    e-mail invitation.
  • Write an e-mail invitation with a clear purpose.
  • Focus on focus/ideas.
  • Use a rubric.
ELL
Writing Support See the writing support activities in the ELL and Transition Handbook.
Traits of Good Writing
FOCUS/IDEAS The writer sticks
to the topic (a party) and has a clear purpose (to invite a friend).
ORGANIZATION/PARAGRAPHS
The invitation describes the event and clearly sets apart necessary information.
VOICE Writing is friendly and
lively. The writer "talks" directly to the recipient.
WORD CHOICE The writer names
specific characters (Cinderella, the horned toad) to help the reader and to add to the sense of fun.
SENTENCES Use of a variety of
sentences catches the reader's interest.
CONVENTIONS There is
excellent control and accuracy.
DAY 1
Teach and Model
DAY 2
Prepare to Write
DAY 3
Prewrite and Draft
DAY 4
Draft and Revise
DAY 5
Connect to Unit Writing
READING-WRITING CONNECTION
  • The Horned Toad Prince
     is a modern fairy tale with
    a purpose. The author
    wants to entertain her
    readers and to persuade
    them to be true to their
    word.
  • All good writing has a
    purpose. In an invitation,
    for example, the purpose
    is to inform.
  • Students will write their
    own e-mail invitation.
Target Skill
The author's purpose, or
reason, for writing an e-mail
invitation is to inform the
reader about an event and
ask him or her to attend.
Comprehension Skill
EXAMINE THE MODEL Display
Writing Transparency 4A. Explain
that it is an e-mail invitation and
read it aloud with the class.
Discuss the model in terms of
the writing traits listed to its left.
Writing Transparency
Writing Transparency 4A
with | without Answers
WRITER'S CRAFT
Know Your Purpose
Display Writing Transparency 4B.
  • Read aloud the information at
    the top.
  • Ask students to tell in their
    own words what is meant by
    author's purpose. Encourage
    them to give an example.
    (Author's purpose tells us
    why a writer has chosen to
    write something. For
    example, a person writes
    about what to do in a fire drill
    in order to inform the reader.)
  • Have students assign
    purposes to the list of topics.
    Encourage them to explain
    how they came to their
    decisions.
GUIDED WRITING On the board
write vacations. Ask students
what they might say about
vacations if they wanted to
entertain, inform, or persuade
their readers.
Writing Transparency
Writing Transparency 4B
with | without Answers
READ THE WRITING PROMPT
Imagine that you are organizing
an event. It might be a birthday
party, a sleepover, a trip to the
ball park, or a visit to the science
museum. Write an e-mail to a
friend, inviting him or her to attend.
Drafting Tips
  • Make your event sound
    like fun. You want your
    reader to accept.
  • Include all the necessary
    information: what, when,
    where.
  • Remember that the main
    idea is to invite your
    reader to the event. Make
    sure the purpose comes
    across loud and clear.
GETTING STARTED Students
can do any of the following.
  • Make a chart with columns
    headed What, When,
    Where,     and Other Details.
    They could organize
    information on the chart to
    help them decide what they
    must include in the
    invitation.
  • Decide on the organization
    of their invitation. Do they
    want to lead with the
    essential information or
    with a catchy opening?
  • Think of words and
    phrasing that will be
    effective for all of their
    recipients.
EDITING/REVISING
CHECKLIST
  • Is my purpose clear?
  • Can any short sentences
    be combined into
    compound sentences?
  • Is the important information
    easy to understand?
  • Are words with a final long
    e sound spelled correctly?
Revising Tips
Focus/Ideas
  • Check that your
    purpose—inviting a friend
    to an event—is absolutely
    clear.
  • Make sure you have
    chosen details that make
    the event seem interesting
    and attractive.
  • Remove information that
    does not focus on the
    main idea.
PUBLISHING Have students
e-mail their invitations to each
classmate, print out invitations
they receive, and bind them in
a "You're Invited" folder.
ASSESSMENT Use the scoring
rubric to evaluate students' work.
Week 1
Memoir 39g–39h
Week 2
Journal Entry 65g–65h
Week 3
Postcard 87g–87h
Week 4
E-mail Invitation
111g–111h
Week 5
Narrative Writing
133g–133h
Personal Narrative
PREVIEW THE UNIT PROMPT
Write a personal narrative
about a time that you were a
newcomer to a place or
situation (a school, club,
team, or neighborhood).
Explain how you felt and
what you found challenging
or exciting.
APPLY
  • A personal narrative is
    a story about an
    interesting experience
    or event in the
    storyteller's life.
  • Think of your purpose
    when deciding what
    information to include
    in your personal
    narrative.
Writing Workshop   E-mail Invitation
 
   
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Scoring Rubric    E-mail Invitation
Rubric 4 3 2 1
Focus/Ideas
Lively description of event; purpose of invitation clear
Event described; purpose clear
Event unclear; purpose vague
Event and purpose unclear
Organization/ Paragraphs
Catchy opening; key information clear
Some details and information confused
Hard to distinguish key information
Information muddled or lacking
Voice
Engaged, lively voice throughout
Friendly voice
Writer not very engaged
Writing unnatural; writer uninterested
Word Choice
Words selected for clear message
Words that get message across
Word choice at times inaccurate
Word choice vague and confusing
Sentences
Sentences varied to interest recipient
Some variety in sentences
Many sentences lacking variety
Fragments or run-on sentences
Conventions
Excellent control and accuracy
Reasonable control with few errors
Errors that may prevent understanding
Frequent errors that obscure meaning