This Lesson's Title:

I Wanna [Something]...

writing a persuasive letter that will be responded to by a classmate

This lesson was built for WritingFix after being proposed by Nevada teacher Summer Springer at an SBC-sponsored inservice class.

The ideal "mentor text" that can be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the picture book I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author.

Click here to view this book at Amazon.com.

If you are a Washoe County teacher, click here to search for this book at the county library.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

The writer will discuss the persuasive techniques used by Alex in the notes he sends his mother in I Wanna Iguana, as well as the persuasive responses his mother returns.  After playing the interactive button game below, writers will then compose persuasive notes to and from a pair of writers.  Students will then switch papers and respond accordingly to classmates. Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait in this writing assignment is voice; using effective persuasive skills is the main focus of this letter-writing exchange.  The support trait is word choice; carefully chosen words are the basis of several of the persuasive techniques highlighted in this lesson.