Objective: During the next two days, all of you will be able to analyze your own ability to write for different audiences and purposes as a result of brainstorming, writing two letters, and highlighting them.
On day one, students will brainstorm the different types of writing they do (i.e. text messages, IM's, notes to friends, essays in class, etc). We will list these on the board and then students will provide examples of the different kinds of language one would use for each. I will then present a mini-lesson on what diction is and what the different levels are: formal, colloquial, informal, slang. I will model by showing how the same phrase would sound different at each level. Students will then, with my help, label the examples listed on the board with the appropriate level of diction. We will then discuss how and why we use different levels of diction for different audiences and purposes. We will talk about how our "voices" change accordingly. Together we will discuss real examples from the students' lives, showing students they already do this adjusting of their language.
Students will then be given a scenario: You were at a party last night at a friends' house, such a good one that a neighbor called the cops. You ended up being late this morning missing an important test. They will then write two letters, one to the principal explaining why they were late and need to take the test another time, and one to a friend retelling your adventures. Students will keep in mind their audience and purpose as they write.
During day two, students will share their letters with each other, providing examples for the class as to how their language changed depending on whether or not they wrote to the principal or to their friend. For homework, students will write a 250-word minimum analysis comparing their two letters. They must include examples from the text, their letter,
showing
how their language changed (or didn't) and practice using the academic language they learned yesterday. How does their voice sound different in the letters and why?
