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Letter to Next Year's Students Writing Lesson for Years 4 to 6
4 5 6 Standard Membership Presentations End Of Year Text Structure & Organisation Creating Texts 15 Pages

Letter to Next Year's Students Writing Lesson for Years 4 to 6

A Letter to Next Year's Students is an end of year friendly letter writing lesson for Years 4 to 6 from Teach This, aligned to the Australian Curriculum. The 15-slide PowerPoint covers the purpose and audience of a friendly letter, what makes good advice and the six parts of a letter. Students read a model letter, explain why it works, compare it with a stronger example and practise turning vague advice into specific, helpful tips. Planning, writing and checklist slides guide students to write about what to look forward to, classroom tips and how to handle challenges.

Teachers can use it as a complete end of year writing lesson. The letters make a welcoming display or transition pack for next year's class and save planning time at the end of term.

Learning goals

  • We are learning to plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts with correct text structure, language features and grammatical features and incorporating research from a range of sources.
  • We are learning to plan, create, edit and publish imaginative, informative, persuasive and multimodal texts with correct text structure, grammar, punctuation, language features, images and sound appropriate for the purpose and the audience.
  • We are learning to plan, create, edit and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts with correct text structure, tense, language features, vivid vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and images.
  • We are learning to plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts with correct text structure, language features and grammatical features, and incorporate research from a range of sources.
  • We are learning to re-read and revise written texts and to edit texts for clarity, structure, grammatical and spelling accuracy.
  • We are learning to use software, e.g. MS Word or PowerPoint to plan, sequence, compose and edit multimodal texts featuring visual, print and audio elements.
  • We are learning to plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative, persuasive and multimodal texts with correct text structure, language features, images and sound appropriate for the purpose and the audience.
  • We are learning to re-read and edit work using knowledge of text structures and language features.
  • We are learning to use software, e.g. MS Word or PowerPoint proficiently to construct, edit and publish multimodal texts featuring visual, print and audio elements.
  • We are learning to plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts with correct text structure, language features and images for purpose and the audience.
  • We are learning to re-read and edit work using agreed criteria and to explain our editing choices.
  • We are learning to use software, e.g. MS Word or PowerPoint, learning new functions as required to create texts.

Curriculum alignment

AC9E5LY06 9 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, developing ideas using visual features, text structure appropriate to the topic and purpose, text connectives, expanded noun groups, specialist and technical vocabulary, and punctuation including dialogue punctuation AC9E6LY06 9 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, using paragraphs, a variety of complex sentences, expanded verb groups, tense, topic-specific and vivid vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and visual features AC9E4LY06 9 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, using visual features, relevant linked ideas, complex sentences, appropriate tense, synonyms and antonyms, correct spelling of multisyllabic words and simple punctuation ACELY1697 8.4 Use a range of software including word processing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements ACELY1717 8.4 Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts ACELY1715 8.4 Re-read and edit students’ own and others’ work using agreed criteria and explaining editing choices ACELY1714 8.4 Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience ACELY1707 8.4 Use a range of software including word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements ACELY1705 8.4 Re-read and edit student’s own and others’ work using agreed criteria for text structures and language features ACELY1704 8.4 Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience ACELY1694 8.4 Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences, demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features ACELY1695 8.4 Re-read and edit for meaning by adding, deleting or moving words or word groups to improve content and structure
EN3-2A old Composes, edits and presents well-structured and coherent texts EN2-3A old Uses effective handwriting and publishes texts using digital technologies EN2-2A old Plans, composes and reviews a range of texts that are more demanding in terms of topic, audience and language EN3-OLC-01 new Communicates to wide audiences with social and cultural awareness, by interacting and presenting, and by analysing and evaluating for understanding EN3-VOCAB-01 new Extends Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary through interacting, wide reading and writing, morphological analysis and generating precise definitions for specific contexts EN3-CWT-01 new Plans, creates and revises written texts for multiple purposes and audiences through selection of text features, sentence-level grammar, punctuation and word-level language EN3-SPELL-01 new Automatically applies taught phonological, orthographic and morphological generalisations and strategies when spelling in a range of contexts, and justifies spelling strategies used to spell unfamiliar words EN3-HANDW-01 new Sustains a legible, fluent and automatic handwriting style EN3-HANDW-02 new Selects digital technologies to suit audience and purpose to create texts EN3-UARL-01 new Analyses representations of ideas in literature through narrative, character, imagery, symbol and connotation, and adapts these representations when creating texts EN2-UARL-01 new Identifies and describes how ideas are represented in literature and strategically uses similar representations when creating texts EN2-OLC-01 new Communicates with familiar audiences for social and learning purposes, by interacting, understanding and presenting EN2-HANDW-02 new Uses digital technologies to create texts EN2-SPELL-01 new Selects, applies and describes appropriate phonological, orthographic and morphological generalisations and strategies when spelling in a range of contexts EN2-CWT-03 new Plans, creates and revises written texts for persuasive purposes, using text features, sentence-level grammar, punctuation and word-level language for a target audience EN2-CWT-02 new Plans, creates and revises written texts for informative purposes, using text features, sentence-level grammar, punctuation and word-level language for a target audience EN2-CWT-01 new Plans, creates and revises written texts for imaginative purposes, using text features, sentence-level grammar, punctuation and word-level language for a target audience EN2-VOCAB-01 new Builds knowledge and use of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary through interacting, wide reading and writing, and by defining and analysing words EN3-UARL-02 new Analyses representations of ideas in literature through genre and theme that reflect perspective and context, argument and authority, and adapts these representations when creating texts
VCELY329 Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience VCELY330 Reread and edit own and others’ work using agreed criteria for text structures and language features VCELY299 Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences, demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features VCELY332 Use a range of software including word processing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements VCELY358 Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience VCELY300 Reread and edit for meaning by adding, deleting or moving words or word groups to improve content and structure VCELY359 Reread and edit own and others’ work using agreed criteria and explaining editing choices VCELY302 Use a range of software including word processing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements VCELY361 Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts

Australian Curriculum covers QLD / SA / WA / NT / TAS / ACT.

Differentiation

Modifications

Provide the planning slide as a printed scaffold with sentence starters. Let students write three focused tips rather than a full letter.

Extensions

Ask students to adjust their letter for a different audience, such as a new student joining mid-year. Challenge students to use persuasive language to convince the reader to try something new.

Teach it your way

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