NEWSLETTER LESSON PLAN


VITAL INFORMATION
Subject(s):
English Language Arts, Social Studies, Technology
Topic or Unit of Study:
People Who Make a Difference
Grade/Level:
2
Objective:
As a result of this activity, students will be able to:
- Create a paragraph of written work about the hero they are studying.
- Edit their written paragraph
- Write a final copy ready for publishing in the class newsletter.
- Working with an adult, add their paragraph to a newsletter.
- Working with an adult, select graphics to be inserted in a class newsletter.
- Working with an adult, insert graphics in a class newsletter.
Summary:
A class newsletter will be created using their unit of study on Heroes from Long Ago and Recent Past. Each student will participate in the process by contributing a paragraph they will write about their hero (e.g. Abraham Lincoln, Louis Pastuer, Sitting Bull, George Washington Carver,etc.). The final draft will be published, with the help of an adult, as a newsletter. The students will be involved in selecting a graphic for their paragraph and observing how it is inserted into a newsletter format.
IMPLEMENTATION
Learning Context:
Prior to this activity, students have spent 2 - 3 weeks learning about their heroes. This lesson is part of a large unit on Heroes. Leading up to this lesson students have studying their hero and are preparing for an oral presentation dressed in costume. The students, with the help of an adult, will produce this newsletter to distribute to family and friends at Open House.
Procedure:
1. Students will write a paragraph (3-5 sentences) about the hero they have been studying.
2. Students will revise their paragraph.
3. Students will meet with the teacher or adult to make any corrections or get assistance where needed. Advanced students can work independently. Students who need added assistance can dictate their paragraph to an adult.
4. Students write their final draft.
5. The teacher or technology instructor creates the format for the class newsletter. She/he will insert a header and use Word Art to create a title for the newsletter (e.g. 2nd Grade News!, Mrs. Davis�s Class, Volume I, March 1, 2002) in the header. The teacher/instructor will also insert three columns. (Optional) Insert graphics in the header.
6. Students will meet with an adult in the classroom or computer lab to dictate or type their paragraph in Word, creating a document for each student. (Note � SAVE often!)Their paragraph will then be copied and pasted in the class newsletter, also in Word.
7. Each student will be exposed to using clip art. An adult will work with each student to select a graphic from the clip art file. The graphic should relate to their paragraph. You could go to www.google.net (Images) and copy and paste a picture of each hero on to the newsletter.
8. The final computer session will work on the finishing touches and show the class the finished newsletter. This can be done as a group session. The students can decide what kind of borders and shading they would like to add to the whole document. The best way to view the newsletter is to have a projector screen attachment to the computer or use an overhead projector with a transparency of the newsletter.
9. Each student will receive a copy of the class newsletter and have it on their desks for Open House. You could also make a great bulletin board display with an enlarged copy of the final newsletter and their rough, revised and final copies of their paragraphs displayed around the newsletter.
Sample Student Products:
Attachments:
 1. Newsletter.doc
Collaboration:
Students will work collaboratively & individually. Students will work in groups of 1.

Time Allotment:
6 class periods. 35 Min. per class.
Author's Comments & Reflections:
This is a great lesson for 2nd graders. They love to see their written words in print! It also takes them through the writing process. Putting all their writings together in a newsletter format exposes the students to a whole class published project. Working with the students on the computer gives them the experience of using word processing, clip art, and newsletter formatting. Advance students can work independently on typing their paragraphs, saving it and possibly copying and pasting it in the newsletter. Students who struggle with writing, can dictate their paragraph to an adult. Remember to save as you work through this project. I could have improved or added to this project by having the students draw their hero, scan their drawing and download it onto the newsletter.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
Instructional Materials:
A finished copy of the Newsletter is to be given to each student.
Attachments:
 1. newsletter.doc
Resources:
  • You will need an adult to work with one or two students at a time. Some students may be able to work independently in a lab with group instruction and supervision on the typing and internet search for a picture to copy and paste.
  • The number of computers required is 1 per 2 students.
  • Technology resources:
    Netscape, Word, Web Site: www.google.com(Images), or any site that will give you images to copy and paste.
  • Materials and resources:
    Research information on each hero that the student has worked on.
    Samples of previous newsletters.
    Projector attachment to computer or
    Overhead Projector with
    Transparency copies of newsletter
  • Students Familiarity with Software Tool:
    Most of the students will be working with an adult on the computer. Some students may be able to do some of the typing and searching on the internet with guidance.


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STANDARDS & ASSESSMENT
Standards:
CA- California K-12 Academic Content Standards
• Subject : English Language Arts
• Grade : Grade Two
• Area : Writing
• Standard 1.0: Writing Strategies
Students write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Their writing shows they consider the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages of the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing successive versions).
• Concept : Organization and Focus
 Benchmark or Example 1.1: Group related ideas and maintain a consistent focus.
• Concept : Penmanship
 Benchmark or Example 1.2: Create readable documents with legible handwriting.
• Concept : Research
 Benchmark or Example 1.3: Understand the purposes of various reference materials (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, atlas).
• Concept : Evaluation and Revision
 Benchmark or Example 1.4: Revise original drafts to improve sequence and provide more descriptive detail.
• Subject : History & Social Science
• Grade : Grade Two
• Area : People Who Make a Difference
Students in grade two explore the lives of actual people who make a difference in their everyday lives and learn the stories of extraordinary people from history whose achievements have touched them, directly or indirectly. The study of contemporary people who supply goods and services aids in understanding the complex interdependence in our free-market system.
 Standard 2.5: Students understand the importance of individual action and character and explain how heroes from long ago and the recent past have made a difference in others� lives (e.g., from biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Louis Pasteur, Sitting Bull, George Washington Carver, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Golda Meir, Jackie Robinson, Sally Ride).
Assessment Plan:
Student performance will be assessed in these areas:
1. Final newsletter product (rubric)
2. Cooperation with adult/on task behavior
3. Quality of writing
4. Effort
Rubrics:
Attachments:
 1. newsletter rubric.htm