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Letter Writing

English

An Advice Letter

1.1

TASK OVERVIEW

Even with e-mail, we still need to write letters. When you write letters,

you must make sure that your purpose is very clear to the reader.

Letters can be written for many different purposes. When you write a

letter you also need to develop your ideas so that you achieve your

purpose. You need to connect your ideas so that they make sense.

WEB LINKS

http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/

INSTRUCTIONS

An advice Letter: Read Dear Abby letters and write your own

problem -- switch with other students and have them write a

response.

When you write a letter:

* list your address at the top right

* write the date underneath

* begin Dear...

* explain your purpose in the first paragraph

* go into more detail in the middle paragraphs - try to link your ideas together

* round off at the end - perhaps by returning to the main purpose

* add a greeting before your signature

* only use slang if you know the reader won't mind

* Writing to someone whose name you don't know? Begin Dear Sir or Dear Madam and finish with Yours faithfully or Yours truly

* Writing to someone unfamiliar whose name you know? Begin Dear Mr/Ms and end with Yours sincerely

What you will hand in to the Teacher:

1) Steps to success page

2) The full writing process

3) The good copy

ASSESSED SKILLS

Communication

Criteria

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

communicates ideas and

communicates unclearly

communicates with some

communicates clearly and

communicates clearly,

information for a variety of

or only with assistance.

clarity and some

precisely.

precisely, and

purposes (to inform, to

persuade, to explain) and to

specific audiences

Organization of Ideas

Criteria

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

organizes information to

organizes ideas

organizes ideas

organizes ideas

organizes ideas

convey  a central idea,

incompletely or only with

independently, but in a

independently,

independently,

using well-linked paragraphs

assistance.

mechanical and sequential

appropriately and

appropriately and in

way.

complex and logical ways.

Reasoning

Criteria

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

revises and edits own work

reasons with assistance

reasons with limited

reasons independently

reasons independently

in collaboration with others,

using a simple ideas.

assistance using a

using ideas of some

using complex ideas.

seeking evaluating

variety of simple and

complexity.

feedback, and focusing on

content, organization, and

appropriateness of

vocabulary for audience

First Term Language Program