I reviewed A Genre Study of Letters with The Jolly Postman by Lisa Storm Fink. It is a three part lesson with each session lasting 45 minutes. I chose this lesson because distinguishing between genres is a skill that 3rd graders need as part of our curriculum. This lesson is designed for grades 3-5.
The lesson begins with some teacher directed questions about mail and characteristics of the different types of letters. The students use this information to create a class chart. The class then reads The Jolly Postman critically. As the book is read the teacher leads the class in a discussion of the different letters written to each of the fairy tale characters the postman is delivering to.
The second session begins with an examination of different types of mail; friendly letters, business letters, persuasive letters, greeting cards,etc. The class discusses the similarities and differences among them and the parts of the letters. The class is then suppose to create a chart of the characteristics of each type of mail on a chart that the author of the lesson has provided. The students are suppose to bring in mail from home as homework. An idea that may not be so feasible in today's climate of heightened personal security with the threat of identity theft.
For the third session the students are suppose to take the mail they have brought in, separate into small groups and classify their mail based on the chart the class made in the previous session. After the small groups have finished sorting and classifying the mail, the class comes back together and discusses their findings.
This lesson says it is designed for grades 3-5, but I actually see this lesson for younger grades. Though genres is a big part of 3rd grade, I don't see this lesson working well for any grades above that.
Nakita C. Carson