Understanding and planning open letters
I can explore the various purposes of an open letter and use examples to inspire my own.
Understanding and planning open letters
I can explore the various purposes of an open letter and use examples to inspire my own.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Open letters are letters with intended recipients but made publicly available for anyone to read.
- Open letters may be written to raise awareness on topics or galvanise the public.
- Open letters can be written by anyone to any person, group or indeed thing.
- Open letters have various purposes such as: entertain, complain, encourage, provide hope.
- Open letters are usually inspired by a topic that the writer feels strong positive or negative emotions towards.
Keywords
Hobbyist - a person who pursues a particular hobby
Galvanise - shock or excite someone into taking action
Conquest - the act of taking control or possession of land
Ocmplacence - a feeling of calm satisfaction that prevents you from trying harder
Common misconception
Students may believe that open letters have to be written to those in powerful positions.
There are open letters on a wide range of topics and niches. All that an open letter requires is a strong feeling about something.
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Understanding and planning open letters, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Understanding and planning open letters, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 english lessons from the Non-fiction: teenage kicks unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need Siegfried Sassoon's 'Soldier's Declaration'. It is in the additional materials.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
text type
why the text is being written
who the text is addressed to