Writing an open letter
I can write an open letter using emotive language, antithesis and satire.
Writing an open letter
I can write an open letter using emotive language, antithesis and satire.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Open letters are letter written to a particular person or group but which are made publicly available for all to read.
- Siegfried Sassoon uses antithesis, emotive language and personal pronouns to make his open letter a powerful protest.
- The methods used in an open letter will differ depending on the purpose of writing.
- Satire can also be used in open letters to criticise a person or idea in an amusing way.
- Successful satire usually involves any of the following: a clear target, humour, exaggeration, irony and parody.
Keywords
Antithesis - the direct opposite
Satire - a humorous way of criticising ideas or people, especially to make a political point
Blunt - saying what you think without trying to be polite
Parody - to copy the style of something or someone else in a humorous way
Common misconception
Students may think that Sassoon's style of open letter is the only way to write an open letter.
Open letters can have a range of purposes. Those that will never be read by the recipient or where the writer doesn't expect to create change (e.g. open letter to Mondays) will typically involve more humour.
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Writing an open letter, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Writing an open letter, 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 'A Soldier's Declaration'. It is available in the additional materials.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
the type of text
the reason for the writing
the intended reader of the text