All About Our Town: Using Brochures to Teach Informational Writing
All communities have their own landmarks, symbols, and people that make them unique places to live. In this lesson, students explore their towns using a variety of print and nonprint resources. By looking at brochures and other informational tools, students learn about some of the purposes for which people read and write. They also practice writing for a specific audience, revising their writing, and working collaboratively to create a brochure for new students just moving into town. This lesson ties in well with social studies. It is an open ended activity that allows success for students at all levels. This lesson allows students to learn that people read and write for various reasons and learning about the purposes for which people read and write are two important-and often neglected-facets in children's literacy development.