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University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Poetic Letter Home

Recommended Grade Level(s)

  • 3-5
  • 6-8

Primary Subject Area(s)

  • History
  • Language Arts

Related Artifacts

Activity Description

Students begin by choosing one letter from the five letter options. Students will review the document highlighting words that appear important to the letter's content. Each student then chooses 15-20 of the highlighted words and cuts these out of the letter. Using these words, each student rearranges his/her words, adding words when needed to form a poem about life in a mining town. In groups of four, have each student read his/her poem aloud.

Standards Addressed

  1. History
    1. Grade 4 Standards
      1. H1.4.5: Identify contributions of immigrants in Nevada.
      2. H2.4.4: Identify the diverse population of Nevada's early settlers and discuss their unique experiences.
      3. H3.4.4: Explain how advances in technologies have impacted Nevada, i.e., railroads, mining, and gaming.
    2. Grades 6-8 Standards
      1. H1.[6-8].7: Explore the lure of the West and the reality of life on the frontier as it relates to communication, farming and water issues, mining, and ranching.
      2. H2.[6-8].4: Identify and explain the importance of immigrant and native groups to mining, ranching, railroads, and commerce in Nevada and the United States.
  2. Language Arts
    1. Grade 4 Standards
      1. 3.4.3: Explain the main idea supported by evidence.
      2. 4.4.3: Describe a main idea based on evidence.
      3. 4.4.4: Compare text from different cultures and time periods.
      4. 5.4.1: Explore a topic to plan written work.
      5. 6.4.3: Write poetry.
    2. Grade 7 Standards
      1. 3.7.3: Describe a theme based on evidence.
      2. 3.7.9: Synthesize information.
      3. 6.7.3: Write poetry.
 

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