Painting a Perfect Picture in the reader's mind doesn't always just mean adjectives. Verbs are important too! In this lesson, we explored the art of "how to" writing, and what better way to inspire the students than to send them on vacation and have them leave their teacher a letter with specific instructions on how to do their least favorite chore?
After going over a list of effective guide words, the students organized their letters in the form of introduction, body (the directions section), and conclusion. Clearly, I've got my work cut out! Luckily, I can picture how to do these chores just perfectly thanks to these awesome writers.
Dear Mrs. Huff,
I have gone to New Guinea to get a new guinea pig. But, I have forgotten to put away the laundry! If I don't do this, my parents will kill me! You will have to help me!
First, you need to go to the laundry room and get the black basket from under the counter. Then, go to my room and go to the white closet to the left. All the clothes are already folded, so now you just have to put them away.
First, you need to put away the shirts. They go in the middle drawer. Next, you have to put the pants away. They have to go in the drawer above the shirts.
Now you have to put away the socks. They go in a box in the drawer under the shirts. Then you have to put away the jackets in the top drawer above all the other drawers. Finally, you have to put the swimsuits next to the box with the socks in it.
Thank you so much for helping me! I knew a good friend like you could help me. Just make sure not to tell anyone.
Sincerely, Ben
(rising 6th grader)
Dear Mrs. Huff,
I hope you are doing well. I’m going to climb a tree. Since it's 374 feet tall, I'll be up there for a couple of weeks. We have a person to come by and feed and take out the dogs, but nobody to bathe the dogs so it will need to be you.
When you go into the house, Woola will be in the crate, and Nautica will be on her bed. Open Woola’s crate by turning the latch to the right. First, get the dog shampoo in the laundry room. On the left hand side in a big plastic container, it will say “dog shampoo.” Then, grab both the yellow and the pink brush in the shoe shelf in the garage. It should be on the left side in a rope basket. Also bring a towel. Towels can be found in my parents' bathroom, which is next to their bedroom. Bring a towel that is big enough to cover one of the dogs. Take these materials to the first shower in the pool house. On the way out grab the blue treat bag that is hanging on the wall.
Turn the top lever in the shower towards the left to turn it on, and turn the lower lever towards the left for hot and right for cold. Make it medium. This shower takes a while to warm up, so bring one of the dogs in and close the door. Make sure to use lots of treats and a sweet voice to get them in. Please wash Nautica first, otherwise she will worry too much, and be even more scared when it's her turn. They will probably try to hide in the corner of the shower, so just unhook the shower head by lifting up and out.
First, get the dogs wet by moving the shower head up and down their body;make sure to do belly, legs, neck, and tail as well. Do not do the head. Once they are completely wet, grab the dog shampoo and squeeze a glob onto your hand. Scrub everywhere that's wet to get them nice and soapy. When they are soapy enough, rinse them off by rubbing back and forth to get the soap off. Once the shampoo is completely gone, wait for them to shake and get lots of water off and then rub the towel all over them until they don’t drip. They always get a bit crazy after baths so let them run around on the green turf until they are tired out.
Now for the brushing. Bring them to the front of the house or back so it doesn’t go in the house. Take the pink brush first and rub everywhere to get the hair loose, use commands such as down, sit, and stand to make it easier. Then take the yellow brush and lightly brush along their hair to get the rest off. Repeat this process till there is a layer of fur on the ground. Put the supplies where you found them and bring Nautica to the bed and Woola into the crate by using treats. Use the Bed command for Nautica and Crate command for Woola. Lock the crate by turning the lever to the left, pushing it in, and then turning it to the right. Close the door behind you and you are good to go. See you in a month!
From the bottom of my heart,
Marissa (rising 7th grader)
Dear Mrs. Huff,
I am having a wonderful day in Bora Bora. Unfortunately, I left for the island without taking care of one super important chore. I forgot to put away the fresh groceries. During my month in Bora Bora, I'm sure that the groceries will rot. Your reward for completing this task is one wish, granted.
First, clean your hands. Use the hand sanitizer on the right side of the microwave above the refrigerator. After you use it, open the brown paper bag located on the floor in front of the refrigerator. Inside the bag are raisins, crackers, apples, grapes, sparkling water, eggs, and meat.
Now, your work begins. Place the raisins and crackers inside their designated container. The two containers are in the second cupboard of the pantry, which is connected to the laundry room. Next, the apples and grapes from the paper bag need to be inside the drawer titled "Fruits/Vegetables." This specific drawer is inside the refrigerator.
Almost done. The sparkling water needs to be organized inside the cellar. If you walk through the hallway with the bathroom, the first thing on your right side is the cellar. There should be sodas inside. Please lock the door using the key that is hanging on the doorknob. As the last steps, place the eggs in the plastic egg carton inside the refrigerator and throw the meat in the freezer.
You may chuck the brown paper bag in the metal recycling can sitting on the floor in front of the sink, so that it doesn’t smell. That’s it! I will see you in a month to grant your wish. You’re the best!
The best,
Sylvie (rising 8th grader)
Dear Mrs. Huff,
I am going on a tropical vacation to the Maldives for several days, and before I left, I forgot to do one very important chore. it is a really gross and stinky chore, but you might get a free workout out of it. I forgot to empty and bring the garbage back to the house from the bottom of the hill on Friday.
First, in the kitchen, the garbage and recycling bags need to be changed. Could you please empty the bins out and put new garbage bags in them? The bags are located under the utensils drawer near the Ziploc bags. The garbage bags are black. Once the new bags are replaced, put the old bags into the garbage cans in front of the garage. The recycle goes into the blue can, and the garbage goes into the gray can.
After the bags go into the correct cans, you can come back into the house and relax. You can either watch television in the living room, play ping pong by yourself, go outside or just lie around. But, my parents' room and the office are off-limits. You may not go into those two rooms; other than that, you are free to roam around as you please. Another rule is to not make a mess. When I come back, there should be no crumbs or food on the counter. If you happen to spill, use the paper towels and Windex, which are both located in the kitchen. The paper towels are near the stove, and the cleaning supplies are in the cabinet under the sink, closest to the window. While you are relaxing, every now and then please look outside of the window and check if the garbage man/woman has picked up the trash.
Once he/she has picked up the trash, walk to the bottom of the hill and get the trash. The compost bins will have already been there, so you just need to put the compost bins in the front yard. After, bring the recycle and garbage cans all the way up the hill. Since the hill is very steep, so a tip is to run up the hill with both bins so you only have to take one trip.
After the garbage cans are back in front of the garage, you may leave. I know from experience how hard this job is, so your reward is another healthy sea salt chocolate bar (because I know you LOVE them), and I will join another workshop. Thanks a bunch!
Sincerely, Ella (rising 6th grader)
It looks like Mrs. Huff is in for a chore-filled summer!!
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