Lesson 28: March, Explanatory Letter Writing, Part 1

Have students take out March: Book One and “Jim Lawson Conducts Nonviolence Workshops in Nashville” with their annotations.

Say these Directions: Think about each question and prepare ideas to share during the whole‑group discussion.

Ask:

• What is the purpose of a comma in a sentence?

• What does a comma signify to a reader?

Explain to students that commas separate parts of sentences for different reasons.

• Say: A comma is used to create clarity, indicate pauses, separate items in a series, and prevent misunderstanding. When reading fluently, commas are a sign to readers that they should slow down and pause, then continue reading.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you will use what you’ve learned from March and the informational article to plan a formal letter from the perspective of a Nashville student protestor. As you draft, you will practice combining short sentences into clearer, more detailed sentences using commas correctly. This will help you explain events and cause-and-effect relationships accurately, and help you write in a formal academic style.

Sentence Combining

Modeled Reading: Non-fiction

Introduction to Letter Writing and Writing Strategies: Sentence Combining

Say these Directions: Over the course of this lesson and the next, we are going to practice writing letters. This writing practice will support you when you complete your performance task at the end of the unit.

• Ask: Have you written a letter or email before? What are the key features of a formal letter or email?

As students share their responses, display them for the next part of the lesson.

• Say: Letters can be written for different purposes. In this context, you are going to write a letter from the perspective of one of the Nashville student protestors explaining the reasons for the lunch counter sit-ins.

Display the writing strategy: Sentence Combining. Explain to students that they have been working on informational writing in Investigation 1 by introducing the topic, developing the topic with relevant and well-chosen evidence and details, and using transitions to organize their ideas and make strong connections between those ideas. Tell students that today, they are going to learn a new strategy to help them with these writing skills.

Model Sentence Combining:

• Say: Sentence combining is a writing strategy where you take two or more short, choppy sentences and join them into one stronger sentence. Writers use sentence combining to make their writing smoother, clearer, and more precise. Instead of repeating the same idea over and over, you can connect ideas by adding details, showing relationships between events, and using punctuation like commas to guide the reader.

• Say: Sentences can be combined to make ideas clearer and more connected. Here are two short sentences:

  • We entered the store. We stayed calm.

• They can be combined like this:

  • We entered the store, and we stayed calm.

• Now more detail can be added:

  • We entered the store, stayed calm, and followed our plan.

• Notice how the comma helps separate actions in a series, and the sentence sounds more fluid. Sentence combining helps the reader understand ideas and how they connect.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you will use sentence combining as you plan your letter so your ideas sound organized, coherent, and formal. Combining sentences will help you explain what happened, why it happened, and how one action led to the next without sounding repetitive. In the next lesson, you will keep using this strategy as you draft and revise your letter.

Part A: Sentence Combining Practice (W.8.2.b-c) (20 minutes)

Transition students into small groups to engage in the Graffiti/Table Talk routine.

Graffiti/Table Talk

Hand out markers and provide each group with chart paper for students to share. Explain to students that they are going to practice sentence combining while generating ideas for their letters by, first, silently writing their ideas on the shared chart paper using guiding questions.

Say these Directions: You're going to practice writing a letter that explains the Nashville student protestors' campaign to desegregate lunch counters. Think of your audience as someone who doesn't know about this non-violent protest. Your job is to explain what the protestors were arguing for and why their arguments were compelling, using evidence from both sources. As you brainstorm sentences for your letter, consider the following questions.

• Ask: What was happening at the lunch counters? What evidence from March or the article describes the situation the protestors faced?

  • In March, the students explained that they could shop and pay the same prices, but they were not allowed to use dressing rooms or sit at the lunch counter, which they described as “humiliating.” The text and panels show that segregation permeated everyday store rules and public spaces, so students faced unfair treatment even during ordinary activities like eating or shopping.

• Ask: What arguments did the protestors make? What reasons from the sources explain why they believed desegregation was necessary?

  • The protestors argued that segregation was unjust because it denied Black people equal treatment in public spaces. They also believed desegregation was necessary for equality because nonviolent direct action could expose unfair policies and pressure businesses and the public to respond, especially when the protestors stayed disciplined and followed an organized plan.

• Ask: What's most compelling about their arguments? What evidence or examples from the texts support the strength of their case?

  • Their case is compelling because the protest is calm, organized, and clearly focused on fairness, which makes the injustice easier to see. In March, the students plan specific steps, speak respectfully, and leave without escalating when refused, showing discipline and credibility rather than anger or violence.

Say these Directions: In your small group, look at your brainstormed sentences and practice sentence combining to produce more complex and varied sentences.

Instruct students to put their combined sentences on the chart paper.

Part B: Gallery Walk (W.8.2.a-c, W.8.5) (10 minutes)

Have students post their chart paper around the room to create a “gallery of sentences.” Then transition them into the Gallery Walk routine.

Gallery Walk

Say these Directions: Move around the "gallery" and do the following:

• Star sentences that would be powerful and purposeful to put into a letter explaining the protestors' cause.

• Check sentences that use sentence combining to connect ideas in a clear and meaningful way.

• Give direct feedback on content ideas that could be improved.

• Identify places where sentence structure could be strengthened by combining sentences.

Integrated ELD Instruction - Learning in Action B

Purpose

Support students in evaluating clarity, formality, and precision in peers’ sentences.

Language Focus

• Formal tone

• Sentence refinement for audience

Before Gallery Walk

Provide feedback stems:

• “This sentence works because ___.”

• “This sentence could be clearer if ___.”

Generative Language Supports

• “Try combining ___ and ___.”

• “Add a connector like ___.”

• “This sentence would be clearer if ___.”

If / Then Contingent Supports

• If feedback is vague → Prompt: “What exactly should change?”

• If feedback focuses only on grammar → Prompt: “What about meaning?”

Formative Look-Fors

• Students identify effective sentence combining

• Feedback addresses clarity and argument strength

Lesson 28 Writing Rubric: Letter Plan — Sentence Combining for Nashville Sit-Ins

Writing prompt: Plan a letter from the perspective of a Nashville student protestor explaining the lunch counter sit-in campaign to an unfamiliar audience. Practice combining sentences to connect ideas, show cause and effect, and make the letter sound formal and cohesive.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Discuss the following question with a partner.

• Ask: How does the strategy of sentence combining improve your writing?

  • Optional Sentence Starter:

    • “Sentence combining improves my writing by ____.”

      • Sentence combining improves my writing by helping my ideas connect more clearly and sound less repetitive. It also helps me explain cause and effect in one sentence, so the reader understands both what happened and why it matters.

Provide students with an outline for the letter they will write in the next lesson. Ask students to add ideas to the outline and to cite text evidence and vocabulary learned to use when drafting their letters in Lesson 26.

Letter Outline:

• Introduction: What should be included in the introduction of the letter?

• Body Paragraph: What information do the protestors need to share? Why do the protestors want to desegregate the lunch counters? How should they explain their purpose to an audience who doesn’t know what the cause is or why they are doing it?

• Conclusion: Ultimately, what do the protestors want and why?