Winter Coat Drive Messages in Two Registers

Use the coat drive sheet first so students learn the features of each style. Then have them revise Arjun's letter and compare their formal versions in pairs.

Label coat drive sentences Formal or Informal by feature and rewrite Kenji's text as a formal email. The directions on the page read: For 1 to 8, write Formal or Informal and the feature from the box that the underlined words show. For 9 and 10, rewrite each message in the style named. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 8th grade writing process, and it works the same at home or at school. At home, a student can work through it alone and then go over it with you, which shows quickly what is solid and what needs another look. In class it works as independent practice, homework or a warm-up, and you can print one copy or a full set.

Informal writing uses slang, abbreviations, contractions and fragments. Formal writing uses complete sentences, precise vocabulary, titles with last names and polite requests. The coat drive sheet has students name the feature in each sentence.

A formal, respectful tone makes a request easier to take seriously. Arjun's letter asks for a crosswalk, but phrases such as total disaster and ASAP weaken it. Students rewrite each of the 10 informal phrases.

Yes. Winter Coat Drive Messages in Two Registers ends with Kenji's casual text, which students rewrite as a formal email to center director Ms. Delgado.