Providence College
Teacher Certification Program
Lesson Plan
Name: ANDREW STEWART
Date: 2/8/21
Lesson Topic: THE SULLIVAN BALLOU LETTER Time: 60 minutes
Course and Grade level: ELA 8TH GRADE
Student Population: INTEGRATED ELL CLASSROOM, 3 IEPS FOR ADHD
Essential Question: How do letters as textual forms of communication function as both modes of
communication and as historical records?
Expected Outcome(s):
Students will be able to explain the meaning of the Sullivan Ballou letter in its historical context
To derive understanding of the form and style of letters as texts
To understand the vocabulary spelling/grammar and definitions
To demonstrate this comprehension in writing an original letter
Standards: State (GSEs)/National/Applied: (Written Out)
3-Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.
They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge
of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of
textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
6-Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and
punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and
non-print texts.
7-Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing
problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print
texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
Common Core Standards (Written Out):
CCSS.ELA-Literacy. RI.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information
through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3
above.)
ELEMENTS OF THIS LESSON PLAN ADAPTED FROM STUDY SYNC CURRICULUM MATERIALS PUBLISHED BY
BOOKHEAD ED LEARNING LLC.
Providence College
Teacher Certification Program
Lesson Plan
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.6
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases;
gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or
expression.
Materials (include technology):
-STUDY SYNC TEXTBOOKS
-CHROMEBOOKS FOR TIMELINE WORKSHEET
-SMARTBOARD/TV FOR STUDYSYNC VIDEO CONTENT
-HANDOUTS
-SLIDES
ELEMENTS OF THIS LESSON PLAN ADAPTED FROM STUDY SYNC CURRICULUM MATERIALS PUBLISHED BY
BOOKHEAD ED LEARNING LLC.
Objectives: Must have 1) action 2) knowledge to be achieved and 3) condition. (Include DOK level)
1. Students will identify the components of a letter by highlighting paragraphs of the text into
three distinct chunks, GREETING-MEMORIES/PROMISES-FAREWELL and marking vocabulary
words in the text. (DOK 1 & 2)
2. Students will be asked to explain what they think about the meaning of the Letter using the
context provided by the Timeline worksheet. Students will support their ideas using knowledge
gained from both this class and their Social Studies insights about the Civil War, measured using
the Timeline worksheet. (DOK 3, INTERDISCIPLINARY LINK)
3. Students will demonstrate in a Summative Assessment their comprehension of the learning
material and apply it to a new situation by writing their own original letter based on structural
components identified in the “Ballou” model and using vocabulary words. (DOK 4)
Instructional Sequence:
Activity
Time
Needed
Anticipatory Set:
Elicit Prior Knowledge
Students will enter the classroom and sit at desks with
their classwork materials. They will answer the following
prompt on the blackboard in their notebooks:
Have you ever written a letter or email to someone that
lasted more than a paragraph? What were you trying
to communicate with this person about?
Engage
Teacher will introduce the name/pictures/basic
information about Sullivan Ballou.
Teacher will ask the following questions:
“What do you think a soldier would write about in a
letter home before a battle?”
(DOK 1)
“What have we learned so far in social studies about
the American Civil War?” (DOK 2, Interdisciplinary Link)
“Can you imagine what you would feel if you were
writing a letter the day before a battle you expected to
be killed in?” (DOK 3)
Connection to Prior Learning
Students will be presented with the series of events that
contextualize the Ballou letter within the timeline of the
Civil War. They will organize them using a timeline
worksheet.
1. Distribute Timeline Worksheet to students while
they open their Chromebooks
2. Instruct them to visit the website
<http://bit.ly/civ-war-ducksters>
3. Direct students to research the answers on the
webpage during the allotted time.
After completion of the worksheet students will shut
down their Chromebooks and retain worksheets.
Explore Activity
Teacher will pass out the Sullivan Ballou Letter
worksheet. Students will view the Study Sync video of
the letter being read on the Smart Board (available at
<https://bit.ly/2YZf0Dm>). Students will afterwards
highlight vocabulary words that are presented in the
slideshow.
VOCAB:
Impelled
Misgiving
Rationale
Elicit Prior Knowledge
This question will identify to students the literary
form, letters and correspondence, under
consideration in this instructional unit and ask about
their familiarity with it. This will address DOK Level 1
(Recognition) and Level 2 (Classify/Identify Patterns).
5 mins
Engage
These questions will seek to prompt students toward
a critical thinking framework about letters as a
textual form and their meaning, purpose, and
contexts. It is an introductory classroom discussion
about how letters and correspondence function as
texts in literature.
This timeline exercise engages students on DOK
Levels 1 and 2. It generates a graphic organizer to be
used in later discussions about the text under
consideration and the historical context of the letter.
It also is a research skills task (DOK 1) and an
Interdisciplinary Link.
10 mins
10 mins
This exercise will serve as a preliminary in-depth
engagement with the text and the way that letters as
a type of literature function in two ways, first as a
method of communicating and then as a historical
record of a certain time, place, and personality. It
engages the students on DOK Level 1.
This video is required for use because of the role of
audio-visual linking between cognition and
comprehension created during the First Read of a
text for ELLs. Highlighting vocabulary is a necessary
Omnipotence
Wafted
Flit
ELL Vocab:
Confidence
Civilization
Buffet
Thither
Frolic
Referring back to the Timeline worksheet, the teacher
will ask the following discussion questions:
“Looking now at this timeline, do you feel like you
understand what Sullivan Ballou was thinking about
when he wrote this letter? Thousands of people had
died in battle by the time and thousands more would
die in the next several years. Can you imagine what he
thought while he was writing this letter? He writes ‘I
know how strongly American civilization now leans
upon the triumph of government, and how great a debt
we owe to those who went before us through the blood
and suffering of the Revolution, and I am willing,
perfectly willing to lay down all my joys in this life to
help maintain this government, and to pay that debt.’
What do you think that means based on what you
know from this timeline?”
“This letter has two functions. When it was written, it
was a method for Sullivan Ballou to communicate with
his wife. When we read it today, it is a piece of
nonfiction that tells a story about what a soldier
thought about the time and place he was living in. How
do you think about your own emails, letters, and notes?
Do you think a text message works the same way?”
Explore Activity
Students will be divided into groups to complete this
worksheet using Kagan strategy AllWrite Consensus
Round Robin. (Kagan 6.33)
Ask students to subdivide the Ballou letter into three
parts using margin brackets ({):
-Greetings and Purpose (Paragraphs 1 & 2)
-Memories and Promises (Paragraph 3 & 4)
-Farewell (Paragraphs 5 & 6)
Prompts:
“The Greetings and Purpose section is where the writer
introduces themselves to the reader and explains the
reason for the letter. Where do you see this ending in
the letter?”
“In the Memories and Promises section Sullivan Ballou
expresses his ideas and feelings about the past and the
future. In every letter writers use this middle section to
express their main idea. In this kind of letter, the author
explains their feelings and what they hope that means
for the reader.”
“The Farewell section is where the writer ends the
letter. In this letter the writer explains during this
section what he hopes can happen in the afterlife and
then says goodbye.”
Explain
Report back from Round Robin game. Teams will be
asked to explain their decisions for subdividing the text:
“Why do you think that the text should be divided
along those lines?” (DOK 1)
“Did any of the vocabulary words provide you any clues
to why to divide the text this way? Why or why not?”
(DOK 2)
exercise for learning the words.
The marked-up text serves as part of a Formative
Assessment.
This further engagement with the text explores DOK
Levels 2 & 3. It provides a framework for them to
utilize in composing their own letters. It also gives
them a lens by which they can think about the
structure and style of correspondence and how this
form of text/communication operates as both a form
of discourse and literature.
10 mins
10 mins
This encourages students to grapple with the logic of
their textual analysis. It further stimulates critical
thinking skills necessary for developing models of
thought. It further interrogates the idea of how
letters operate as methods of communication and
historical documents. The subdivided Ballou Letter
worksheet serves as the other half of a Formative
Assessment. The collected Letter worksheet will
“Is it possible to select one or two lines from each
section that you think would be a useful example to use
in the future?” (DOK 3)
Collect completed Letter worksheet at completion of
discussion.
Elaborate/Extend
Students will be given a worksheet using the model
provided by the Ballou letter and its vocabulary words. It
will provide a prompt for their assessment. They are to
copy the vocabulary definitions from the slides onto the
worksheet. They will write a letter based on the Ballou
model and including their vocabulary words.
Evaluate
Students will be asked to complete for homework a
letter based on the Ballou model using a worksheet with
a clear outline of the schematic and their vocabulary
words.
10 mins
5 mins
This will engage students on DOK 1 & 4. Copying the
definitions is a component of learning the
vocabulary. Asking students to include the
vocabulary words in their own writing is another
component on gaining literacy and comprehension.
Using the model schematic provided as the skeleton
of their own letters is a method of demonstrating
that students understand the concepts.
This engages students on DOK 4 by seeking to have
students apply the concepts taught in class to an
original product. It provides a Summative
Assessment measurement of concept/vocabulary
comprehension. Formative Assessment provided by
text highlight/subdividing worksheet. Summative
assessment provided by “Write Your Own Letter”
worksheet. Both Formative and Summative
Assessments provide metrics of comprehension for
the skillsets.
Provision for Individual and Cultural Differences: (State specific instructional accommodations based
on student population).
Students with ADHD will be accorded more time and support in the class period based upon their IEP
mandates. ESL students will be given classroom translation supports, such as the Google Translate on
Chromebooks. The StudySync video that reads the text aloud with highlighting is an accommodation for
ELL learners in order to strengthen their cognition of language.
Assessment/Evaluation: (Explain the assessment and state the assessment accommodations based on
student population)
This exercise generates two assessments in the completed handouts.

Sullivan Ballou Letter worksheet: Formative assessment that introduces vocabulary and
structural elements of correspondence. This will be collected during class upon completion of
exercise for grading.

Write Your Own Letter worksheet: Summative assessment that measures comprehension of
vocabulary spelling/grammar alongside concepts related to textual structure of letters. This
homework assignment will be collected the next day.
ESL students have been given an alternative set of vocabulary words appropriate for their
comprehension needs in alternative ELL worksheets and access to translation tools. Students with ADHD
will be accorded more time and support in the class period based upon their IEP mandates. Owing to
legal mandates, the district requires English-only teaching materials and does not allow translated
worksheets and teaching materials.
(Reflection to be completed after the lesson is taught and returned on the next class meeting with the
rubric attached)
SLIDE SHOW VOCABULARY SLIDE
Impelled-verb-1 : to urge or drive forward
2 : to impart motion to : propel
Misgiving-noun- a feeling of doubt or suspicion especially concerning a future
event
Omnipotence-noun-an agency or force of unlimited power
Wafted-verb-to cause to move or go lightly by or as if by the impulse of wind or
waves
Flit-verb-to pass quickly or abruptly from one place or condition to another
ESL Alternative Vocab
Confidence-noun- faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective
way
Civilization-noun-a relatively high level of cultural and technological development
Buffet-verb-to drive, force, move, or attack by or as if by repeated blows
Thither-adj-that place; there
Frolic-verb-to play and run happily
Teacher’s edition has vocab bolded in text. Alternative ELL student vocab will be underlined. The three sections of the letter are highlighted.
Highlighting Key: GREETING-MEMORIES/PROMISES-FAREWELL
Sullivan Ballou Letter
Student Instructions: Students will first underline vocabulary words displayed on the board.
Next, students will mark off the text into three sections, GREETING, MEMORIES/PROMISES, and
FAREWELL.
Headquarters, Camp Clark
Washington, D.C., July 14, 1861
1. My Very Dear Wife:
Indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days, perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able
to write you again, I feel impelled to write a few lines, that may fall under your eye when I shall be no
more.
2. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage
does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American civilization now leans upon the triumph of
government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering
of the Revolution, and I am willing, perfectly willing to lay down all my joys in this life to help maintain
this government, and to pay that debt.
3. Sarah, my love for you is deathless. It seems to bind me with mighty cables, that nothing but
Omnipotence can break; and yet, my love of country comes over me like a strong wind, and bears me
irresistibly on with all those chains, to the battlefield.
4. The memories of all the blissful moments I have spent with you come crowding over me, and I feel most
deeply grateful to God and you, that I have enjoyed them so long. And how hard it is for me to give them
up, and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved
together, and seen our boys grow up to honorable manhood around us. I know I have but few claims
upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me, perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little
Edgar, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my dear Sarah, never forget how much
I love you, nor that, when my last breath escapes me on the battle-field, it will whisper your name.
Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless, how foolish I have
oftentimes been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears, every little spot upon your happiness, and
struggle with all the misfortune of this world, to shield you and my children from harm. But I cannot, I
must watch you from the spirit land and hover near you, while you buffet the storms with your precious
little freight, and wait with sad patience till we meet to part no more.
5. But, O Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth, and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall
always be near you in the garish day, and the darkest night...always, always, and, if the soft breeze fans
your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air cools your throbbing temples, it shall be my spirit
passing by. Sarah, do not mourn me dear; think I am gone, and wait for me, for we shall meet again.
As for my little boys, they will grow as I have done, and never know a father's love and care. Little Willie
is too young to remember me long, and my blue-eyed Edgar will keep my frolics with him among the
dimmest memories of his childhood. Sarah, I have unlimited confidence in your maternal care, and your
development of their characters.
6. Tell my two mothers, I call God's blessing upon them. O Sarah, I wait for you there! Come to me, and
lead thither my children.
- Sullivan
NAME: ___________________________________________________________________________
SULLIVAN BALLOU LETTER TIMELINE
INSTRUCTIONS: Using your textbook and Chromebooks, identify the dates that correspond with the
events listed below. Fill in the blank besides the event. Visit the website Ducksters.com and look up CIVIL
WAR TIMELINE <http://bit.ly/civ-war-ducksters> for help. Answers for this Teacher’s Edition are
written in red.
DATE
EVENT
APRIL 12, 1861
Confederate attack on Fort Sumter begins the
Civil War
JULY 14, 1861
Sullivan Ballou writes letter to his wife Sarah
JULY 29, 1861
Sullivan Ballou dies in First Battle of Bull Run
in Virginia. (3,000 Union soldiers killed, 1,750
Confederates killed)
1861-62
Battles of Shiloh (1,754 Union killed, 1,728
Confederate killed), New Orleans, Antietam
(2,108 Union killed, 3,281 Confederates killed).
JANUARY 1, 1863
Emancipation Proclamation declares freedom
for many held captive in slavery.
NAME: ___________________________________________________________________________
WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER
INSTRUCTIONS: Copy the vocabulary word definitions from the board into this grid.
VOCABULARY WORDS
WORD
DEFINITION
Confidence
Civilization
Buffet
Gloomiest
Thither
INSTRUCTIONS: Now write your own letter based on the Sullivan Ballou model and vocabulary words.
NAME OF PERSON YOU ARE WRITING TO: _____________________________________________
TOPIC: _____________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 1:
GREETINGS AND PURPOSE
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 2:
MEMORIES AND PROMISES
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 3:
FAREWELL
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
NAME: ___________________________________________________________________________
WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER
INSTRUCTIONS: Copy the vocabulary word definitions from the board into this grid.
ELL VOCABULARY WORDS
WORD
DEFINITION
Impelled
Misgiving
Omnipotence
Wafted
Flit
INSTRUCTIONS: Now write your own letter based on the Sullivan Ballou model and vocabulary words.
NAME OF PERSON YOU ARE WRITING TO: _____________________________________________
TOPIC: _____________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 1:
GREETINGS AND PURPOSE
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 2:
MEMORIES AND PROMISES
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 3:
FAREWELL
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Answer in Your Notebooks
Have you ever written a letter or
email to someone that lasted more
than a paragraph?
What were you trying to communicate with this
person about?
Elicit Prior Knowledge
The
Sullivan Ballou Letter
A Letter from a Union Soldier Written
Before Going Into Battle
Engage
Who Was Sullivan Ballou?
Engage
Basic Info
BORN
28 March 1829
Smithfield, Providence County, Rhode
Island, USA
DIED
28 July 1861 (aged 32)
Manassas, Manassas City, Virginia, USA
GRAVESITE
Swan Point Cemetery
Providence, Providence County, Rhode
Island, USA
Engage
● What do you think a soldier would write about in a
letter home before a battle?
● What have we learned so far in social studies about
the American Civil War?
● Can you imagine what you would feel if you were
writing a letter the day before a battle you expected
to be killed in?
Engage
WORKSHEET
What have you already learned about the Civil War in Social
Studies?
Use your Chromebook to fill out the worksheet.
Visit:
http://bit.ly/civ-war-ducksters
Connection to Prior Learning
Answers
Connection to Prior Learning
Watch the Video
https://bit.ly/2YZf0Dm
Explore
HIGHLIGHT VOCAB IN YOUR TEXT
Impelled-verb-1 : to urge or drive forward
2 : to impart motion to : propel
Misgiving-noun- a feeling of doubt or suspicion
especially concerning a future event
Omnipotence-noun-an agency or force of
unlimited power
ESL Alternative Vocab
Confidence-noun- faith or belief that one will act
in a right, proper, or effective way
Civilization-noun-a relatively high level of
cultural and technological development
Wafted-verb-to cause to move or go lightly by or
as if by the impulse of wind or waves
Buffet-verb-to drive, force, move, or attack by or
as if by repeated blows
Flit-verb-to pass quickly or abruptly from one
place or condition to another
Thither-adj-that place; there
Explore
Frolic-verb-to play and run happily
Look Again at the Timeline Worksheet
Look Again at Your Timeline Worksheet
●
●
●
Do you feel like you understand what Sullivan Ballou was thinking about when
he wrote this letter?
Thousands of people had died in battle by the time and thousands more
would die in the next several years. Can you imagine what he thought while
he was writing this letter?
He writes ‘I know how strongly American civilization now leans upon the
triumph of government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went
before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution, and I am
willing, perfectly willing to lay down all my joys in this life to help
maintain this government, and to pay that debt.’ What do you think that
means based on what you know from this timeline?
Explore
What is a Letter?
How Do They Work and What Do They Do?
Explore
Two Functions of Letters
● At Time of Writing:
○ A method for the writer Sullivan Ballou to communicate with the
person he is communicating with, his wife.
● Today:
○ A piece of nonfiction that tells a story about what a person (a soldier
named Sullivan Ballou) thought about the time and place he was
living in.
● How do you think about your own emails, letters, and notes?
Do you think a text message works the same way?
Explore
Time to
Play AllWrite
Consensus
Round Robin!
Explore
● Teacher will put students
into teams
● Each team works
together to divide the
letter into sections
● Each team member fills
out their individual sheet
to complete assignment
LETTER SECTIONS
● Can you divide the letter into sections?
○ Greetings and Purpose- writer introduces themselves
to the reader and explains the reason for the letter.
○ Memories and Promises- Sullivan Ballou expresses his
ideas and feelings about the past and the future
○ Farewell- the writer ends the letter
● Try dividing it on your own then share answers with team
members
Explore
1.
Markup the Text
2.
Draw Margin
Brackets to
Divide the Text
3.
Explore
My Very Dear Wife:
Indications are very strong that we shall move in a few
days, perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to
write you again, I feel impelled to write a few lines, that
may fall under your eye when I shall be no more.
I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the
cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not
halt or falter. I know how strongly American civilization
now leans upon the triumph of government, and how
great a debt we owe to those who went before us
through the blood and suffering of the Revolution, and I
am willing, perfectly willing to lay down all my joys in this
life to help maintain this government, and to pay that
debt. .
Sarah, my love for you is deathless. It seems to bind me
with mighty cables, that nothing but Omnipotence can
break; and yet, my love of country comes over me like a
strong wind, and bears me irresistibly on with all those
chains, to the battlefield.
Like
This!
LETTER SECTIONS
● Can you divide the letter into sections?
○ Greetings and Purpose- writer introduces themselves
to the reader and explains the reason for the letter.
○ Memories and Promises- Sullivan Ballou expresses his
ideas and feelings about the past and the future
○ Farewell- the writer ends the letter
● Try dividing it on your own then share answers with team
members
Explore
Round Robin Reportback!
Explore
LETTER SECTIONS ANSWERS
● Can you divide the letter into
sections?
○ Greetings and Purpose (Paragraphs 1 & 2)
○ Memories and Promises (Paragraph 3 & 4)
○ Farewell (Paragraphs 5 & 6)
Explain
LETTER SECTIONS
● Greetings and
Purpose
○ Paragraphs 1 & 2
● Memories and
Promises
○ Paragraph 3 & 4
● Farewell
○
Explain
Paragraphs 5 & 6
Look At How You Divided the Letter
● Why do you think that the text should be divided along
those lines?
● Did any of the vocabulary words provide you any clues
to why to divide the text this way? Why or why not?
● Is it possible to select one or two lines from each
section that you think would be a useful example to use
in the future?
Explain
WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER
● Now we are going to write our own letter using the model
Sullivan Ballou has presented and including the
vocabulary words
● Fill out your worksheets so that you have the definitions of
the vocabulary you highlighted in the text
○ If you need to use extra paper you can use the back of
the sheet
● Finish this for homework
Elaborate/Extend & Evaluate
Write Vocab Definitions on Your Papers
Impelled-verb-1 : to urge or drive forward
2 : to impart motion to : propel
Misgiving-noun- a feeling of doubt or suspicion
especially concerning a future event
Omnipotence-noun-an agency or force of
unlimited power
ESL Alternative Vocab
Confidence-noun- faith or belief that one will act
in a right, proper, or effective way
Civilization-noun-a relatively high level of
cultural and technological development
Wafted-verb-to cause to move or go lightly by or
as if by the impulse of wind or waves
Buffet-verb-to drive, force, move, or attack by or
as if by repeated blows
Flit-verb-to pass quickly or abruptly from one
place or condition to another
Thither-adj-that place; there
Elaborate/Extend & Evaluate
Frolic-verb-to play and run happily