Lesson Plan

Thomas Day's Letter to His Daughter, Mary Ann

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Why is a letter a better way to learn about a person than a different primary source? Explore Thomas Day's ideas and advice to his daughter in a letter from 1851, which details the struggles of the American South before the Civil War. After reading through a biography and timeline of Day's life, students listen to a reading of the letter and note to which phrases they find an emotional connection.

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Instructional Ideas
  • Create an interdisciplinary lesson with the letter and your unit on the Antebellum South
  • Prompt young writers to compose a letter to their future children, providing both advice and insight about their present-day problems
Pros
  • Comes with teaching tools, student worksheets, an instructional video, and other resource materials, including a copy of the letter as it appeared in 1851 (all attached)
Cons
  • None