{"id":5649,"date":"2025-08-31T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=5649"},"modified":"2025-07-03T19:30:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T23:30:28","slug":"functional-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/functional-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Functional Writing Lessons Your Students Will Love"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p id=\"isPasted\">When we think about teaching&nbsp;writing styles&nbsp;in&nbsp;English Language Arts, our minds often jump to&nbsp;creative writing, poetry, or analyzing&nbsp;literary devices. <strong>But what about the type of writing your students will actually use day after day&mdash;beyond&nbsp;middle school, high school, or even&nbsp;higher education? <\/strong>That&rsquo;s where functional writing comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"isPasted\">Let&rsquo;s be honest. <strong>We don&rsquo;t know if our students will ever write another essay after they leave high school. But we do know they&rsquo;ll write emails.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"isPasted\">So why are we skipping functional, real-world writing in our curricula?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In this post, I want to share three functional writing lessons you should consider teaching in your classroom.<\/strong> These tasks are not only skills your students will need, but they&rsquo;re a sneaky way to get in more academic lessons, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"isPasted\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Real-World-Functional-Writing-Bundle-Email-Letter-Review-Writing-Lessons-13383223?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\">If you want to skip the prep, you can grab all of these lessons done for you right here!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/functional-writing\/?tp_image_id=5657\" data-pin-title=\"3 Functional Writing Lessons Your Students Will Love!\" data-pin-description=\"Ready to add functional writing to your ELA curriculum? These practical lesson ideas build real-life skills!\" data-pin-id=\"Functional Writing Pin 2\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt='Pinterest pin that reads, \"3 Functional Writing Lessons Your Students Will Love!\" over the image of a pink envelop on a blue background' class=\"wp-image-5657 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Functional-Writing-Pinterest-Pins-1-683x1024.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"isPasted\">What Is Functional Writing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Functional writing is all about&nbsp;effective communication&nbsp;for a&nbsp;variety of purposes&mdash;from jotting down&nbsp;shopping lists&nbsp;to sending an important email. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Real-World-Functional-Writing-Bundle-Email-Letter-Review-Writing-Lessons-13383223?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/functional-writing\/?tp_image_id=5652\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5652 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Slide1.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Real-World-Functional-Writing-Bundle-Email-Letter-Review-Writing-Lessons-13383223?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\">Functional Writing Bundle<\/a> includes three real-world writing lessons: How to Write an Email, How to Write a Letter, and How to Write a Review.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>It&rsquo;s the kind of life skill that sticks with students long after the&nbsp;school year&nbsp;ends.<\/strong> Whether they&rsquo;re writing a&nbsp;phone message, crafting&nbsp;technical reports, or leaving notes on&nbsp;to-do lists, functional writing ensures they can share&nbsp;important information&nbsp;clearly and confidently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Functional writing is real-world writing. It&rsquo;s everyday writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While we absolutely want our English classes to prepare students for learning beyond high school, there&rsquo;s more to writing than academia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We also need to prepare our students for work, communicating in relationships, writing for themselves, and more!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"ml-embedded\" data-form=\"2fXEz2\"><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Functional Writing Lesson #1: How to Write a Letter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I know, I know. Letter writing seems dead. But it&rsquo;s not quite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Letters are a classic&nbsp;type of functional writing.<\/strong> There are still plenty of reasons students may need to write letters in their adult lives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/How-to-Write-a-Letter-and-Address-an-Envelope-Lesson-Printable-Digital-7844570?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/functional-writing\/?tp_image_id=4080\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4080 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide1-8.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/How-to-Write-a-Letter-and-Address-an-Envelope-Lesson-Printable-Digital-7844570?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\">How to Write a Letter Lesson<\/a> includes a slideshow, examples, and worksheets! This lesson also covers how to address an envelope.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Letters are still a&nbsp;great way&nbsp;to connect with loved ones (especially older ones). They&rsquo;re also a way to communicate more formally than email. Letters are still the standard for post-wedding thank-you notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes students may have to send letters to businesses for a formal request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or students may choose to write a letter, such as a letter to a representative expressing opinions on big ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Teaching students to write letters is a&nbsp;great way&nbsp;to develop&nbsp;sentence structure, tone, and audience awareness.<\/strong> I like showing students examples of both formal and informal letters to discuss tone and word choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>My <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/How-to-Write-a-Letter-and-Address-an-Envelope-Lesson-Printable-Digital-7844570?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\">How to Write a Letter<\/a> lesson guides students through the parts of a letter and models examples, so they can practice writing for real-world situations. <\/strong>This lesson is adaptable for most grade levels, making it useful for pretty much any secondary ELA class.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are plenty of natural ways to squeeze letter writing into your curriculum. Having students write you a letter is a&nbsp;great way&nbsp;to get a writing sample at the beginning of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could also have students write a <a href=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/letter-writing-lesson\/\">gratitude letter around Thanksgiving<\/a> or a <a href=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/teacher-appreciation-week-letter-ideas\/\">thank-you letter for Teacher Appreciation Week<\/a>. At the end of the year, you could have students write letters to next year&rsquo;s students with tips and advice!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/functional-writing\/?tp_image_id=5656\" data-pin-title=\"3 Functional Writing Lessons Your Students Will Love!\" data-pin-description=\"Make functional writing fun! Learn how to teach letters, reviews, and emails that prepare students for life.\" data-pin-id=\"Functional Writing Pin 1\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt='Pinterest pin that reads, \"3 Functional Writing Lessons Your Students Will Love!\" above the image of a pink envelop on a blue background' class=\"wp-image-5656 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Functional-Writing-Pinterest-Pins-2-683x1024.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"isPasted\">Functional Writing Lesson #2: How to Write an Email<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Emails may be the most obvious real-world writing for students.<\/strong> You might even need them to write you an email during the&nbsp;school year.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/How-to-Write-an-Email-Email-Writing-Complete-Back-to-School-Lesson-5851497?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/functional-writing\/?tp_image_id=3680\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"Cover for It's Lit Teaching Teachers Pay Teachers resource: &quot;Digital and Editable Email Writing Lesson and Assignment&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-3680 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Slide1-2.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This Email Writing Lesson includes everything you need&ndash;a slideshow, examples, and more&ndash;to teach students how to write a formal and informal email.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We all know students need to learn how to write a professional email. Whether they&rsquo;re sending a question to a teacher, requesting a recommendation letter for&nbsp;higher education, or following up on a job application, email skills are non-negotiable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>My <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/How-to-Write-an-Email-Email-Writing-Complete-Back-to-School-Lesson-5851497?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\">How to Write an Email Lesson<\/a> breaks down tone, structure, and etiquette, so students don&rsquo;t send a text-style message when they should write more formally.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is one of those&nbsp;life skills&nbsp;that will help them beyond the classroom&mdash;from the&nbsp;next lesson&nbsp;to the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Working an email into your classroom is easy!<\/strong> Having students write an email during the first week of school can be a double whammy: you know they can successfully login to their school accounts, and you get a writing sample.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could also have students practice their email writing by sending you formal requests for deadline extensions or redos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Functional Writing Lesson #3: How to Write a Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&rsquo;s a fun real-world writing task that I think you and your students will love: review writing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reviews are another functional form students see daily&mdash;whether they&rsquo;re researching the best&nbsp;peanut butter, a new movie, or a local restaurant. <strong>Learning how to write a thoughtful review helps students share their opinions and support them with evidence, just like they&rsquo;ll need to do in essays and&nbsp;technical reports&nbsp;later on.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/How-to-Write-a-Review-Lesson-Writing-Reviews-Slideshow-Examples-and-More-13381586?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/functional-writing\/?tp_image_id=5626\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5626 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Slide1.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/How-to-Write-a-Review-Lesson-Writing-Reviews-Slideshow-Examples-and-More-13381586?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\">How to Write a Review Lesson<\/a> includes a slideshow, student handout, examples, and more!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>My <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/How-to-Write-a-Review-Lesson-Writing-Reviews-Slideshow-Examples-and-More-13381586?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\">How to Write a Review Lesson<\/a> covers the parts of a review and includes several examples. <strong>It also offers tips for students on writing balanced negative reviews&ndash;something that can be quite challenging for students. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&rsquo;s a&nbsp;great way&nbsp;to bridge&nbsp;creative writing&nbsp;and functional writing while still hitting key&nbsp;English Language Arts&nbsp;standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Writing reviews can be a fun enrichment activity at any point during the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&rsquo;s the perfect lesson for filling up short weeks around holiday breaks. You could also have students write reviews at the end of the year for the best (or worst!) books they read during the&nbsp;school year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/functional-writing\/?tp_image_id=5658\" data-pin-title=\"3 Functional Writing Lessons Your Students Will Love!\" data-pin-description=\"Teach functional writing with lessons your students will actually use &mdash; from letters to reviews to emails!\" data-pin-id=\"Functional Writing Pin 3\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt='Pinterest pin that reads, \"3 Functional Writing Lessons Your Students Will Love!\" underneath the image of a pink envelop on a blue background' class=\"wp-image-5658 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Functional-Writing-Pinterest-Pins-683x1024.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Build Strong Writers for Real Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you want your students to practice functional writing for a&nbsp;variety of purposes, these lessons are short, simple, and teach lifelong skills.<\/strong> They&rsquo;ll build confidence in real-world writing tasks&mdash;beyond&nbsp;creative writing&nbsp;and essays&mdash;and set them up for clear,&nbsp;effective communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So next time you&rsquo;re planning your&nbsp;school year&nbsp;and looking for engaging lessons that teach&nbsp;important information, add functional writing to your curriculum. From&nbsp;to-do lists&nbsp;and&nbsp;shopping lists&nbsp;to phone messages and&nbsp;scientific reports, your students will be prepared to write well in every part of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to see these lessons in action? <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Real-World-Functional-Writing-Bundle-Email-Letter-Review-Writing-Lessons-13383223?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Functional%20Writing\">Check out my How to Write a Letter, How to Write a Review, and How to Write an Email resources in my TPT store<\/a>&mdash;and make functional writing a staple in your classroom!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When we think about teaching&nbsp;writing styles&nbsp;in&nbsp;English Language Arts, our minds often jump to&nbsp;creative writing, poetry, or analyzing&nbsp;literary devices. But what about the type of writing your students will actually use day after day&mdash;beyond&nbsp;middle school, high&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[340],"tags":[519,516,385,518,515,159],"class_list":["post-5649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","tag-email-writing","tag-functional-writing","tag-letter-writing","tag-real-world-writing-2","tag-review-writing","tag-writing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>3 Functional Writing Lessons Your Students Will Love - It&#039;s Lit Teaching<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Don\u2019t overlook functional writing! 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