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Portuguese Writing a Letter

In this capstone, twelfth graders write a formal letter or email in Portuguese (escrever uma carta) — opening with Prezado Senhor/Senhora, stating the purpose with Escrevo para…, thanking with Agradeço, and closing with Atenciosamente. They put a formal letter in order.

Grade 12Writing a Letter50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Write a formal letter.
  • ✓Use polite openings & closings.
  • ✓Order the parts.
  • ✓Communicate formally.
Essential Question

Prezado Senhor… Atenciosamente — how do you write a formal letter in Portuguese?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Formal Letter

Project this and have students put the parts of a formal Portuguese letter in order.

✉️ Put the formal letter in order — greeting to signature!Try it
Tap “Prezado Senhor,” first!
The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Dear Sir,

6 min

How do you open and close a formal letter in Portuguese?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a formal email.
  • Ask what goes first.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Writing a Letter

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Model Prezado… → Atenciosamente.
  • Note the polite formulas.
  • Send students to Order the Letter.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Note it.
  • Order it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Order the parts.
  • Write an opening.
  • Write a closing.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Write.
  • Write.
4

Speak — Speak

13 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Read your letter aloud.
  • Explain each part.
  • Share with a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Read.
  • Explain.
  • Share.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a letter part.
  • Write an opening or closing.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Write it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate-Mid).

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: write formally.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore Brazilian formal conventions.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: read a formal letter.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.2

Compare formal-writing customs.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Letter-part cards.
  • A model formal letter.
  • Fill-in template.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with greeting & closing.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Use a template.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Write a full formal email.
  • Adapt for a job request.
  • Add the date & address.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • ✉️Letter-part cards
  • 💻Order the Formal Letter
  • 📝Letter template
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

cartaletterPrezadoDear / esteemedescrevo paraI’m writing tocortesiacourtesyagradecerto thankAtenciosamenteSincerelyassinaturasignatureformalformal
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How do you open a formal Portuguese letter?
Prezado Senhor / Senhora,
QUESTION 2
How do you close a formal Portuguese letter?
Atenciosamente,
QUESTION 3
What does “Agradeço a atenção” mean?
Thank you for your attention.

Reflect: writing a letter.

Have students write a formal opening and closing line in Portuguese. A printable Portuguese letter sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Portuguese Writing a LetterFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Portuguese Writing a LetterQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Portuguese Writing a LetterPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: agradecer, assinatura, Atenciosamente, carta, cortesia, escrevo para, formal, Prezado
  1. Sincerely
  2. formal
  3. courtesy
  4. Dear / esteemed
  5. I’m writing to
  6. to thank
  7. signature
  8. letter

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you open a formal Portuguese letter?
  2. How do you close a formal Portuguese letter?
  3. What does “Agradeço a atenção” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) Atenciosamente · 2) formal · 3) cortesia · 4) Prezado · 5) escrevo para · 6) agradecer · 7) assinatura · 8) carta
Part B: 1) Prezado Senhor / Senhora, 2) Atenciosamente, 3) Thank you for your attention.