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This series of activities builds towards each person in class writing a meaningful birthday card for someone else in the class. It is geared towards Novice High learners and targets this Can-Do Statement for Presentational Writing: “I can write a special occasion message such as a birthday or congratulatory note.”  If you are new to the NCSSFL-ACTFL Global Can-Do Benchmarks, you can learn more about them and access them here.

Procedure:

1. Give each student a copy of the Getting to Know Me! worksheet. Have students fill our the worksheets.  Brainstorm helpful phrases and vocabulary as needed.
2. Put students in pairs.  They will share what the have written with each other and suggest more ideas for likes, memories, and hopes for the coming year.  Be sure to have students write their partner's name at the bottom of the worksheet.
3. Collect the students' worksheets.
4. As a whole class, look at birthday cards in the target language and culture (if this is a practice in the target culture). Be sure to discuss both the images and "canned" greetings as well as the personalized messages that card givers add to the card.  Look for common sentence starters such as "I hope that ..." and "As you turn ___, remember that ...."
5. Give each student a copy of the Meaningful Birthday Cards worksheet. Students will refer to this worksheet during the drafting and revising process.
6. Write the name of everyone in class on a slip of paper. Each student will draw the name of the person that they'll make a birthday card for.  If they draw their own name or the name of the partner who helped them revise their Getting to Know Me! worksheet, they must re-draw.
7. Each student will be given the Getting to Know Me! worksheet for the person whose name he or she drew.
8. Students draft the card itself - cards in many cultures have an image on front and an accompanying message on the front and inside.
9. Now students write a personalized message for their birthday person. Before they do so, go over the sentence starters on the Meaningful Birthday Cards worksheet and as a whole class brainstorm some additional helpful starters.
10. Once students have drafted their birthday card and message, they should find the person who helped the birthday person to revise their Getting to Know Me! worksheet. They will work together to make revisions to the birthday card and message.  Each student will need to play both roles: getting help with the card they've drafted, and helping someone else with their card.
11. Students make a final copy of the card. On the outside of the envelope, they need to write the recipient's name and birthday (or "half-birthday" if their actual birthday happens when class isn't in session). 
12. Collect all of the cards. You will give them to each student on their actual birthday (or half-birthday). Now your students have one more thing to look forward to in language class!