Grade 2 • Lesson 78: Letter Writing — Superscription & Envelope Addresses

Pedagogical Overview • Envelope Superscription & Postal Abbreviations

Lesson 78 teaches the external complement to the letter: the envelope superscription. Students learn: (1) Placement of the postage stamp in the upper right-hand corner; (2) The traditional 19th-century stepped diagonal indentation (each succeeding line begins slightly to the right of the line above); (3) Standard abbreviations for street types (*St.*, *Av.*) and geographic divisions (*Co.*); (4) Courtesy titles (*Master* for boys, *Miss* for girls/unmarried women); and (5) Terminal periods after abbreviations and after the final state name.

Section 1 Model Answers • Abbreviations & Courtesy Titles

1. Street: St. (Capital ‘S’, followed by period).

2. Avenue: Av. or Ave. (Capital ‘A’, followed by period).

3. County: Co. (Capital ‘C’, followed by period).

4. Young Boy Title: Master (e.g., Master Charles Bond).

Section 2 Model Answers • Model Envelope Analysis

Envelope 1 (City Address with Street Number):
Line 1: Master Charles Bond, (Name followed by comma)
Line 2: 425 Euclid Av., (House number, street name, abbreviation with period, comma)
Line 3: Cleveland, (City followed by comma)
Line 4: Ohio. (State followed by terminal period).

Envelope 2 (Town Address with County):
Line 1: Miss Cora Innes, (Name followed by comma)
Line 2: Wyoming, (Town/village followed by comma)
Line 3: Hamilton Co., (County name, abbreviation with period, comma)
Line 4: Ohio. (State followed by terminal period).

Section 3 Model Answers • Practical Application

Exemplar Student Envelope:
Mr. Robert Howard,
    124 Oak St.,
        Columbus,
            Ohio.

Checklist: (1) Courtesy title capitalized; (2) Progressive stepped indentation; (3) Period after abbreviation (*St.*); (4) Commas after lines 1–3; (5) Period after State on line 4.

R Four-Domain Evaluation Rubric (Total: 100 Points)

Domain	Exemplary (25)	Proficient (20)	Developing (15)	Beginning (10)
1. Stepped Layout	Clear, graceful stepped indentation across all 4 lines of the address.	Stepped layout with minor alignment wobble.	Flush left without stepped indentation.	Disorganized placement across the envelope surface.
2. Abbreviation Mechanics	Flawless capitalization and required periods (St., Av., Co.).	1 abbreviation period omitted.	Missing multiple periods or lowercase abbreviations (st., co.).	Spells words incorrectly or invents nonstandard abbreviations.
3. Punctuation Coordinates	Commas after lines 1–3 and a terminal period after State name.	1 comma slip in address sequence.	Missing end commas or period after state.	No punctuation used on envelope.
4. Penmanship & Clarity	Postal-quality legibility, clean baselines, flawless courtesy titles.	Legible handwriting with minor spacing slips.	Crowded lines; questionable postal legibility.	Illegible handwriting; cannot be deciphered.

TEACHER GUIDE & ANSWER KEY — LESSON 78