Letter WritingLetter WritingPrepared by

Dennis CorashPrepared by

Dennis Corash

Three Types of Letters

Three Types of Letters

Friendly Letter

Business Letter

Simulated Letter

Friendly LettersFriendly LettersLetter to a friend

Pen Pal Letters

E-mail message

Courtesy Letter

Letters to Authors or Illustrator

Friendly Letter Format

Friendly Letter Format

Teaching the Parts of a Friendly letter

Teaching the Parts of a Friendly letter

The date must begin with a capital letter and have a comma between the day and year.

The greeting must begin with a capital letter and have a comma after the persons name.

The body of the letter tells the news.

The closing begins with a capital letter and ends with a comma.

The signature is where the writer signs his name.

Sample mini LessonTeach or review each of the parts of a Friendly letter.

As the teacher names the parts of the letter, have the students highlight the parts on the board or they own copy of the letter.

Have students circle the uppercase letters and commas.

Remind students that all of the parts of the letter are necessary for a good friendly letter.

Sample mini LessonTeach or review each of the parts of a Friendly letter.

As the teacher names the parts of the letter, have the students highlight the parts on the board or they own copy of the letter.

Have students circle the uppercase letters and commas.

Remind students that all of the parts of the letter are necessary for a good friendly letter.

October 1, 2008

Dear Billy,

I really enjoyed watching you in the football game yesterday. I never thought you would catch that one pass. Michael threw it so long, how did you ever jump that high to catch it?

I can’t wait until my broken arm is better so that I can play with all of you guy.

Your Friend,

Amyeeadopted from

http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/4111.html

Active Practice IdeaActive Practice Idea

Assign each student a classmate to write a friendly letter

Each student is given a file folder taped along the sides and is to decorate it as their mailbox.

The teacher has decorated a box to resemble a US mail box for the students to deposit their letters to the classmate.

The teacher reads and checks the letters for all the components and the “delivers” the letters to the appropriate student.

Students enjoy receiving mail while the teacher gets the opportunity to check for understanding.

Writing a friendly letter to a classmate can be assigned as a workstation or writing center activity.

t

adopted from http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/4111.html

Pen Pal LettersPen Pal Letters

Fun way to give students real life lessons in may subject areas.

Teacher must decide if you want to use snail-mail or an electronic format.

Be sure to teach safe practices.

Post an announcement of an electronic bulletin board.

Try International Pen Pal or E-Pals

adopted from http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/4111.html

Other Friendly Letters

Other Friendly Letters

Emails

Set up classes email within the school.

Courtesy Letters

Thank a guest speaker or a parent for doing something nice for the classroom or even the principal.

Letters to Authors or Illustrators

Business LettersBusiness Letters

Ask for information about something you want to know more about.

Relay a concern, suggestion, or complement about something you noticed.

An avenue to transact business, ask about a product, or letters to the editor of the local paper.

Business Letter Format

Business Letter Format

Activity Ideas for Business LettersActivity Ideas for Business Letters

Students lobby for something that is important to them.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/unitplan.jsp?id=65

Students write their own opinion on a issue that is important to them.

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1137

Simulated LettersSimulated Letters

Students assume the identity of a historical or literary figure...

In your table groups, brainstorm at least 25 ideas that could be utilized to have students write a simulated letter.

Share your best idea with the group.

Step by Step: Writing a letterStep by Step: Writing a letter

On page 138 of the Tompkin’s book you will find a step by step guide for Writing a Letter.

Choose a grade level for your table group, rewrite these steps in language appropriate for the grade level you have chosen.

Brainstorm ideas on how you might create a lesson to teach the steps you choose.