As education, and the skills that students need in our modern and technological world shift and change, writing, and all communcation skills, remain vital for elementary aged children to learn. I LOVE teaching writing! I think that writing, when done right, is an incredibly engaging and enjoyable activity for students and an excellent diagnostic tool and measure of student growth and understanding for teachers. If you'd like to see how I usually set up the writing center in my classroom (and also see a few must have resources) CLICK HERE to check out one of my previous posts. One type of writing that I always teach my students is friendly letter writing. I love how friedly letters can be incorporated so easily in all topics. Students love how letters can reach an authentic audience and even on occasion, recieve real-life responses. One year that I was teaching second grade in Guatemala, during a unit on ocean conservation, my students wrote letters to a local restaurant that was serving shark fin soup. This idea was brought to me by a student after they ate there with thier family and noticed the dish on the menu. Having an authentic audience is a super engaging hook for students. A different year, when I was teaching in Germany, there was a senior living home near the school. Before our winter break the students wrote letters to the senior citizens to brighten up thier holidays! They were incredibly appreciative and many even wrote replies. My students loved receiving mail and the knowledge that they were making an impact on the community with their letter writing. Typically, before starting the writing process, I introduce mentor texts about letter writing as read alouds. There are so many great picture books out there that model how friendly letters are used and provide examples of letter format. A few of my favorites are below: Some other great options are: Sincerely Emerson By Emerson Weber This book is great for writing thank you notes or within a unit about community helpers. It also would tie-in nicely with a pen pal project. Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type By Doreen Cronin This is a classic story for younger students. It includes very simple letter format and is highly engaging and funny! Dear Mrs. LaRue Letters from Obedience School By Mark Teague This story is great for older elementary students. The written voice in this book is very strong and it provides a opportunity to talk about reliable narrators. Dear Dragon By Josh Funk This book would be perfect to introduce students to pen pal letter writing. There are some great examples of how to share information about yourself and how to ask questions about another person. Once students are familiar with how letters are used and how they generally look, I like to do at least one lesson on the basic pieces of a letter. The formatting is what makes a letter a letter! Once students are ready to write, I find that using fun writing templates adds an imaginative feel to the experience. It's almost like playing dress up, but with writing! I've created a few templates, that I introduce to the students early on in the year, and then leave out in my writing center for them to use during Daily 5 or writer's workshop. CLICK HERE to check them out in my TeachersPayTeachers store. These templates often help reluctant writers get started and a great way to jump-start some letter writing ideas!
