Curated OER
How to Set Out an Informal Letter
Walk your class through each step in writing an informal letter. This fabulous PowerPoint provides a great example for all parts of an informal, or personal, letter. After reviewing this presentation, your class will be ready to write...
Curated OER
Writing to an Author
Provide your young readers with step-by-step directions for crafting a friendly letter to their favorite author. After drafting and revising their letter, class members illustrate a favorite scene in the book and mail their letters to...
Curated OER
Writing a Personal Letter Using the Short Story "Eleven"
Challenge your class to connect to the text of "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros with this activity, which prompts them to write a personal letter from the main character's point of view. The story, prompt, and letter template are all included...
Ball State University
Dear Pen Pal
Keep your class in conversation with others across the country or across the sea by writing letters to pen pals. The activity calls for students to be pan pals with pupils in Africa; however, the listed steps could be used for any...
Curated OER
Swing Your Partner!
This was written for ESOL learners, but could work for any elementary class. Learners read about the American dance style known as Square Dancing. They explore its use in literature, write a friendly letter about it, and then use their...
Curated OER
"I Never Knew That!"
Incorporating To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, narrative writing, and friendly letters, this lesson is ideal for any number of units in your classroom. First, read chapter 10 of the novel, noting Scout and Jem's reactions to their...
Curated OER
Advanced Practical Writing - A Letter to your Landlord
Looking for a letter writing worksheet? This worksheet provides a practical and realistic activity for your class. Learners write a brief letter to their landlord, who can be either real or imaginary, asking him or her to fix a problem...
Teach-nology
Editing Informal Letters
Editing a letter isn't quite the same thing as fixing an autocorrected word on your phone, but it's an important skill that can help kids with their language arts skills. Young readers take a look at a short letter before identifying the...
Curated OER
My View's Write!
After researching issues involving panthers, middle schoolers practice writing persuasive letters. They become familiar with a controversial issue related to panthers and write their position on the issue. This lesson would be a good...
Curated OER
Dear Fifth Grader
Students write a friendly letter to 5th graders welcoming incoming students. In this writing lesson, students identify the five parts of a friendly letter, write a friendly letter to a current 5th grader, and perform a peer review and...
Curated OER
Formal and Informal Letters - Change of Register
In this formal and informal letters learning exercise, ESL students read a friendly letter. Then students substitute more formal expressions in the same letter, choosing phrases from the world bank.
Curated OER
Advanced Practical Writing
Using a motivating topic as the focus, this activity has learners write an email as though they are describing their new house. English language learners read an example letter, and then practice their own writing skills by writing a...
Bulgarian Creative Writing Competition
Creative Writing Prompts For Every Season and Month
Winter, spring, summer, and fall! Every season is covered in a 14-page list of writing prompts. Included are story starters, reflection questions, poetry topics, and more.
Curated OER
The Personal Letter: The Outsiders
After completing S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, eighth graders compose a personal letter to their teacher detailing what they liked about the novel and the activities assigned during the course of the unit. A clever way to get feedback,...
Curated OER
Descriptive Writing: Using Art to Inspire description
Write with the senses! Try using art to inspire writers to consider all of the senses. Here, the class is divided in half. Each group looks at one of two images, imagines the senses that would be engaged, and records answers to five...
Curated OER
Applying Letter Writing to Daily Life
Here are some ideas to get your students writing letters with a purpose.
Curated OER
Environmentally Friendly
What can your pupils do to promote better conditions for wildlife? After researching issues around wildlife management, class members use the Internet to locate three different organizations devoted to protecting wildlife. They then...
Curated OER
Ten Prompts for Student Writing
Build writing skills and creative thinking. Writers are given a variety of thought-provoking writing prompts to choose from. After they choose what they will write about they share their pieces with the class.
Curated OER
The Mail Race
Students create friendly letters and surveys to other schools. In this letter writing lesson, students format friendly letters to other school and request a reply. Students chart the replies on a map and share information from the...
Curated OER
Spanish-English Cognates in the ELL Classroom: Friends or Foes?
Define the meaning of a cognate and use the concept to help Spanish-speaking ELLs connect their first language to English. Middle schoolers explore Latin roots to find cognates in both languages. They relate the Spanish and English word...
Curated OER
Dear President Obama
Students write letters to the president as he begins his term. In this letter writing lesson, students discuss goals they hope the president will consider, and send good wishes to the president and his family. After the letters are...
Curated OER
First Class Mail
Students read The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and write a friendly letter to Elizabeth George Speare, the author, discussing their points of interest in the novel with her.
Curated OER
Consumer Scams
Letter writing may be outdated but it's a great way to practice English conventions, grammar, and spelling. The class researches consumer scams, then writes a letter about them. They each choose a scam to write about paying close...
Curated OER
Writing Letters
Students see the difference between business letters and other letters that could be received in the mail, such as bills, invitations, and letters from friends or relatives. They practice writing letters as well as sending them.