Letter-Writing Lessons & Tips

Letters take many forms and serve a variety of purposes. Give your students practice with the fine art of letter writing using one or more or of the following activities, for grades K-12. You'll find formatting tips and strategies for teaching your students the basics of different types of letter-writing (like persuasive, business, and friendly), and also plenty of lesson plans to put their newfound knowledge into practice.

Formatting a Letter The Parts of a Letter Learn the basic format of a typical letter. Writing a Thank-You Letter Use a School Readiness Activity to provide early literacy thinking experiences for preschool children that will prepare them to do well in the early grades. Letter Writing In this printable computer lesson, students learn the basic format for letter writing. They get practice in word processing while typing their own business or friendly letter. Independent Letter-Writing Activities Use this template to create a correctly formatted letter. A Letter to a Friendly Monster Write a friendly letter with the date, salutation, body, closing, and signature. First Year Letters Classroom Activities Discussion questions and cross-curricular letter writing activities in this printable packet will extend students' learning after reading First Year Letters. Scoring Rubric: Business Letter/Memo The organization, elements of a business letter/memo writing, grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling of a written piece are scored in this rubric. Scoring Rubric: Resume and Cover Letter The organization, elements of resume and cover letter writing, grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling of a written piece are scored in this rubric. The Letter Use this printable writing activity to focus on correctly indenting a letter. Persuasive Letter Graphic Organizer Use this graphic organizer to help your students write persuasive letters. This printable is customizable. Tailor the PDF to your teaching needs by typing in the highlighted fields before printing. Writing a Letter to Persuade (Gr. 1) Use this packet to teach your students how to write a persuasive letter. An idea web model, a blank idea web, and a revising checklist are provided. Writing a Persuasive Letter (Gr. 2) Use this packet to teach students how to write a persuasive letter. Model and blank graphic organizers are provided, as is a revision checklist. Students write the who, what, why, and how of their letter. Writing a Persuasive Letter (Gr. 3) Use this packet to teach students how to write a persuasive letter. A model persuasion chart, a blank persuasion chart, and a persuasive letter at four different stages of revision are provided. Write a Cover Letter That Sells Use this printable to have children write a cover letter to sell a fake movie script they have written.

Lesson Plans Anti-Smoking Letter Writing Campaign Students will explore arguments against smoking and write letters encouraging a friend not to smoke. Write a Letter to Jesse Owens Assuming the role of a fellow athlete, Nazi supporter or African-American, students will write a letter to Jesse Owens describing their political views and their feelings about his accomplishments at the 1936 Olympic Games. Write a Letter to the President Students will write a letter to the president with details of their ideas for goals to be met during his/her administration. Benjamin Banneker's Letter Review Banneker's life, read a letter he wrote to Jefferson, and write analogies in this lesson plan. Letter for Great Mail Race Students practice writing and word processing a letter to be used in The Great Mail Race. Sample Letter to Representatives An outline of a formal full-block style letter. Abigail Adams Writes a Letter Learn about Abagail Adam's communications with her husband. Use with the Women Following Washington's Army lesson plan. Patricia Polacco, Author and Illustrator Students will get a glimpse at the life of Patricia Polacco, a storyteller and illustrator, with this lesson plan. Letters from the Past Students explore a Civil War Website and read authentic letters from a soldier. This lesson also requires students to conduct research and write a friendly letter. Letter to My Favorite Author After reading a realistic fiction story, the student will write a letter to the author. Katie Kazoo Classroom Crew Letters Students write letters to their favorite characters from the Katie Kazoo Switcheroo books. Charlotte's Web Persuasive Letter Students write a letter to convince Mr. Arable about what he should do with Wilbur. Questions About Your Future: Writing a Personal Letter Explore an activity that invites students to look seriously at their future by composing questions for themselves. Students will then write a letter to themselves with predictions about how their life will look in 20 years. Father's Day Letter Use these handouts to help students brainstorm, prewrite, and write a Father's Day letter. World War II: Letter to the President Students pretend they are alive during World War II and write a letter to the president. Write a Persuasive Letter In this printable activity, children will write a letter to a company president explaining why electric lighting is good for the company. Let's Write the Author This organizer will help students write a letter to a favorite author.