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 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. Letter Writing Week is celebrated in January.

Organizing a Letter Let's Write the Author This organizer will help students write a letter to a favorite author. Use this printable to develop students' composition skills during Letter Writing Week (January). 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. Formatting a Letter Independent Letter-Writing Activities Use this template to create a correctly formatted letter. Celebrate Write to a Friend Month (December) or Letter Writing Week (January) with these activities. A Letter to a Friendly Monster Write a friendly letter with the date, salutation, body, closing, and signature. Use this printable activity to celebrate Letter Writing Week in January or Halloween. The Letter Use this printable writing activity to focus on correctly indenting a letter. The Parts of a Letter Learn the basic format of a typical letter. Letter Writing Week is celebrated in January. 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. Letter-Writing Activities 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. Katie Kazoo Classroom Crew Letters In this letter-writing activity, students compose letters to their favorite characters from the Katie Kazoo Switcheroo books. Father's Day Letter Use these handouts to help students brainstorm, prewrite, and write a Father's Day letter. This printable will build children's letter-writing skills. World War II: Letter to the President In this letter-writing activity, students pretend they are alive during World War II and compose a formal letter to the president. Use this activity during Letter Writing Week or anytime of year to teach students about the Holocaust. 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. More Letter-Writing Activities

Letter-Writing Rubrics 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. 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. 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. Enhance your curriculum during Letter Writing Week (January) or Black History Month (February) with this lesson plan. 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. This is a great activity for Letter Writing Week, observed in January. Benjamin Banneker's Letter Review Banneker's life, read a letter he wrote to Jefferson, and write analogies in this lesson plan. Students will learn about African-American history and practice their letter-writing skills. 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 Use this outline of a formal full-block style letter with the "Who Are My Representatives?" lesson plan. Students will practice the art of letter writing as they compose messages to a state representative. 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. Charlotte's Web Persuasive Letter Students write a letter to convince Mr. Arable about what he should do with Wilbur. Letter to My Favorite Author After reading a realistic fiction story, the student will write a letter to the author. Use this activity to celebrate Letter Writing Week in your classroom. 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. Use this printable to celebrate Letter Writing Week with your students. 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. This is a great activity for Letter Writing Week, celebrated in January. 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.