Curated OER
Look at What I Did at School!
Third graders use an outline to write a letter to their parents sharing their week at school.
Curated OER
I Nominate My Friend
Students review letter writing skills and the use of descriptive language, and practice writing persuasive letters, with help from teacher and peers. Letters are then written to nominate friend for Friend of the Year.
Curated OER
Creative Writing
Eleventh graders write a persuasive letter to the editor using the writing process.
Curated OER
Letter from the Chateau
Students write a friendly letter based on their observations of a painting by Poussin.
Curated OER
To Whom It May Concern
Fourth graders produce and peer edit typed rough drafts of the business letters following the guidelines illustrated in the Eight Essential Parts of a business letter and save to disks. They complete the Where's the Math? scavenger hunt...
Curated OER
E-Pal Adventure
Eighth graders develop online writing relationships with students from another area in their state. They write weekly regarding assigned topics, including researching information about the area in which they live.
Curated OER
E-Pals - Key-Pals
Second graders communicate with another 2nd grade classroom through E-mail.
Curated OER
Photo Link
Second graders write correct letters to their pen pals and improve their grammar, handwriting, capitalization, punctuation, and ability to construct complete sentences.
Curated OER
Are You Money Smart?
Learners figure out and discuss the irony of this coin-centric poem. They also practice persuasive letter writing, and identify and count coin/money values.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Clifford the Big Red Dog
Highly interactive site all about Clifford! Activities available include games, stories, coloring pages, crafts, letter writing, painting, and music. There's even a special section for parents and teachers with teaching and learning ideas.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: A Man and His Murals
A unit on the Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, that could be adapted to various grades. Includes lesson plans, a glossary, a bibliography for teachers and students, and plenty of information on Diego Rivera.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: A Letter to Me
After reading song lyrics to Brad Paisley's "A Letter to Me" and the personal essay "A Letter to My Younger Self" by Brian Elroy, young scholars write a poem, lyric, or letter from George Washing to his younger self. Then students write...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: A Genre Study of Letter With the Jolly Postman
In this activity outline based on The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, students learn about parts of a letter, the different genres of mail, and letter attributes by studying the letters included in the book.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Worth Its Weight Letter Writing With "The Things They Carried"
Contains plans for six lessons that use the Tim O'Brien's story "The Things They Carried" to teach about an author's style as well as letter writing. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to...
CPALMS
Moving on Up
[Free Registration/Login Required] During this MEA simulation, kindergarten students will be preparing for a move to another state. Students must work in cooperative groups as they determine which moving company will be the best for...
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: The Basic Business Letter
This lesson from Purdue's online writing lab details both the parts of a business letter and the various formats for one, including block, modified block, and semi-block. Great resource for getting started writing a professional letter.
PBS
Arthur: Letter Writer Helper
This interactive site gives examples of how to write a letter, an email, a postcard, and a greeting card. It even explains how to address an envelope. As students roll their mouse over the letter it explains what each part is called and...
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: Purdue University: Tone in Business Writing
Excellent resource for those interested in professional, business, or technical writing. Gives definition, uses, and guidelines for the element of tone in a written work.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Unusual Friendly Letters: Persuasive Writing Techniques
In this lesson, students will use active voice in regards to persuasion. Lesson incorporates the A R.A.F.T. strategy: role, audience, format, topic.
Free Reading
Free Reading: Book Letters Free Reading
Expand your reading activity by having students write a letter to a character in the book.
PBS
Pbs: Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: Something Special for Dad
This e-book is based on the PBS Kids' series, Daniel's Neighborhood. Students will read aloud a story about Daniel's special gift, a letter for his dad.
Other
Teachers Network: Writing a Short Story Based on Kindred
In this lesson plan, students will engage in the technology, social studies, and language arts standards as students engage in reading by Octavia Butler's book entitled Kindred. Students will research tslavery. Students will keep a...
Other
Writing Scientific Reports
This tutorial site provides links to articles about writing a scientific report or essay as well as to sample essays.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Letter Poems: Experimenting With Line Breaks in Poetry Writing
Students explore letter poems and experiment with writing letters as poems, using the placement of line breaks to enhance rhythm, sound, meaning, and appearance.