Using Letters to tell stories

Using Letters to tell stories

Suggest exploring this activity with one class per term.

This letter-writing activity may be carried out as part of a

lesson as follows:

Activity:      A Letter from Me

Class:           Beginning EFL learners

Materials:  Copies of a letter found in an EFL textbook, a small

box, paper, and envelopes

Time required: One to two weeks, depending on class size

5 Engaging Uses for Letters in Your Classroom

1. Letters on a Rubric

This year, I made the decision that on every rubric and scoring guide for a major assignment, I would begin with a brief, heartfelt letter to my students. After all, if I'm asking for them to put a little heart into their work, I should at least be able to do as much with their directions, right?

It may just be a few sentences long, but my aim is always to motivate, to communicate high expectations, and to cultivate a joy in our work as readers and writers.

2. Letters to the Class

When I feel like students are becoming a bit too task-centric in their thinking (i.e. their first question when starting a new book is "What will be the project/paper for this book?"), I take a surprising turn and write an open letter to the class, requesting individual responses.

Once I've shared my best musings and my deeper questions about what is most valuable to them as readers, they often reply with equal depth and candor.

For instance, in one open letter to the class, I wondered:

There was no major project associated with this reading. Was that a good thing, or would you have liked some project at the end to show what you gained from your reading? Why do you feel projects help or hurt your personal reading?

I received some good replies. For example, Samantha said:

I think projects hurt reading more than help it because they tend to make you look hard for the message behind the book instead of letting it occur to you naturally.

Drew reflected:

It was a good thing that there was no project after. When there is a project, students are so worried about the information they have to find for it, it takes away from the reading enjoyment.

3. Letters of Complaint

When it comes to a relevant context for learning to write a sharply focused argument, nothing compares to the letter (or email) of complaint. High school students are consumers, and they know the difference between what it feels like to be a satisfied or dissatisfied customer. The audience for a letter of complaint (a company) is obliged to respond, so this is not just a dead-end writing piece that lands on a teacher's desk.

Moreover, by writing a letter of complaint, they practice a skill that they'll use over and over again in life beyond the school walls: tactful objection. And for students that don't have a recent gripe about a product? Letters of commendation for a product that they love will often get a response from the company as well, sometimes with free goodies!

4. Letters of Appreciation

As they develop the skill of writing with specific details, students can write a letter of appreciation to a favorite teacher. I encourage kids to choose their favorite elementary teacher and then craft a letter that goes beyond "Your class was so much fun" or "I learned so much." I tell them how meaningful it is to me when a student returns and can tell a specific anecdote about learning during my class.

I model how to write this way when I craft a letter to one of my former teachers -- I share my positive memories and express appreciation. I invite them to show their memories rather than tell, which is an excellent warm-up for all other writing pieces later in the year.

5. Letters to a Future Self

I teach students during their first year of high school, so a favorite June activity is inviting students to write a letter to their future selves. I promise to send this letter to the address on their self-addressed envelope at the end of their senior year. They ponder important questions:

• What do I aspire to accomplish by the end of high school?
• What goals do I hope to keep on my horizon as I leave high school?

These letters can be excellent motivators twice in their life: once when they write reflectively, and a second time years later when they receive it.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote: "Letters are among the most significant memorials a person can leave behind them." While times have changed, it is noteworthy that the word letters in that sentence cannot exactly be replaced with tweets, texts, or updates. So let us not forget the simple, quiet value of slowing down enough with our students to write something that will touch a heart or motivate an action as letters have been doing for centuries.

Strategy of teaching:

A. Before / Pr- the lesson:

1- Write a letter to each learner of your chosen class.

Use simple language to introduce yourself. 

Try to use neat handwriting.

Address each letter personally by using “Dear (learner’s name).

” If you think this will take too much time, you can photocopy this

letter and then add your learners’ names. There is no need to

worry about authenticity loss due to photocopying.You wrote the

letter yourself to get to know your students, and it will produce an authentic response anyway.

2- In the letter, tell them who you are, where you come from,

where you studied, some information about your family, and

your likes and dislikes as regards music, films, food, sports,

and hobbies. You may attach a picture of yourself.

3-Put each letter in an envelope. Write your name in the upper left-

hand corner and the addressee’s name in the center of the envelope.

Take the letters to the class in a small box, which you may decorate

by making it look as if it is from the post office.

4- Lead students to notice the structure of the letter.

Where is the date? Who writes the letter? Who is it for?

How many paragraphs are there? What is each paragraph about?

5- Now, help students become aware of language use.

What verbs does the writer use? What pronouns?

What linkers does the writer use?

Are there any words or phrases the students do not understand?

6- Announce that you have received letters addressed to your

learners. You can either ask them to come to the box and find

theirs, or “deliver” each letter.

7- For homework, ask students to reply to your letter.

When they are happy with their reply, they can drop it in the

box you leave in the classroom.

C. After / Post the lesson:

Depending on your learners’ confidence, once you collect their

letters, you can read them aloud in class. You can turn this

follow-up activity into a game by reading a letter and asking the class

to guess who the author is .