Letter to a Friend

Overview

Letter to a Friend introduces Grade 2 students to the friendly letter format through meaningful, authentic writing experiences. Students learn the parts of a letter while writing to real audiences - classmates, family members, or pen pals from other schools or islands. This activity makes writing purposeful and develops important communication skills that connect the classroom to the wider community.

Learning Objectives

• Identify and use the parts of a friendly letter (date, greeting, body, closing, signature)
• Write for a specific audience and purpose
• Organize ideas with a beginning, middle, and end
• Use appropriate capitalization and punctuation in letter format
• Express thoughts, feelings, and experiences in writing
• Revise and edit writing for clarity

Materials Needed

• Letter template worksheets with labeled parts
• Sample friendly letters to display
• Special writing paper or stationery
• Envelopes for mailing letters
• Pencils, colored pencils for decorating
• Anchor chart showing letter parts
• Postage stamps (if mailing letters)

Preparation

1. Create an anchor chart showing the 5 parts of a friendly letter
2. Write a model letter to share with students
3. Prepare letter templates with lines and spaces marked
4. Arrange for pen pals (another class, school, or island) if desired
5. Set up a class "post office" corner for delivering letters
6. Gather examples of real letters to share

Parts of a Friendly Letter

Activity Steps

1. Introduction (8 minutes):
   • Ask: "Have you ever received a letter? How did it make you feel?"
   • Share a real letter or read a model letter aloud
   • Introduce the 5 parts using the anchor chart
   • Discuss why each part is important
2. Brainstorming (5 minutes):
   • Students decide who to write to (classmate, family member, pen pal)
   • Think about what they want to share or ask
   • Make a quick list of 3-4 ideas for the body
   • Consider questions to ask the reader
3. Drafting (12 minutes):
   • Students write their letters on template paper
   • Teacher circulates to support and encourage
   • Remind students to include all 5 parts
   • Encourage specific details and questions
4. Revising and Editing (5 minutes):
   • Partners read each other's letters
   • Check for all 5 parts using a checklist
   • Look for capital letters and punctuation
   • Make sure the message is clear
5. Publishing (5 minutes):
   • Write final copy on special paper
   • Add drawings or decorations
   • Address envelope (with teacher help if mailing)
   • Deliver through class post office or mail

Letter Starters

Letter Writing Ideas

Differentiation

Assessment

Use a simple checklist to assess:

• Includes date in the correct position
• Has a greeting with correct punctuation (Dear ___,)
• Body has 3+ sentences with a clear message
• Includes a closing with correct punctuation
• Has a signature
• Uses capital letters appropriately

Extensions

• Create a class post office with mailboxes for each student
• Establish pen pals with a class in another OECS country
• Write letters to community helpers and mail them
• Compare friendly letters to postcards and emails
• Write response letters after receiving mail
• Create a class letter-writing center
• Study how letters traveled historically in the Caribbean