Writing Class Letters

Get Well Card with Post-it note signatures

I think that letter writing is an important skill.  Accordingly, we write lots of thank you notes and get well cards (particularly when I taught kindergarten).  Usually, we write a card as a class.  First we generate a list of of things we could mention.  For example, if it is a thank you note after a field trip, the list might include what we liked best or what we learned.  Next, I write the letter drawing attention to the writing conventions I'm using. I put the letter inside a folded piece of poster board.  I then give each child a post it note or a small piece of paper and have them sign their name and draw a small picture of their favorite part of the trip (or sometimes a picture of themselves).  I can then stick the signatures to the bottom of the letter.  The advantage is there are no giant signatures and mistakes are easy to correct (otherwise those perfectionist can drive you crazy).

The picture above is of a Get Well card we recently made for our Science teacher.  Each child made one flower for the front.  They then dictated specific advice about how she should take care of herself and signed their own star.