What is a friendly letter?

There are many ways to communicate with people all over the world. Take a few minutes to think of different ways that people communicate with others.

Have you ever written a letter to a friend or relative? It can be very exciting to send a letter or find one waiting for you when you arrive home! This is one way to communicate with others – through a friendly letter.

A friendly letter is a type of letter that we write to people with whom we have a relationship. Sometimes we write friendly letters to people using paper, and other times we may write using email. We use the letter to tell people what we have been doing or to share some exciting news. Take a few minutes to write a list in your notebook of all the people you might like to write a friendly letter to.

Parts of a letter

There are five main parts of a friendly letter. Examine all five parts labelled in this letter.

Now, examine the following letter. Use the Friendly Letter Example in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document to identify all five parts of a friendly letter on your own. 

Planning your letter

In this lesson, you will have a chance to write your own friendly letter to a person of your choice. Like athletes, a writer needs to warm up! Writers do this by brainstorming ideas.

Getting organized

Writers plan before they begin writing to get all of their ideas organized. Now that you have filled in your brainstorming web with all of your exciting ideas, it’s time to get planning! Complete the Letter Planner in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document to arrange your thoughts.

Drafting and Revising

Now that you have planned all of the things that you would like to share and the questions you would like to ask, you are ready to draft a copy of your letter. Remember, as you write your draft, you might think of things that you would like to add that were not in your planner. That is okay! Your planner is just a guide.

Complete the Blank Letter Template in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document to help you draft a copy of your letter. 

Self and peer-editing

Have you finished drafting your letter? If so, you are ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work! All good writers read their writing over and over to try to find places where they can make their writing even better. Use the Self-Editing Checklist to help you.

Complete the Self-Editing Checklist in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document to help you.

Once you have edited your own work, ask a friend to help you edit your work and provide some suggestions. A second set of eyes can make your letter extra special! Have your friend use the Peer-Editing Checklist in a notebook or use the following fillable and printable document to help them. Don’t forget to do the same for your friend.

Writing a final draft

Wow, what a lot of hard work you have put into your letter! You are ready to write your final draft. If you have some special letter paper, now is the time to pull it out.

Now that you have finished your final draft, prepare your envelope with the address of the recipient and sender (that’s you).

Here is a sample envelope to help you get started.

You have only one thing left to do. Put a stamp on your letter, pop it into your closest mailbox, and wait for that special someone to write back to you.

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity?  Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.

Press ‘Discover More’ to extend your skills.

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