Writing a Letter



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As an English teacher, one of my standards requires me to teach students to write friendly and business letters. It doesn't matter what grade you teach; it is almost inevitable that you will see this standard on your list. (And even if it's not "on the list," isn't it a useful skill to teach, anyway?)

When I teach (or review) how to write a letter, I always start by showing them an example of a finished letter with all the necessary parts before asking the students to write a letter of their own. This website seems like it would be good to use in between those two steps. Letter generator is a nice scaffolding tool for getting students -- young or old -- to write letters correctly.

When you go to the Letter Generator website, you are immediately asked to type in your name. Then you're taken to a screen that asks what kind of letter you're looking to write: friendly or business? Each option explains a little about who would be on the receiving end of the letter so that students can better assess which type of letter they need to write. Students can click on either option.



No matter which option is chosen, students are taken through the letter-writing process step-by-step. Each screen presents a new step with text fields to complete. Letter Generator does a nice job of making sure students understand what should be written in each field. At the end of the letter writing experience, students are shown a preview of their letter and given three options: print, save, or share. There is an also an extra feature that shows students how to correctly address an envelope! Nifty.

Besides the great scaffolding, one feature I really like about Letter Generator is that students can practice writing friendly and business letters in a completely paperless way. I love that final letters can be e-mailed or downloaded for grading! Way to be green, Letter Generator! Here's a screen shot of my friendly letter sample. (Colorful boarders can be added to the friendly letter, but not to the business letter.)