Writing a Friendly Letter
WA 2.2 – Write a friendly letter complete with the
date, salutation/greeting, body, closing, and
signature.
Day 1 Learning Objective:
Today we are going to identify the parts of a
letter and state their purpose.
Activate Prior Knowledge
TPS – Have you ever written to a friend? Tell
your partner all about it.
Concept Development
A friendly letter has 5 parts
1. The heading tells the date.
2. The greeting says hello.
3. The body is the friendly message.
4. The closing says goodbye.
5. The signature is the writer’s handwritten
note.
Example
Non - example
Last weekend, I went to the UCLA
Botanical Gardens with my family. First
we took a tour of the gardens. We saw all
the different types of plants they have
there. Later on, we ate lunch. My mom
brought ham sandwiches for everyone.
Finally, we fed the fish at the pond. We
also got to see the turtles swimming
there. I hope we go back soon.
CFU – Which one of these is a
friendly letter?
June 1, 2008
Dear Sam,
I’m writing to tell you
about my time at camp. On
Thursday, I went to Wallabee
lake for my first day of summer
camp. First, I got to know all
the people I would live with.
Then, we all went to swim in
the lake. Last we made a hat
out of newspaper. I’ve had a
blast so far!
Love,
Angela
Last year, my family
visited my grandparent’s
house in Florida for the first
time. First, we spent time
talking and getting to know
each other. My grandmother
told me I reminded her of my
mother when she was a little
girl. Later on, we had dinner.
My grandmother made a
delicious pot roast. Finally, we
played games in the living
room. I liked playing Monopoly
because I won. I wish my
grandparents could live closer
so we could always have that
much fun together.
Importance
• Academic – It is important to know the parts of a
letter so that you can write a letter correctly.
Skill Development
Heading – tells the date.
Greeting – says hello.
(Dear ________________,)
Body – the friendly message
Closing – says goodbye
(Ex. Love, Yours truly)
Signature – the writer’s name
Heading
May 13, 2007
Greeting
Closing
Dear Julia,
I’m writing to tell you about
my dog. My dog, Felix is my
best friend. When I talk to him
he always listens. He is always
ready to play ball with me and
he is a great catcher. He
shows me he loves me by
licking me. My dog Felix is so
special to me.
Your friend,
Matthew
Body
Signature
Name: ________________________________ Date: ________________
Identify the parts of a letter. ( Heading, greeting, body, closing, signature)
Sep. 1, 2001
Dear Uncle Pablo,
I’m writing to tell you about
my week at camp. I spent a
week at Camp Sunrise. On
Thursday, I went on a hike
with other kids in my cabin. On
Friday, we had a big campfire.
The best part of camp was
meeting Andy. On the last day
he promised to write me a
letter. I had a great time at
camp!
Your nephew,
Ramon
Draw a line to match the part of a letter with its purpose.
Body
The writer’s name
Closing
Tells the date
Heading
Says hello
Greeting
Says goodbye
Signature
is the friendly message
Day 2 - Learning Objective:
Today we are going to write a friendly letter.
Activate Prior Knowledge
TPS – What are the five parts of a letter?
Heading – tells the date.
Greeting – says hello.
(Dear ________________,)
Body – the friendly message
Closing – says goodbye
(Ex. Love, Yours truly)
Signature – the writer’s name
Concept Development
In a friendly letter you can share news.
You can ask questions. You can even show
someone that you care about them.
• Decide on someone who would like to
hear from you.
• Share some news.
• Ask questions.
• Show that you care.
• Read and check your letter. Did you sign
your name?
Date : _____________
Dear _______________,
Purpose – Tells the reason for you writing the letter.
Topic Sentence – Tells who, what, where, and when.
Sequence Word 1
Sequence Word 2
Event 2
Event 3
Supporting detail
Supporting detail
Event 1
Supporting detail
Sequence Word 3
Conclusion – Tells something you learned, something you hope, or
something you wish for.
Your friend,
____________________________
Example
January 2, 2009
Dear Wendy,
I’m writing to you to tell you about my trip to
Vegas. This new year’s I went to Las Vegas with my
family. First we went shopping in the mall. We
bought lots of souvenirs. Then we went to have
dinner. We ate at a fancy Italian restaurant. Last,
we went to a party to countdown to the end of
the year. There were so many people there. It
was so exciting to spend New Year’s at Vegas
this year.
XOXO,
Jessica
Non - example
CFU – Which one of these is a
friendly letter?
Last year, my family
visited my grandparent’s
house in Florida for the first
time. First, we spent time
talking and getting to know
each other. My grandmother
told me I reminded her of my
mother when she was a little
girl. Later on, we had dinner.
My grandmother made a
delicious pot roast. Finally, we
played games in the living
room. I liked playing Monopoly
because I won. I wish my
grandparents could live closer
so we could always have that
much fun together.
June 1, 2008
Dear Sam,
I’m writing to tell you
about my time at camp. On
Thursday, I went to Wallabee
lake for my first day of summer
camp. First, I got to know all
the people I would live with.
Then, we all went to swim in
the lake. Last we made a hat
out of newspaper. I’ve had a
blast so far!
Love,
Angela
Importance
• Personal – It is important to learn how to write a
letter because then you can:
write to a friend or loved one
write an e-mail
send a thank you card
write a love letter
Skill Development
1. Think about who you want to write to.
2. Think about an interesting story to tell
them about.
3. Write down your ideas on a circle map.
4. Organize your ideas on a flee map.
5. Use your flee map to write complete
sentences and a complete letter.
Played games
lunch
Trip to
Hansem
Dam
Pool
January 7, 2009
Dear Song________,
I’m writing to tell you about my trip to Hansem Dam.
Last summer, I went to Hansem Dam with my family for a day of fun.
In the morning
Played games
football
At noon
In the afternoon
pool
lunch
Subway sandwich
diving board
I had so much fun being with my family!
Your friend,
Jose Alvarez
January 7, 2009
Dear Song,
I’m writing to tell you about my trip to
Hansem Dam. Last summer, I went to Hansem
Dam with my family for a day of fun. In the
morning we played games. My favorite was
when we played football. At noon, we ate lunch.
Dad brought us all subway sandwiches. In the
afternoon we went to take a dip in the pool. I
even got to jump off the diving board and splash
into the pool. I had so much fun being with my
family.
Your friend,
Jose Alvarez
January 7, 2009
Dear Song,
I’m writing to tell you about my
trip to Hansem Dam. Last summer, I
went to Hansem Dam with my family
for a day of fun. In the morning we
played games. My favorite was when
we played football. At noon, we ate
lunch. Dad brought us all subway
sandwiches. In the afternoon we
went to take a dip in the pool. I even
got to jump off the diving board and
splash into the pool. I had so much
fun being with my family.
Your friend,
Jose Alvarez