Writing to Your Pen Pal

Reasons why you should hand-write letters: It’s personal—it shows that you took the time to sit down, put pen to paper and write down your thoughts. It’s lasting—sure e-mails can be re-read, but who does that? Letters can be saved and cherished for generations! It’s something you can actually hold on to, carry around, slipped under a pillow, or given to a friend to read.

5 Parts of a Letter Heading Greeting body closing signature Contains the return address and the date Means "hello” Contains the message Means "good‐bye” Author of the letter

How to organize your letter: 5 Parts of a Letter Heading: ______________ Greeting: ______________, Body: __________________________________ ______________________________________ Closing: Signature: Heading Greeting Body Closing Signature

As you write: things to remember HANDWRITING: Your pen-pal won’t be able to read anything you tell them if they can’t read your handwriting! :/ Spelling: whether you’re writing to a friend, your grandmother, or your pen-pal from Africa, spelling is ALWAYS important! Punctuation: put your commas, periods, exclamation points, question marks in their proper places!

“What do I write?”--Be as clear as possible Ex: Hi friend! This is your pen pal John from Butler Elementary School. I’m excited to learn everything about you, so feel free to tell me anything about your life and I’ll tell you all about mine! Be sure they know who the letter is from and why you are writing it.

Tell them your nickname or first name, age, gender and the country you live in. I’m John, but my friends call me Johnny. I’m 10 years old, and I’m from the U.S.A.

Let your pen pal know your hobbies and interests.

Explain away Keep in mind…your African friend might not be familiar with all of the same things that you are. Be sure you explain WHAT baseball is (a game you play with your friends after school). Explain WHAT a PB&J is (peanut butter and a fruity jam spread onto two slices of bread).

Adding illustrations It can be hard to describe certain things, so if it’s easier for you, draw pictures! Sometimes pictures can tell so much more than words.

Just for fun: Along with your letter, send your pen-pal pictures of you, your family, pets, etc.

Finished writing? Once you’re done writing your letter, seal it in your envelope, and hand it in to me! I’ll make sure the proper address and return addresses are written on the envelope, and most importantly, that it gets stamped!

Send and you shall receive! -Hopefully! ;)