Pen Pal Letters Part 2: Writing Back

Paragraph 1: Thank Your Pen-Pal We want to thank your Pen-Pal for their letter Do not just say “Thank you for the letter.” (BORING!)

Example Dear _______________, Thank you so much for your letter! I was so happy and excited when I opened it. I’ve never had a pen-pal before, so this is a great experience for me. California is so far away, so it was really cool to receive something from all the way across the world!

In this paragraph, we told them how their letter made us feel, and why we felt that way. Be sure to also thank them for anything else they sent you

Paragraph 2: Two Truths and a Lie Your pen-pal probably guessed at which of the statements you said were true and which was the lie. Tell your pen-pal if he or she guessed correctly “In your letter, you guessed that my lie was that I was raised by monkeys. However, that guess is not correct. It is true. I was raised in the jungles of Uganda, and ate wild mangos and bananas for years. All of which may explain my behavior.”

Notice that we told them if they were correct or not, and then gave more detail Next, guess at their “lie” In your “two truths and a lie” game, you claimed to have four brothers and sisters, a pet crocodile, and that you were the president of Taiwan. I think that your lie is that you have four brothers and sisters, because that is just a crazy number of siblings!”

Notice that we tell them WHY we think that statement is their lie

Paragraph 3 Answer ALL your pen-pal’s questions Read the letter carefully and address their questions. This is the time to teach them more about your life. Remember, they are interested in learning about you and your country! Write the kind of response you would like to receive: one that is thoughtful and that shows you are happy to be their pen-pal

Paragraph 4 Ask them more questions relating to their letter For example, if they wrote: “I think it is cool that you have two dogs! I have never had a dog, but I do have a pet snake named Bubbles,” you could write: “Wow! I’ve never heard of a snake named Bubbles before. That is a hilarious name. I have never had a pet snake, because my mother is terrified of them. What does the snake eat? Do you feed it live mice?”

Remember, be creative with your responses and have fun with this letter. Your teacher can guide you with responses, but because all the letters we received in the mail are different, your letter might be different from your friend’s letter. Don’t worry!