Writing & Publishing Prose
Letter Generator
Grades
K - 12
About this Interactive
Overview
The Letter Generator tool is designed to help students learn to identify all the essential parts of a business or friendly letter, and then generate letters by typing information into letter templates. A sample letter is included, and students can learn about the parts of a letter by reading descriptions of each part.
Once students have become familiar with letter formats, they are prompted to write their own letter. Students follow the steps and fill in specific fields in the template (for example, heading, salutation, closing, signature, and so on). They may even add a decorative border and postscript to the friendly letter. The finished letter can be saved, e-mailed, or printed.
This useful tool provides step-by-step instructions for familiarizing users with the necessary elements of written correspondence, and can serve as an excellent practice method for composing and proofreading both formal and informal letters.
Related Resources
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Students discuss Dickinson's poem "This Is My Letter To The World" and use it to focus on how audience affects voice.
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Students discuss Benjamin Franklin's contributions to postal history, investigate the roles of the Postmaster General, and write letters to their classmates using the Letter Generator.
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3 - 12
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Students read letters from the Gold Rush and follow up by writing an imaginary letter to a family member about their experience using the Letter Generator.
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Jon Scieszka was born in 1954.
K - 8
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Shared Writing
Grades
K - 12
Strategy Guide
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Grades
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3 - 5
Lesson Plan
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Students discuss and chart letter elements and write their own letters to adults at school, reinforcing letter-writing skills beyond the classroom lesson.
Grades
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Lesson Plan
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Students create a persuasive case calling for the adoption of a particular young adult literature title into their school's language arts curriculum by writing letters or speeches.
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Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students write persuasive letters to their librarian requesting that specific texts be added to the school library. As they work, students plan their arguments and outline their reasons and examples.
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Note Writing in the Primary Classroom
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This lesson provides a wealth of ideas for using notes in the classroom to promote authentic writing among children.
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Investigating Junk Mail: Negotiating Critical Literacy at the Mailbox
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Lesson Plan
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Students increase their media literacy skills by critically examining and revising junk mail.
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The Passion of Punctuation
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Greetings from the Biomes of the World
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
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Grades
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3 - 5
Lesson Plan
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In this lesson, students conduct a science experiment and later discuss the events of the lab during shared writing. Students explain the procedure in their own words and then revise to include content specific vocabulary. Finally, students reflect on new words added to their writing using the Trading Card Creator interactive.
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3 - 5
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3 - 6
Lesson Plan
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Guided comprehension moves your students beyond decoding to become independent readers. Generating questions to guide reading helps readers make connections with the text and supports independent comprehension of new texts.
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Guided Comprehension: Making Connections Using a Double-Entry Journal
4 - 6
Lesson Plan
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Based on the Guided Comprehension Model by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson helps students learn three types of connections (text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world) using a double-entry journal.
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Blending Fiction and Nonfiction to Improve Comprehension and Writing Skills
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
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Students use a text set to increase understanding of content area material and demonstrate what they have learned by writing an original piece that blends together narrative and expository elements.
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Zines for Kids: Multigenre Texts About Media Icons
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
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Special edition! Students use ReadWriteThink tools to create magazines about prominent figures using a variety of writing genres and styles.
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Persuading the Principal: Writing Persuasive Letters About School Issues
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students learn that you don't have to raise your voice to raise a point. Writing a persuasive letter to your principal is a great way to get your opinions heard.
Grades
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Cultural Connections and Writing for Change
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
A little understanding can go a long way. After learning about difficulties that Palestinian youths face, students will write a letter to an official discussing these issues.
Grades
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What's in a Name? Teaching Concepts of Letter and Word
K
Lesson Plan
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In this recurring activity, the process of choosing a helper for the day becomes a literacy activity, with the helper's name as a starting place for reading and writing.
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6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Unit
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Launching Family Message Journals
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Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
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Living the Dream: 100 Acts of Kindness
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An Exploration of Text Sets: Supporting All Readers
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
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A Genre Study of Letters With The Jolly Postman
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students read The Jolly Postman, in which a postman delivers letters to storybook characters. They explore different types of mail and categorize letters from the book and their own mail.
Grades
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Paying Attention to Technology: Exploring a Fictional Technology
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students complete a short survey to establish their beliefs about technology. They compare their opinions to the ideas in a novel that depicts technology (such as 1984 or Fahrenheit 451).
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K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
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9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
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Lesson Plan
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Explore the modern significance of an older text, such as Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, by asking students to create their own modern interpretation of specific events from the drama.
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Lesson Plan
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9 - 12
Lesson Plan
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9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students use persuasive writing and an understanding of the characteristics of letters to the editor to compose effective letters to the editor on topics of interest to them.
Grades
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Book Report Alternative: A Character's Letter to the Editor
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students write a persuasive letter to the editor of a newspaper from a selected fictional character's perspective, focusing on a specific issue or situation explored in the novel.
Grades
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9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students will research a local issue, and then write letters to two different audiences, asking readers to take a related action or adopt a specific position on the issue.
Grades
|
From Friedan Forward—Considering a Feminist Perspective
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students write letters expressing personal views on issues like equal pay, equal education/employment opportunity, and gender rolesand receive these letters six years later.
Grades
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Book Report Alternative: Creating a Childhood for a Character
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students explore familiar literary characters, usually first encountered as adults, but whose childhood stories are only told later. Students then create childhoods for adult characters from books of their choice.
Grades
|
Involving Students and Families in Ongoing Reflection and Assessment
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Recurring Lesson
Students begin by writing a sentence or two each week and progress to daily reflections and records of their school activity. Families respond to these student reflections, which become the basis for discussion among family, teacher, and students.
Grades
|
Letters and Learning Genre
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Using their prior knowledge of books containing letters, students show their understanding of genre by rewriting a story and reflecting on how traditional stories differs from stories told in letters.
Grades
|
Worth Its Weight: Letter Writing with "The Things They Carried"
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
This lesson uses a letter-writing activity based on Tim O'Brien's story "The Things They Carried" to build empathy as students examine the weight they symbolically carry in their own lives.
Grades
|
The Correspondence Project: A Lesson of Letters
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
After exploring business and friendly letter formats, students write letters for various audiences and real-world purposes.
Grades
|
Students as Creators: Exploring Copyright
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
This lesson gives students the tools they need to consider the ethical issues surrounding use and ownership of copyrighted materials.
Grades
|
Persuading Readers with Endorsement Letters
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students explore the genre of commercial endorsements, establishing characteristics and requirements for the genre. Each student then composes an endorsement of a product, service, company, or industry.
Grades
|
Sí, Se Puede: Making a Difference, One Letter at a Time
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
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Grades
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Developing Persuasive Arguments through Ethical Inquiry: Two Prewriting Strategies
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
In this lesson, students use focused prewriting strategies to explore content and ethical issues related to a persuasive assignment.