© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

Prompt for a Friendly Letter

Read the following.

Think about a person who has done something nice for you.

Write a friendly letter to thank somone who has done something nice for you.

Be sure to –

• clearly state your central idea- The person and the nice thing they did • organize your writing

• develop your writing in detail • choose your words carefully

• use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and sentences

Saying thanks with a letter is

delivering a smile in words.

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

Planning Organizer for a Friendly Letter

Sample for Guided Writing

Heading- date

Letter opening- salutation or greeting

Body of the letter-

Central Idea

Thank you for the birthday gift.

Main Ideas about the Central Idea

First Main Idea Supporting Details

A basketball is the perfect

gift for me.

my favorite sport

needed a new basketball

I play a lot

will use it every day

will share with my family and other neighborhood kids

Concluding Statement

Thank you for the basketball. I really appreciate it. Most of all, thank you for always sharing

your love with me. You are the best auntie in the world!

Letter closing – All my love,

Signature

Beg

inn

ing

Mid

dle

En

d

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

Heading – date Letter opening-salutation or greeting Body of the letter: I. Introduction

Central Idea– Thank you for the birthday gift.

II. MI – A basketball is the perfect gift for me.

• My favorite sport • Needed a new basketball • I play a lot • Will use it everyday • Will share with my family and other neighborhood kids

III. Closing Central idea - Thank you for the basketball. I really appreciate it. Most of all, thank

you for always sharing your love with me. You are the best auntie in the world!

Letter closing – All my love, Signature

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

Heading – date

Letter opening-salutation or greeting

Begin the body of the letter:

I. Introduction

Central Idea – Thank you for the birthday gift.

II. Body paragraphs MI – A basketball is the perfect gift for me.

• My favorite sport • Needed a new basketball • I play a lot • Will use it everyday • Will share with my family and other neighborhood kids

Add a meaningful hook or lead to grab your reader’s attention. Use this central idea sentence or develop one with a similar position.

Write a topic sentence with the MI. Then add sentences with the supporting details.

• You may add other supporting details. Use detail moves to make your writing interesting and engaging.

Teacher directions - cut apart each part of the writing plan.

• Discuss the author and audience of the letter before the collaborative writing.

• Provide each group a part of the letter.

• Draft each paragraph using the plan provided.

Collaborative Interactive Writing Activity

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

III. Closing Central idea - Thank you for the basketball. I really appreciate it. Most of all, thank

you for always sharing your love with me. You are the best auntie in the world! Letter closing – All my love, Signature

Use the restated central idea or develop one with fresh new words. Use the parting thought to leave your audience with a thoughtful end to the letter. Remember to use this letter closing or develop a new one. Also, remember to sign your letter with a personal signature. Decide as a group how you wish to sign the letter. Discuss this with the class.

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

A mentor text activity

Directions: As a collaborative activity, have students read and choose one sample “hook” or

“parting thought.” Students may choose to use the exact “hook” or “parting thought” as

stated or may choose to change some of the words.

Hook #1 (Auntie_______) you are the absolute best!

Hook #2 I can’t tell you how much I love my gift!

Hook #3 How can I ever express how much I appreciate you?

Parting Thought #1 Like I said, “YOU are the BEST!

Parting Thought #2 You are always in my heart!

Parting Thought #3 You are so special to me.

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

Sample Letter

August 7, 2018

Dear Aunt Maribel,

You are the best aunt in the world! Thank you for the birthday gift. A basketball is

the perfect gift for me. You know that basketball is my favorite sport, and I really

needed a new ball. I play a lot of basketball at home and at school, and my old one

kept losing air. This new basketball is perfect! You can be sure that I will use it every

single day. When I play at home, I usually play with my neighborhood friends, so this

new baseball will get plenty of court time. Thank you again for the basketball. I really

appreciate it. Most of all, thank you for always sharing your love with me. You are the

best auntie in the world!

All my love,

Sammy

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

Planning Guide for a Friendly Letter

Heading

Letter opening- salutation or greeting

Body of the letter

I. Introductory paragraph

A. Central idea of the letter

B. Main ideas

II. Body paragraphs

A. Main idea stated in a topic sentence*

B. Supporting detail**

1. Examples

2. Cause and effect

3. Personal experiences

III. Concluding paragraph

A. Restate the central idea of the letter

B. Restate main ideas of the letter

C. Parting thought

Letter closing

Signature

* No set number of ideas or details

** Other elaboration methods may be equally effective.

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

Friendly Letter Planning Organizer

Heading-

Letter opening- salutation or greeting

Body of the letter-

Topic and Central Idea

Main Ideas about the Central Idea

First Main Idea Supporting Details

Second Main Idea Supporting Details

Concluding Statement

Letter closing -

Signature-

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

Revision Checklist

Expository

Introductory

Paragraph

Concluding Paragraph

Topic ___

Central Idea ___

Main Ideas 1.___

2.___

3.___

Main Ideas Topic ___

Central Idea ___

Main Ideas ___

Parting Thought ___

1st Idea ___

E___

CE___

PE___

Other___

2nd Idea___

E___

CE___

PE___

Other___

3rd Idea___

E___

CE___

PE___

Other___

Sentence Variations

Compound Sentence with correct comma usage before the FANBOYS ______________

Complex Sentences with correct comma, based on subordinate conjunction placement

BONUS! Compound Complex Sentences with correct comma usage _________________

Detail Sentence Leads – Author’s Craft: Place checkmarks next to the detail leads.

Details that Describe Action Details Persuasive Details Details that Inform Dialogue Details

State the

obvious

Act and think If…then State the opposite “Dialogue”

with tags

Just like that But, why??? Take the opposite side

What’s Next? Instead of said

Action, action,

action clues

Numbers

date/time/value

Good insightful

question(s)

High Interest – what’s

next

Talking and

thinking

In the middle Location

transition

Imagine this… Positive sweet with a

negative sour

Action and words

Zoom in &

describe

Adverb comma It’s complicated

and complex

For the first time ever.. Tell me about it

Intentional repetition

ings phrases present participles

Now…Then Define it

Pop culture Eds phrases We… statements

of unity

AKA – proper nouns

Personification people characteristics

Onomatopoeia

(sound)

Call to action In other words

(restatement)

Set the stage Hyperbole exaggerate! Important or significant

I, we, they think Love, love, love

Historical reference

© Fisher Reyna Education 2019

Make writing meaningful before the prompt.

This idea makes this prompt fun!

Informal Writing Activity Springboard: Allow students 10-15 minutes

to decorate the cover of a thank you card. Students can fold a sheet of

paper and use color pencils, crayons, or other art tools to decorate. While

students are creating the art work, have a class discussion about someone

they would like to thank. This activity should serve as an informal pre-

writing activity. Encourage students to narrow the note to one person for

one specific reason. This will serve as the central idea to their friendly

letter. Tell students they will use the art work in the publishing phase of

the writing process after they write a friendly letter thanking someone for

something nice that person did.

A picture I drew for you!

A picture I drew for you!