Reaching Out to the World One Letter at a Time
Writing letters that actually get sent out into the real world was a big deal for my 6th graders. They were like, "Are we REALLY going to mail these?" and when they found out I was serious about getting their ideas out to real people, they stepped up their writing game. Having an authentic audience that will actually receive their letters was a wonderful motivator! Many students wrote to our principal regarding school issues like passing time, the lunch menu, or adding a new club. Handfuls of letters went to our superintendent or the Board of Education to add a new foreign language, or change our school start time. But the letters that got the most attention are always those that get published on the editorial page of the local newspapers.