The past couple of weeks, I had a great time teaching my Advanced Writing students how to write formal and informal letters. I think they responded well to the idea of “writing for a purpose” rather than writing seemingly random assigned essays. We first discussed the different kinds of letters that people write and what kinds of letters they had written in the past. Shockingly, few of my students had ever written a letter of any sort! We then discussed the differences between formal letters (complaint letters, resignation letters, letters of recommendation, cover letters, etc.) and informal letters (thank you notes, love letters, notes of congratulations, birthday letters, etc.).
I focused a bit more on formal letters since they have more of a standardized structure. Rather than bombarding my students with all of the different styles of formal letters, we stuck to a block format (where every line is aligned on the left margin). We talked about the different parts of a formal letter (the sender’s address, the date, the recipient’s address, salutations, closings, and signatures). After looking at a couple of model examples, the students were ready to write their own letters. As a whole class, we brainstormed and came up with a list of problems at Haramaya University. The students then had to choose one of those issues to write a complaint letter about.
I focused a bit more on formal letters since they have more of a standardized structure. Rather than bombarding my students with all of the different styles of formal letters, we stuck to a block format (where every line is aligned on the left margin). We talked about the different parts of a formal letter (the sender’s address, the date, the recipient’s address, salutations, closings, and signatures). After looking at a couple of model examples, the students were ready to write their own letters. As a whole class, we brainstormed and came up with a list of problems at Haramaya University. The students then had to choose one of those issues to write a complaint letter about.
The issues ranged from dirty toilets to broken windows to a lack of handouts from their teachers. The letters were addressed to either the university president or the dean of our college, depending on who was a more appropriate recipient. I edited the students’ first drafts and had the students handwrite their final drafts (there is a shortage of computers on campus – and even when the students have access, they are painfully slow at typing and figuring out the ins and outs of the “new” technology). Handwriting formal letters is not without its challenges – students with poor handwriting suffered the most. Keeping the left alignment and straight lines proved to be a difficult task for many students. In the end though, I was really pleased with the final products.
Finally, I taught the students how to label an envelope. Once again, it was hard to believe that most of my students had never labeled an envelope. I gave the students a choice of whether or not they actually wanted their letters sent – about 1/3 of the students were willing to do so. I encouraged the rest of the students to reconsider sending their letters, but they were worried about repercussions of complaining to their superiors. Either way, they now have the skills to be able to formally complain in the future if they need to do so.
Finally, I taught the students how to label an envelope. Once again, it was hard to believe that most of my students had never labeled an envelope. I gave the students a choice of whether or not they actually wanted their letters sent – about 1/3 of the students were willing to do so. I encouraged the rest of the students to reconsider sending their letters, but they were worried about repercussions of complaining to their superiors. Either way, they now have the skills to be able to formally complain in the future if they need to do so.
After completing the formal letters, we moved onto informal letters. There was less to talk about since there is little conformity when writing casual letters. I decided to make the students write love letters. I don’t know if any of you are familiar with the concept of “anonymous love letters” or “global love letters,” but it is something a couple of friends in St. Cloud introduced me to (shout-out to Katie Colpaert and Ryan Stein). The idea is to spread love and goodwill around the world (or at least your local community). You write a generic love letter – it could be received by a man or a woman, a child or an elderly person, a teacher or a student. This is not as easy as it sounds. After you write the letter, you put it in an envelope labeled “For you” or “To you” and leave it somewhere unexpected – on a bulletin board, on a desk, in a phone booth, in a pile of folded clothes at a fashion store, taped to a bathroom mirror, or anywhere else creative you can think of!
To help my students understand the concept, we watched a few videos from the founders of “Global Love Letters”. My students seemed to be a bit confused at first, but soon grew to love the idea. They eagerly wrote the first draft of their letters. I took all of the letters home, made corrections, and brought them back to class the next day; I also came supplied with colored paper, markers, stickers, and scissors. My students worked so hard to make beautiful love letters – they made me proud again! The students left the letters around campus and spread a little bit of love to the students and staff of Haramaya University!
Check out the album below to see photos of my students working on their letters and some examples of their formal letters and love letters:
https://plus.google.com/photos/113203084550986862848/albums/5997345779055691393
To help my students understand the concept, we watched a few videos from the founders of “Global Love Letters”. My students seemed to be a bit confused at first, but soon grew to love the idea. They eagerly wrote the first draft of their letters. I took all of the letters home, made corrections, and brought them back to class the next day; I also came supplied with colored paper, markers, stickers, and scissors. My students worked so hard to make beautiful love letters – they made me proud again! The students left the letters around campus and spread a little bit of love to the students and staff of Haramaya University!
Check out the album below to see photos of my students working on their letters and some examples of their formal letters and love letters:
https://plus.google.com/photos/113203084550986862848/albums/5997345779055691393