The Friendly Letter

[Hunter]

As I have discussed in many threads, I've started over learning langauge arts from the ground up. I'm working through WRTR and Riggs, levels 1 and 2 of Undertstanding Writing, grammar stage TWTM, Aesop A and some other assorted curricula. Most of these resources stress the importance of mastering the friendly letter.

 

I've been writing letters for decades, but cannot say I've mastered the form. Sigh! A lot of my resources are either vintage or are teaching a typed friendly letter. I don't yet have a correct template for a handwritten letter and envelope that I can print out and put in a page protector. Does anyone have a link, or a suggestion or book I can get from the library to scan and print?

 

Mastery is easier when we have a concrete and precise example. I'd really like to add a perfect example to my UW binder. I guess I could create a template myself, but I'm feeling lazy.

 

Also for others reading this thread, besides myself, maybe some general chit chat on the topic and some BTDT advice on letter writing, and resources for a friendly letter writing unit study might be appreciated by everyone.

 

I saw these picture books suggested on a website:

Days With Frog and Toad

Dear Mrs Larue Letters from Obedience

Dear Mr. Blueberry

[HejKatt]

In high school we learned about the format for personal letters vs business/formal letters. That looked something like this:

http://www.goodletterwriting.co.uk/personal-letters.html

 

So much for mechanics/layout. I agree that it's not easy to find examples for content. I found this book by googling "handwritten personal letters example":

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Handwritten-Note-Reclaiming-Communication/dp/0767907450

 

Given the trend toward IM-speak (I insert at least one emoticon per post :tongue_smilie: ), I'm not surprised that your handwritten examples are mostly vintage. But I don't know.. imho, those are lovely examples to emulate and probably richer than the modern samples.

[frankcassiesmom]

Nothing important to add other than I am continually inspired by your journey Hunter. I have started doing some work alongside my children after realizing that the education they're getting is NOT the one I got. They're not sure what to think of mom doing Frankie's English but whatever LOL.

[Hunter]

If you looked at the typed example at the link, you will see that it skips lines instead of indenting. There is too much heading. It won't fit on a piece of stationary.

 

The vintage examples ALL have staggered indenting that I don't remember ever having seen, so am not sure if it is considered correct today. They also put titles in parentheses and put the name outside the parentheses with very detailed instructions on how and why to do this. Are we still supposed to do that? It looks weird to me because I never see it.

 

The post office examples now request all caps, but don't require it. I don't want to print all caps! So now most modern curriculum examples show the all caps version, typed of course.

 

I think we avoid what we have not mastered, and then a culture evolves around this lack of mastery, when enough people fail to be able to do the skill. I don't think our grandmothers could even imagine what has happened to us, when it comes to letter writing. I wish I still had the letters my grandmother sent me, but I lost all my belongings when I fled my marriage and was homeless. I'm wondering now if she used the staggered indenting.

 

I remember she addressed the envelopes with "Master" to my brother :-) I remember complaining to her about it, and she informed me that it was the "correct" way and she would NEVER adopt the fashion of just writing his name or writing "Mr" on the envelope. She said he would become Mr when he turned 21.

 

As I was running errands this afternoon, I was thinking that I need to look at regular books instead of just curriculum. Thanks for the links!

 

First it was my handwriting, then my spelling, and now my next obsessive project is mastering the friendly letter. This foolishness stops NOW. It's embarrasing! And so unnecessary :-0

 

I read that in most towns the mailman used to come 3 times a day, and people sent notes just down the road to relay a quick message. I heard that the Amish still do this.

 

My grade 2 and 3 Amish English curriculum is on it's way from Rainbow Resource. Maybe they have some good letter writing lessons.

 

We may have to start a poll soon, on how many of us are working through K-3 English :-)

[Hunter]

I found Messages in the Mailbox today at the library.

 

Here is a graphic from the book showing a friendly letter.

http://www.loreenleedy.com/books/messagesmail.html

 

Here is the book at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Messages-Mailbox-How-Write-Letter/dp/0823408892/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0

 

I scanned and printed 6 pages and put them into 3 page protectors. I really LOVE the examples in this book! I feel much better now that I have such clear and perfect examples of a handwritten friendly letter, a typed business letter, a properly addressed envelope, and instructions on writing a form letter. With my memory loss sometimes I put a lot of research into a project, but don't quite finish compiling all the resources, and then I have to start back at square one, if I lose the memories. I have everything I need all tucked away now and can just review it as necessary. I'm very pleased :-)

[HejKatt]

Thanks for the book link, Hunter! This looks like a good resource - the friendly letter-writing animals are a good touch.

 

Happy writing!

 

I found Messages in the Mailbox today at the library.

 

Here is a graphic from the book showing a friendly letter.

 

http://www.loreenleedy.com/books/messagesmail.html

 

Here is the book at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Messages-Mailbox-How-Write-Letter/dp/0823408892/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0

 

I scanned and printed 6 pages and put them into 3 page protectors. I really LOVE the examples in this book! I feel much better now that I have such clear and perfect examples of a handwritten friendly letter, a typed business letter, a properly addressed envelope, and instructions on writing a form letter. With my memory loss sometimes I put a lot of research into a project, but don't quite finish compiling all the resources, and then I have to start back at square one, if I lose the memories. I have everything I need all tucked away now and can just review it as necessary. I'm very pleased :-)

[Hunter]

Climbing to Good English 3 has a very good section on the friendly letter. CGE 2 has a few little bits that are not repeated in CGE 3. I have not seen the upper levels yet, but it looks to me, like this Amish curriculum is committed to teaching the children how to properly write handwritten letters, and that the instructions are explained when they are expected to be mastered, and not lumped together in one book.

 

I'm very interested to see what and how letter writing is taught in the upper levels.