One of my favorite early finisher activities is a Book Authors Letter Writing Activity. I usually introduce the activity by having the whole class write a letter to the author of a book we have read as a group. We work together to locate contact information and prepare a quality letter to mail. After that, students continue to write letters on their own if they have finished an assignment and need an independent activity. We send and receive letters from favorite writers all year.
The letter writing project activates so many language skills and can be used in a variety of classrooms with a wide range of age levels.
- Research and Library Skills: Students hunt down author contact information online or use the publisher information in the front of the book.
- Business Letter Format: Students prepare a letter using proper letter format (life skill!).
- Writing: Students must prepare a letter that matches the audience (a book author), contains good details, and is organized.
- Generating Book Interest: Every time we contact an author and receive a response, more students want to read books by that author.
We keep a display of all of our author replies on a classroom bulletin board all year. It is my favorite way to build a love of reading!
Happy Writing!
Caitlin
