Introduce: Thank-You Letter

From FreeReading

What to Do

Prepare

Write a sample thank-you letter on the board or chart paper. Write the parts of a thank you-letter (Date, Greeting, Body, Closing, Signature) on five index cards.

Model/Instruct

1. Show students the sample thank-you letter.

What type of writing do you think this is? Have any of you ever received a thank-you letter before? Why do you think that person sent you a letter? What are some other reasons someone might send you a thank-you letter?

2. Explain the purpose of a thank-you letter.

People write thank-you letters to express their gratitude. Gratitude is another word for thanks.

3. Read the sample thank-you letter to the students and follow-up with questions.

Who is this letter written to? Who is it from? When was the letter written? Why is the writer thankful? How do you know?

4. As the students answer the above questions, point to the parts of the letter where they can find the answers to these questions.

Practice

5. Explain that thank-you letters include five different parts.

The first part of a thank-you letter is the date. It tells when the letter was written. Who can put the Date index card beside the date?

The second part of a thank-you letter is the greeting. It tells to whom the letter is written. Who can put the Greeting index card beside the greeting?

The third part of a thank-you letter is the body. It explains the purpose of the letter and reasons why the writer is thankful. Who can put the Body index card beside the body?

The fourth part of a thank-you letter is the closing. It lets the reader know you are finished with the letter. Some examples are Sincerely, Your friend, and Love. Who can put the Closing card next to the closing?

The fifth part of a thank-you letter is the signature. It tells who sent the letter. Who can put the Signature index card next to the signature?

6. Review the purpose of a thank-you letter and its five parts.

Today we learned the purpose of a thank-you letter. Do we write a thank-you letter to ask for help or to express gratitude?

We also learned that a thank-you letter has five parts. Say the part of the thank-you letter as I point to it.

Adjust

For Advanced Students:

When identifying the parts of a letter, ask these students the purpose for each part instead of telling them what it is.

For Struggling Students:

Some students may have difficulty pointing out the parts of a thank-you letter. In this case, place the index cards next to each part for them.

For ELL Students:

Provide these students with a copy of the sample letter with the five parts labeled.

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