Thank you notes

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Home : 2004 : November : 24

Thank you notes
By BN

I have the class brainstorms a list of things they did or observed on the FT.I write the list on the board.This is a way to have students remember all they saw or did on the trip. We usually compile a long list maybe twenty
items or more.Then I direct them to choose 2 or 3 items from the list to write about in their letters. This usual keeps them from writing the same thing.If I see that too many are writing about the same thing I may gently suggest to the whole class to be sure to select different items from the list to include in their letters.But if the students keep writing about the same thing it probably

is the one big thing that interested them.That is a real response and the docents/ guides want that type of feedback too.I worked at a nature center and we were interested in what the kids really liked or found fascinating.The beaver and beaver lodge was a big hit at the nature center. We received many,many letters and drawings about the beaver. LOL. It was OK. The kids really liked seeing the beaver.

Did you ever try a writing frame to help them write a thank you note? I might write two different frames on the board.Students can compose their own letter or use one of the frames for their letter. The frame letters will be the same but it does help those who have a difficult time getting started.If your class is like most and has a variety of writing abilities a writing frame may be helpful. We also would brainstorm different beginning and closing sentences for our letters. I wrote all these examples on the board.So there was a variety to choose from. This helped the students to get started. BN