Have ESL Students Write Letters

For those ESL writing teachers who encounter students who resist typical in-class writing exercises, letter writing may prove to be a very useful solution.

As I mentioned in my ESL Letter Writing Exercise article, some ESL students can learn many of the key requirements of a typical writing class through the process of letter writing, for letter writing, just as writing essays, requires organization, clarity, a focus on word choice and general tone, and a careful attention to detail (i.e. editing). And there are a lot of different kinds of letters ESL teachers may choose to have their students write:

• fan letters to entertainment or sports personalities
• political letters to national or international organizations
• letters of praise or complaint
• letters to past acquaintances (like ESL teachers!)

What else? Typically I encourage my students to come up with their own lists of potential letter-writing scenarios so that they will become more invested in the process. But maybe you have some ideas that you would like to share with your ESL colleagues.

Many of you will surely have other letter writing ideas, or perhaps you have some suggestions on how ESL teachers can engage their students in writing that will have convincingly practical outcomes related to their future careers.

Please feel free to post your thoughts, and don't hesitate to have your students send me an email with questions about their English studies or language schools - I'll be sure to respond!

And as always, email me your thoughts.