On practicing the art of correspondence

Correspondence

~the activity of writing letters or e-mails to someone

~the letters or e-mails that people write to each other

To the first definition from Merriam-Webster, I would add the word, "art," for there is an art to letter writing. And, if the letters are written artfully enough, the recipient will respond. 

This is our hope at least. The third graders here at Mason-Rice are writing notes to their LibraryPals in Minnesota. These students took part in the postcard writing project that went along with the book launch of Special Delivery and we are building on that experience by now writing to our friends at Parkview. 

Our notes to our friends at Parkview include:

~a paragraph about their lives, something interesting to share, as well as a question for the recipient;
~and, a paragraph about a fictional book character they would like to spend the afternoon with, why they chose the person, and what activity they would choose.

Some of the notes are longer than others as students grow in their ability to transfer those easier oral conversations into written ones.

Here are a few students reading their notes:

 And some sights from the library: