Letters of Friendship

Overview

This 60-minute lesson introduces Year 4 students to informal letters, focusing on their purpose, structure, and key components. Students will explore authentic examples, identify features of informal letters, and understand how they differ from formal letters. This lesson aligns with the National Curriculum for England’s objectives for English: writing, transcription, and composition.

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National Curriculum Links

Writing – Composition:

• Use paragraphs to organise ideas around a theme
• In narratives, create settings and plot (Letters are a form of personal narrative and communication)
• In non-narrative material, use simple organisational devices

Writing – Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation:

• Understand that sentences can be constructed in different ways to express meaning
• Use the present and past tenses correctly and consistently
• Use punctuation correctly, including capital letters and full stops (extended to letter conventions)

Reading – Comprehension:

• Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Identify the purpose of informal letters as a means to communicate with friends and family.
• Recognise and label key features of informal letters: greeting (salutation), body, and closing (valediction).
• Distinguish informal letters from formal letters through language and structure.
• Practise reading and analysing examples of informal letters, discussing tone and style appropriate for informal writing.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Example copies of informal letters (printed, large font) – 3 different letters
• Highlighters or coloured pencils
• Worksheet: “Parts of an Informal Letter” with labelled diagram and mini-examples
• Writing journals or plain paper for note-taking
• Stickers or stamps for positive reinforcement

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Engage:

• Begin by asking, “Have you ever written a letter to a friend or relative?” Invite a few students to briefly share.
• Show 2 examples on the board: one postcard, one email, and ask: “What do these have in common with a letter?” Highlight communication purpose.
• Explain that today’s focus is informal letters – a way to write friendly messages to people we know well.

2. Direct Teaching (15 minutes)

Explain:

• Introduce the main parts of an informal letter aligned with the National Curriculum’s composition standards:

  • Greeting (salutation): “Dear…” Usually the person’s name or nickname.
  • Body: The main message, can be several paragraphs but often just 1-3 short paragraphs. Look for conversational tone and personal experiences.
  • Closing (valediction): Friendly endings like “Love,” “Best wishes,” or “See you soon,” followed by the sender’s name.

• Use the whiteboard to write these parts clearly, showing a simple example sentence for each.

3. Guided Exploration - Analysing Letters (15 minutes)

• Distribute printed examples of informal letters to pairs (2 students). Each letter should have clear sections, and the tone should be friendly and casual.
• Ask students to highlight or underline the greeting in one colour, the body in another, and the closing in a third colour.
• In pairs, prompt them to discuss:
  • Who is this letter to?
  • What kind of language does the writer use? (Look for contractions, informal vocabulary, questions)
  • How do you think the writer feels? (Happy, excited, curious?)

4. Class Discussion (10 minutes)

• Bring the class back together; invite pairs to share their findings.

• Write key observations on the whiteboard:

  • “Informal tone”
  • “Friendly greetings”
  • “Personal stories or questions”
  • “Casual endings”

• Compare briefly to formal letters (e.g., to a teacher or official). Highlight how informal letters differ in purpose and style.

5. Independent Activity – Quick Write (7 minutes)

• Ask each student to draft a short informal letter greeting and closing to a friend, based on one of these prompts:
  • Tell your friend about a fun thing you did at the weekend.
  • Ask your friend how they are and invite them to play.
• Encourage them to use the structure learned: greeting, body sentence or two, and closing.

6. Plenary and Assessment (3 minutes)

• Invite 2-3 volunteers to read their letter aloud.
• Provide positive feedback highlighting their use of informal tone and correct letter parts.
• Quick formative assessment: thumbs up/down for confidence in identifying letter parts and understanding purpose.

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Differentiation & Support

• SEN: Provide a writing frame with sentence starters and labelled boxes for greeting, body, closing. Pair with peers for support during analysis.
• More able: Challenge to add an additional paragraph in their letter or include a question to engage the recipient.

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Extension Ideas

• Set up a pen-pal scheme between classes or invite students to write real letters to family members at home.
• Create a class “Letter Wall” displaying informal letters created during the unit.

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Reflection for Teachers

• Did all students grasp the three main parts of an informal letter?
• Was the tone and language of the letters effectively discussed and understood?
• Which aspects of the lesson engaged the students most, and how can these be expanded in subsequent lessons?

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This lesson is the foundation for the next steps: writing full informal letters, editing for tone and clarity, and learning to respond to letters. It firmly roots pupil understanding in National Curriculum expectations, ensuring confident, purposeful writing development.