What makes a letter REALLY good? By Mrs. Moseley

I have been reading some amazing letters by my students. I got to thinking, what makes them so good?

A good letter is marked by a few things;

1. It is fun to read! The letter is written just as the student is thinking. The letters where students write exactly as they talk, are the most fun. It is the letters that just give a bunch of questions and a summary that are very tedious (and very unfun) to read.

For example:
Dear Mrs. Moseley,
I love this book. Do you like this book? I really think you should read it. It is a book that is so much fun to read. I highly recommend this book to you. I don't know what else to say, so bye!
(You can see my struggle: It is hard to write back to a letter that has many words but doesn't really say anything)

2. It is filled with deep thinking. It's the different between a letter that states; "I am just like the character because we both have brown hair." (Very surface level thinking)
and
"I am like the character becuase we are both constantly looking for new things to do. Both the character and I are always seeking out new adventures and new things to learn" (see the deeper thinking here?)

3. I can tell the student has read the letter over at least once before turning it in. It is obvious that some letters have not been read through before turning in. It gets very confusing becuase sometimes words or even complete sentences are repeated.
For example: "I really lik this character becuase I like this character because they are really nice."

I am so proud of the students and how they have written letters that display their ingenious thinking! Keep up the good work!