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You are here: Home / literacy / Reading Workshop Letters: Why I Do What I Do
literacy, reading

Reading Workshop Letters: Why I Do What I Do

June 5, 2013

I’ve blogged about reading workshop quite a bit, but I wanted to give you a closer look at our reading letters. For the past several years, we’ve used the Fountas and Pinnell notebooks. Next year I want to tweak the process just a little bit by making my own notebooks, but I will definitely continue writing letters with my students. I’ve found them to be a great way to build the reading/writing connection.


I split my students into evens and odds so half the class writes a letter to me one week, and the other half writes a letter the next week. The goal is to do this every week, but I’m happy if we do it once a month. Students write four paragraphs (answer a question from me in my previous letter, summarize their current book, and then pick two topics from a big list for the third and fourth paragraphs). It takes a lot of work to get students writing thoughtful, deep letters. So much that I always swear I won’t do the letters ever again. {we’ve all been there, I’m sure} Add to that the time it takes for me to read and respond to each student… it makes me feel like a crazy person sometimes. BUT… it’s worth it.


I want to share some of the last letters we did. THIS is why I do what I do all year.

1. We develop relationships and students will often write things they won’t say. It’s less risky. Do you see this one? She says it’s like writing to a friend.



2. The reading letters really do help build the reading/writing connection. The skills we work on in reading workshop transfer to writing workshop as we study mentor texts.



3. Students experience success. The letters are differentiated so I gradually build on strategies students already have. I might me writing about cause/effect with one student, character development with another, and theme with a third. This young reader came in struggling and left above grade level. He knows he’s a reader now!



4. This one is probably my favorite. “Thank you for teaching me all hard things.”



5. Finally, sometimes you get gems like this. She added a fifth paragraph. =) {Still working on you’re/your, haha}



What do you do to build the reading/writing connection with your students?



by Christi Fultz 

About Christi Fultz

wife • mom • teacher • writer • tech obsessed • sometime crafter • beach lover | Empowering entrepreneurs through branding & website design

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Comments

  1. Sarah Adams says: June 5, 2013 at 5:26 pm

    It's always a blessing to see students' lightbulbs come on! Those letters are so sweet and meaningful. It really does make a difference connecting writing to reading. Very cool!

    Sarah
    Miss A's Kindergarten

  2. Beach Sand and Lesson Plans says: June 5, 2013 at 6:35 pm

    I also have my kids keep notebooks based on Fountas and Pinnell. I've been using them for about 3 years and I keep making changes. I LOVE the letters too! I have 3rd graders. I ask them to write 3 paragraphs. The first is a brief summary of the book, second they write about how they used a strategy or skill we have studied using text based evidence, and the last is their own reflection of the book. I like your idea of odd and even weeks. They is very manageable. Thanks for sharing!
    Gina
    Beach Sand and Lesson Plans

  3. Brandee Green says: June 5, 2013 at 8:28 pm

    Hi Christi~I love you have do your letters. 🙂 I use what we call Book Talk notebooks and the kids are required to do 3 written responses to their reading each week. This is by far the part of my program that I feel that I make the most difference with their reading and writing. I love your post so much that I plan to add letter writing as one of their options when they choose how to respond each week. Thanks so much for this insightful post. 🙂
    Brandee @ Creating Lifelong Learners

  4. Kelley Cirrito says: June 5, 2013 at 9:16 pm

    Wow! These are great! I love your ideas and how you structure this for students to be successful! I am going to go back right now and read your previous posts about these. I definitely think it is something our 3rd and 4th grade teachers could use in their classrooms! Thanks for the great idea!

  5. Rachel Seymour says: June 5, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    This is such a great idea! I love how sweet your kiddos are! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Rachel
    A-B-Seymour

  6. Bridget S says: June 5, 2013 at 10:13 pm

    I love the letters 🙂 What a great idea!!!

    Bridget
    Literacy Without Worksheets

  7. Mrs. Shepherd says: June 5, 2013 at 10:34 pm

    Would love to read more of how you set this up with your students. Do you have a template? I'm thinking about doing this as my morning work and breaking up each paragraph over four mornings.

    Erica
    Shepherd's Shining Stars

  8. Christi Fultz says: June 5, 2013 at 10:55 pm

    I'm so glad our letters are interesting to you. I'll dig into them a little deeper to show how I set them up!

  9. Laura says: June 5, 2013 at 11:08 pm

    Your TPT products are beautiful! Laura
    Read-Write-Create

  10. Joanne Miller says: June 6, 2013 at 12:13 am

    Christi, I love the reading and writing connection with letters too. I have my students write every week which sometimes can be a little overwhelming, but I wouldn't give them up! I used the F&P notebooks for one year (about 12 years ago) because our school only purchased them for one year. 🙁 So, I decided to make my own. This year I moved to a binder and I like it so much better! A little cumbersome to take home, but if I get behind (which I do every week!) I just take the letters out and write back to my students. My REAL goal this year is to reply to all 5 every day, not waiting until the end of the week to respond to 25 letters! haha
    Joanne
    Head Over Heels For Teaching

  11. SEOGrabber39 says: June 9, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    This is really cool and presentation is awesome, I have no words to explain. I love to bookmark your blogging site, thanks for sharing.
    custom writing

  12. Lizzy says: June 10, 2013 at 6:44 pm

    I love reading your blog and you have inspired me to finally dive in and create a blog! I'm trying….no determined to do it myself! (although I do LOVE your designs!) Thanks so much for your Blogger Tutorial videos on You Tube! By the way, I really like your "Blog Friends" button link page and made a inlinkz account. I would love it if you linked up with me at theteacherchick.blogspot.com

    Thanks so much!

  13. kiwasoft says: June 18, 2013 at 4:25 pm

    If you love to write and want to learn that how can you impress others with your writing then you should learn custom writing. Even you can hire any company also to get write your content from them.

Christi Fultz

wife • mom • teacher • writer • tech obsessed • sometime crafter • beach lover | Empowering entrepreneurs through branding & website design

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As an experienced third grade teacher with a Masters in Elementary Education and K-12 reading license, I know educational resources need to be both inviting and engaging to capture students' interests. I am passionate about creating user-friendly resources to help all students learn while saving valuable prep for teachers. Read More…

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DIY Floral Wallpaper // Charlotte’s first big gi DIY Floral Wallpaper // Charlotte’s first big girl room is one of my favorite places in the house. We let the kids choose their own decor for the new house and Charlotte’s room is a purple and pink dream... no surprise there! 

The DIY wallpaper was probably a “once and done” experience for us and took about six hours for this 9 by 16 wall. More pictures and sources are on our family blog, also linked in bio: https://completelychristi.com/2022/02/diy-floral-removable-wallpaper.html

#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo #homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #kidroomideas #childsroom #childsroomdecor #childroomdesign #kidsroom #kidsroommakeover #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
Kid Closet // Because we were so happy with our ow Kid Closet // Because we were so happy with our own custom closet, we decided to do my son’s too. We primarily use his closet for off-season storage and toys, but it was always a MESS! Then the mess spilled out onto his nightstand, desk, dresser, building table, and under his bed. He needed a system! 

I used the online design tool from @containerstorecustomspaces to create this DIY Classic Elfa system. It took about three hours to install and set up. I love how flexible the system is, which means we can reconfigure the layout as he grows. I’m also really proud of his label choices... maybe he inherited some of my organizational skills after all!

#louisvilleky #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo#homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #homeorganization #homeorganizing #closetorganization #organizedhome #organizedcloset #walkincloset #closetgoals #closets #closetdesign #customcloset #closetmakeover #kidroomideas #childsroom #kidsroom #kidsroommakeover #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
DIY Board and Batten Accent Wall with Display Ledg DIY Board and Batten Accent Wall with Display Ledge Tutorial // Carter’s room needed a punch of color and a place to display his favorite Legos. This weekend project was exactly what I had hoped for! Full tutorial and sources on my hobby blog, linked in bio. https://completelychristi.com/2022/01/diy-board-and-batten-accent-wall-tutorial.html 

#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective  #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo#homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #kidroomideas #childsroom #childsroomdecor #childroomdesign #kidsroom #kidsroommakeover #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
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#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #momselfcare #freshflowers #thebouqscompany
Primary Closet // We had to empty our closet for t Primary Closet // We had to empty our closet for the bathroom remodel, so we decided it was time for an upgrade before it all back together. ✨ We worked with a designer from @containerstorecustomspaces and are so happy with the results!

#louisvilleky #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo#homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #homeorganization #homeorganizing #closetorganization #organizedhome #organizedcloset #walkincloset #closetgoals #closets #closetdesign #customcloset #closetmakeover
Bathroom Makeover // We aren’t quite finished in Bathroom Makeover // We aren’t quite finished in here, but I’m pleased with the progress so far! We had plenty of room to turn our primary shower into a wet room with freestanding soaking tub. Shower glass is on the way, and I think we’ll tackle those mirrors too. The closet makeover is underway now, so check back for that next.

#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective #bathroommakeover #homemakeover #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #momsselfcare
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