Writing a Letter to the President

This week, the Grade 6 class will be working on and completing formal letters. These are also sometimes called business letters. Formal letters are what we write to people we don't know or those who are of a higher social standing than us. This writing lesson teaches the children a valuable skill that they will be able to use throughout their academic and professional careers.

Students will write a letter to the President of the Republic of China, Ms. Tsai Ing-wen. Their assignment is to think of an issue that is important to them, describe it to the President in their letter, offer a suggestion for addressing the issue, and then mailing the letter to the Presidential Office Building. This assignment teaches students the importance of the formal letter format, the use of a formal tone in writing, and that by writing our elected officials, our voices can be heard in a democratic country.

We hope to finish the letters by the end of the week and have them mailed by early next week. In the past, my students have received replies from the President's Office when we've written. I hope we are so fortunate again. Please see the materials below to review how to write a formal letter.