For primary students, especially those who love the PBS character Arthur, pbskids.org provides an excellent introduction to writing letters. After choosing a character to correspond with, the child completes portions by selecting information from a scroll down menu. For instance, if the child writes Arthur's friend, the PBS character Sue Ellen, she would be given the choice of asking for vacation advice for a location "far away," "hot," "nearby" or "cold." To add an extra element of fun and an additional learning opportunity, upon sending the letter, the child immediately receives a personalized response.
Readwritethink.org's Letter Generator provides simple and complete instruction in both friendly and business letter writing. After the child enters his name, he is immediately provided information in a letter addressed to him. As the cursor is moved over sections of text, the child is familiarized with letter-writing vocabulary. The child is now provided the opportunity for direct implementation. After choosing the letter type, step-by-step instruction is provided, including punctuation reminders. After completion, he may print the letter as well as the envelope completion instructions.
The BBC Letters interactive game gives an effective review of the parts of the letter as the child is instructed to drag sections to their proper places on a letter outline. This program also infuses choice as the writer selects how he will address the recipient. The content varies from the polite to the humorous. However, if the child chooses inappropriate text, a pop up will appear with reasoning; he will then be given the opportunity to choose the correct answer. As the format follows a well-written complaint letter, this practice will provide some life skills addressing tone and word choice as well as technical letter writing.