AIKids » Resources for Parents and Teachers
- Little Writers / BIG LETTERS
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Some teachers of young students have found the BIG LETTER technique works well in their
classrooms. After a discussion with youngsters as young as 7 or 8, and as old as 14,
about the sort of mail with which the children are already familiar, the teacher, parent,
or Amnesty International workshop facilitator can explain that Amnesty International members
write letters to presidents and other government officials to help protect people who are
in danger in countries all over the world. Children may share what they know about children
who are hungry, homeless, caught in violent circumstances, or suffering other sorts of
human rights violations.
The teacher, facilitator, or a child who is a particularly good reader, can read the AIKids' Urgent Action case or AIKids' Special Focus Case to the class. After young students have an opportunity to respond verbally to the plight of the individual featured in the case, the class as a whole writes a BIG LETTER on a 4' x 5' butcher/flip chart paper, carefully crafting each idea, each phrase, to make sure it is courteous yet conveys the children's concern and outrage.
If the class can work productively as a whole, just one letter will be generated. If there are classroom aides, parent volunteers, or upper-class students available, each table of four to six children may prepare a BIG LETTER. The first draft of the letter may be left on display until the next lesson, or the teacher, students, and facilitator can edit the first draft immediately and go on to appoint a classmate who prints well, to print the final copy, again, on large paper. Teachers may find it beneficial to display the BIG LETTERS, first draft and final copy, as well as the big envelope properly addressed, on a bulletin board for a few days before mailing.
Teachers may re-visit the letter with their classes after the workshop facilitator has left, before folding and mailing it in the large envelope. Some teachers take their classes on field trips to local post offices to mail the BIG LETTERS.