Day Three: The Letter of Introduction

At the beginning of each year, I write my students a letter welcoming to my class and setting a positive, learning-focused tone. Then I have them write back to me, discussing who they are as readers and writers.

Here is my letter:

Letter of Introduction

From their letters, I begin to build rapport and gather data for the grammar and mechanics lessons that will need to be taught throughout the year. I build rapport by commenting on each of their papers, relating and responding to what they have to say. I do not "correct" any of their mechanics mistakes, but instead create a matrix of all the errors I mine. That way, I can later confer with the students about their growth areas and plan my lessons to meet my students' needs.

Here is the mechanics matrix I created:

Class Mechanics Matrices