Letters to Louis

Letters to Louis was a spontaneous project that was developed because of all the reactions we got from our students while reading the Wayside series in our class. Students would always make references to the books and even talk about the characters during break time. It was clear that they really enjoyed reading his books and that they would be disappointed when there were no more left to read.

After reading the three books shown below, our students kept asking if there were anymore. Many students wished that "Mr. Louis" would write another book in the series, which led to the idea that we should write to him and give him ideas to write one. 

We showed our students a basic letter writing structure and had them write a few drafts, which were revised and edited. The final drafts were written on colored paper and decorated by our students. The project was optional and students worked really hard to get their letters done at home on their own time. They tried their best to write neatly and made everything look beautiful, including their envelopes. 

We took class pictures with the books we enjoyed by Mr. Sachar and included them in the package that was sent. We thought it would be nice for him to see the faces behind the wonderful letters that were written. Below are the pictures of our students with the Wayside series. 

The photos below show the contents of the package we sent to Mr. Sachar before they were all boxed up and ready to be delivered. We also included a few items that would show him a glimpse of Korean culture. 

The contents included: student letters, class pictures, Sideways Stories from Wayside School (translated into Korean), bookmark (Korean traditional clothing), metal chopsticks (unique to Korea), and a letter from the teachers.

Students had a great time writing to "Mr. Louis", as they would often refer to him in class, and it was evident how much they really appreciated his writing. Whether we get a response back or not, we are happy to have been able to give our students an opportunity to reach out to someone they look up to and express their opinions.