To self

“Letter to Self” Assignment Sheet

Why are we writing these letters?

1. To provide a record of who you are now at the beginning of the school year.

2. To anchor in time your current views, attitudes, philosophy, and outlook

3. To explore your feelings and opinions about a variety of issues

4. To create a document that, at the end of this year, you will be able to look back and see how you have grown and matured throughout the year.

**Special note: Remember there is a difference between personal and private. Personal means that it is something special and means a lot to you and private means that you don’t want anyone else to know.**

Typing Requirements:

· Font Size: 12

· Font: Arial or Times New Roman

· Spacing: 1.5

· Margins: 1 inch on all sides

The seven parts of the “Letter to Self” are (please label each part):

1. ME, NOW: my hopes, fears, dreams, intentions, goals, problems, concerns, likes, dislikes, joys, frustrations; what I like about myself; what I don’t like about myself; what I’m proud of; what I think about; what bothers me; who I am, etc.

2. MY WORLD: a description of my home, bedroom, school, neighborhood, town; my favorite places to go; chores, allowance, pet(s), possessions, clothes, religion, current events; FAVORITES – books, music groups, movies, TV, etc.

3. WHAT I DO: my hobbies, pastimes, sports, school activities; what I do when I’m alone; what I do with friends; favorite snacks and foods; chores; how I spend my weekends and vacations; special activities I do, organizations I belong to, etc.

4. PEOPLE IN MY LIFE: my family, siblings, aunts & uncles, grandparents, friends, best friend(s), teachers, people I’ve dated, current significant other, who I like, people I’d like to know better, people I admire and respect, important people in my life.

5. MY PAST: where I was born, where I lived, growing up, childhood accidents, childhood memories, and schools I attended, previous pets, trips I’ve taken, important events in my life so far, former friends, former teachers, teams I played on, previous romances, etc.

6. MY SCHOOL CAREER (with a focus on English!): As an English student, how have you fared up to this point? What do you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses? What are your specific goals for this year in English? How do you feel about writing? What kind(s) of writing do you like to do? What do you hope to accomplish? What is it that makes someone a good writer? How close do you come to your picture of a good writer? How do you generally go about creating a piece of writing? How do you feel about reading? What kinds of books do you like to read? What is one book that you would label “excellent”?

7. MY FUTURE: predictions, what I want to do, my long range intentions, what I’m looking forward to; what I’m dreading; my goals, my hopes and fears for the world; summer vacation, high school, college, marriage, employment, etc.

NOTE: In doing this “Letter to Self,” you should have seven total paragraphs. You may also want to write about something important to you that wasn’t mentioned above. Create your own categories. This “Letter To Self” is for you, and it should deal with the elements and aspects that are important and real in your life – the good, the bad, and the ugly! The more honest you are with yourself, the more you will appreciate and value your LTS in years to come.

No one will read your LTS, except you (and me) and those you choose to share it with. Have fun! Write extensively!! Create something memorable that captures your life today and who you are. You will get out of this assignment what you put into it. Remember to take pride in your work.