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Order your copy of the books on Amazon! It may be a bit old-fashioned for the times, but some people still like to keep old traditions alive. This postcards ESL activity can be a useful method for getting students interested in writing a personal message to a friend from a travel destination of their choice.
Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Postcards ESL Activity Preparation:
First, create a simple postcard template in Word or any other word processor program. One side should be blank. The other side should have a location for an address and space to write the letter on.
Lastly, print it out and prepare the blank templates for the class.
Postcards ESL Activity Guidelines:
To start, students can talk about travel spots that they have been to and have a short discussion about what they saw, what they did, and who they went with etc. Also, you could show some pictures of actual travel destinations to get them interested in the topic as well as they talk.
Next, show them the blank postcard templates and let them know that they are going to write a postcard to a friend. Tell them that they can choose any destination in the world to write from.
Optionally, you may want to show them some sample postcards that people have written. There are lots of resources online and especially on sites like Pinterest. Using authentic materials like these can demonstrate other cultural elements and informal writing styles that are typical in postcards.
Then, on the photo side of the paper, have them draw a few landmarks of the location. They can be as artistic or simplistic as they wish.
On the other side of the paper, students should write the address of their friend on the lines. Additionally, depending on the class level, you may want to show some sample addresses for how to structure the information properly.
After filling out the addresses, tell the class to write their letter to their friend on the postcard. Show them a postcard writing sample and types of information to include if you wish so that they have a rough template to follow. Remember to give them a time limit to complete the letter.
Monitor the students as they write and help with questions. Offer suggestions if any students are having difficulty.
Once the time is up, have the students read their postcards aloud in front of the class. Alternatively, you could have the students swap their postcards with a partner and do some peer-editing.
Finally, students hand in their postcards. Remember to give them some feedback.
Follow-Up ESL Activities:
If time permits, after the postcards writing activity, try boarding a few of the popular destinations that students liked to write about. They can brainstorm what there is to do or see in each city.
To end the class with some fun and you are teaching kids, try the Memory Race Game to get the students out of their seats.
More ESL Writing Activities for Kids and Adults:
- Three-Word Stories
- The 5 Whys
- Dictogloss
- Running Dictation
- Family Tree
- Christmas Story
- The Cube Test
- Daily Diary
- Movie Subtitles
- Five Senses
- News Report
- Comic Strips
View the writing activities archive.