What about having a pen friend?

What about having a pen friend?
You are going to take part in a correspondence project with a school in Kilkenny.
Kilkenny is a city located in the south-east of Ireland.
Presentation Secondary School is a Catholic girl school. The students you are
going to correspond with are 15-16 years old and they are on their fourth year
of French. They are willing to write in French about their country, family, customs,
culture, and learn about yours. You will have to write your letters in English.
You will have to write your first letter by Friday 18 October, so that we can send it
as soon as possible.
Remember:
→ use letter paper instead of rough paper. You can also decorate your letter with drawings, stickers, etc. Write
legibly. Handwriting styles sometimes differ from country to country and from person to person. There is nothing more
frustrating than getting a letter you cannot read.
→ Don't forget to write the name of the person your letter is addressed to and to sign your letter.
→ Make sure your first letter is simple and short (about one page in length). Sticking to the basics is the best way to
start up a friendship with someone else.
→ Give specific details when talking about you, your family, and your country. Assume your pen friend knows nothing
about your country and go from there.
→ Ask only few specific questions in each letter. Asking too many questions will make it hard for your pen friend to
respond to all of them quickly.
→ Include some kind of cultural artefact with each letter that will peak your pen friend's interest in learning more about
your country. Postcards, newspaper clippings, stamps, tourist brochures, popular teen magazines, or comic books are
always welcomed. It is like sending part of your country through the mail.
→ Personalize your letters by sending pictures of your family, friends, school, house, pets, etc.
A few useful sentences:
My English teacher has given me your letter. (Mon professeur d’anglais m'a donné ta lettre.)
I'd really like to correspond with you. (J’aimerais vraiment correspondre avec toi.)
I hope that you are well. (J’espère que tu vas bien.)
Thank you for your letter. (Merci pour ta lettre.)
Like you, I … (Comme toi, je…)
On the other hand, I … (Par contre, je…)
I'm also sending you ... (Je t’envoie aussi…)
Here are the replies to your questions: (Voici mes réponses à tes questions:)
Here are my questions: (Voici mes questions:)
HOW TO WRITE A LETTER
1. Présentation d'une lettre
Mulberry Lane
Oxford
OX4 3LA
29 September 2012
Dear John,
Dans votre correspondance privée,
indiquez votre adresse (sans votre
nom) en haut à droite.
Le nom de la ville d'où écrit l'expéditeur n'est pas
indiqué avant la date.
La date peut s'écrire de différentes façons. Soit en
entier: 29(th) September 2012; soit en abrégé: 29Sept-12, 29/09/12, 29.09.12.
L'ordre du jour et du mois est inversé aux EtatsUnis et dans les pays qui ont adopté le système
américain: on dira donc 09/29/12.
2. Formules d'appels et formules finales (lors d’une correspondance entre amis):
Dear Victoria,
Best wishes
My dear Victoria,
Kindest regards,
Dearest Victoria,
All the best
With love from Sandra
Love from Sandra
Lots of love from Sandra
Much love,
All my love
Vocabulaire de la correspondance
une lettre:
un courriel:
une carte de voeux:
une enveloppe:
courrier recommandé :
une adresse :
écrire :
du courrier :
une carte postale:
un timbre:
une boîte à lettres :
accusé de réception :
un correspondant :
envoyer :
En savoir plus...
> En Angleterre, il y a deux principaux tarifs: 1st class (tarif normal, dit 'rapide') et 2nd-class (tarif lent).
> Pour envoyer une lettre en France depuis l'Angleterre, il vous faut un timbre rouge (first-class).
> Pour envoyer une lettre en Angleterre depuis la France, il vous faut maintenant un timbre avec une Marianne bleue
(Europe) ou affranchir votre lettre à 0.75 Euro (envoi de moins de 20 grammes)
Expressions to begin and end formal and informal letters
Look at the following expressions which are used when writing letters.
a. Where would you find each of them in a letter? Make a list under each heading.
b. When you have finished, decide if each expression comes from a formal or informal letter, and write F(formal) or I (informal)
after each one.
Beginnings
a. Thanks for your letter.
c. Thanks for your last letter and the nice photos.
e. Sorry for not writing for so long.
g. I must apologize for not contacting you sooner.
i. I'm writing to ask you a favor.
k. Write again soon!
m. Bye for now.
o. It was lovely to hear from you.
q. Best wishes.
s. Regards,
u. Take care.
w. Good luck!
y. Hope to hear from you soon.
Signalling the end
Closings (at the end)
b. I'll finish now as I'm running out of space.
d. I must go now.
f. Please, answer soon!
h. I look forward to hearing from you.
j. I'd better finish.
l. It was kind of you to write to me.
n. Anyway, I'd better post this letter now.
p. All my love.
r. It was great to get your letter.
t. Thank you so much for writing.
v. I was so sad to hear that you had been ill.
x. Sorry but I have to finish.
z. I’m looking forward to your reply.
Expressions to begin and end formal and informal letters
Look at the following expressions which are used when writing letters.
a. Where would you find each of them in a letter? Make a list under each heading.
b. When you have finished, decide if each expression comes from a formal or informal letter, and write F(formal) or I (informal)
after each one.
Beginnings
a. Thanks for your letter.
c. Thanks for your last letter and the nice photos.
e. Sorry for not writing for so long.
g. I must apologize for not contacting you sooner.
i. I'm writing to ask you a favor.
k. Write again soon!
m. Bye for now.
o. It was lovely to hear from you.
q. Best wishes.
s. Regards,
u. Take care.
w. Good luck!
y. Hope to hear from you soon.
Signalling the end
Closings (at the end)
b. I'll finish now as I'm running out of space.
d. I must go now.
f. Please, answer soon!
h. I look forward to hearing from you.
j. I'd better finish.
l. It was kind of you to write to me.
n. Anyway, I'd better post this letter now.
p. All my love.
r. It was great to get your letter.
t. Thank you so much for writing.
v. I was so sad to hear that you had been ill.
x. Sorry but I have to finish.
z. I’m looking forward to your reply.
Reading and writing a letter
> A2 - comprendre l’écrit: savoir repérer des informations ciblées dans un document écrit
Read the three letters and fill in the chart:
information
letter n°1
letter n°2
letter n°3
name
boy or girl ?
age
nationality
town
colour of hair
colour of eyes
brothers and sisters
pets
hobbies
likes
dislikes
12th December 2008
Dear Flora,
Hello! My name is Christine. I was born in Athens. I am 14 years old. I' m thin and tall. I have brown eyes and
blond hair. I have one brother and an older sister (Christofer and Eyridiki). My parents' names are Manthos and
Artemis. I haven't got a pet. My best friends are Christianna and Katerina. I like sweets, listening to music and
dancing. I like ancient Greek but I don't like physics and chemistry. I speak English and French. I love French
and I speak that language very well . I am not shy and I have a lot of confidence. I am very talkative with other
people. My favorite food is chicken with fried potatoes. I want to be a criminologist. I can’t wait to get your letter.
If you want we can speak French.
GOODBYE
Your friend Christine
15-Oct-2011
Dear Arthur,
I'm your British pen friend from Milton Keynes. My name is Jim. I'm a boy and I’m 14. I have a sister, her name
is Sarah, she is 17, and a half brother named Cameron, he is 5. I have a dog, a cat and 5 goldfish. Lexy, my dog is
nice, but my cat is horrible. My sister was on the exchange in 2009. Her pen friend was Sonia Durand, do you
know her? My parents are divorced, I live with my mother and my stepfather. My father is a postman and my
mother is a shop assistant. My stepfather works in a factory. We live in a house, it's ten km from Milton Keynes.
There are three rooms, a garden and a balcony.
I like computer games, football, listening to music and going to the cinema. I don’t like reading and dancing. I
love rock music, my favourite band is Green Day. I play football in a club, and this year I’m learning to play the
guitar. My best friend is Sam, he is on the exchange as well, his pen friend is called Michael Blanchi, do you
know him?
I enclose a photo of myself and my family.
How many brothers and sisters do you have?
Do you have any pets?
What colour is your hair? And your eyes?
Do you like school?
I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Please answer soon.
all the best,
Jim
25/09/13
Hi Tom !
I hope you are fine. I’m really glad that you are coming so soon!
Here are the answers to all the questions you asked me:
My father is a policeman and my mother is a teacher for young children (she works in a kindergarten). I
have two sisters: Sandra is twenty and studies chemistry at the university of Nanterre, not far from here.
Amélie is 17 and she is doing her final year of high school, preparing her “baccalauréat”. I am in
“Seconde”, the first year of high school.
We live in Colombes, a town which is quite close to Paris: from my place it takes about half-anhour to go to the centre of Paris by train. So we sometimes go there at the week-end, to visit museums, go
to the cinema… Colombes is also fairly close to La Défense, with its huge shopping mall. I like hanging out
there with my friends. I also like swimming – I practise twice a week.
Unfortunately I have to go to school every day except on Sundays. This is my typical schoolday: I
wake up at 7am every morning, I have breakfast and get dressed, then I leave for school around 7:45am.
Classes start at 8am. I am lucky because I don’t live too far from my school. We have two short breaks
(one in the morning and one in the afternoon) and one long break for lunch. I have lunch at school with
my friends. We normally have 6 to 8 hours of classes every day, except on Wednesdays and Saturdays,
when classes stop at 12am.
When I come back from school (around 4:15 or 5:15 pm) I have a snack and then a bath to relax,
then I do my homework. Most of the time we have dinner around 8:30pm. Then I watch a little TV or
listen to music or use the computer, and go to bed around 10:30 or 11pm.
As you’re coming over the Christmas holiday, you probably want to know what we normally do at
that time of year. Well, we usually spend the first week of holiday at my grandmother’s in the Alps, with
my aunt, uncle and cousins. We go skiing almost every day! I hope you like skiing. On Christmas day, we
have a big meal and exchange presents. After that we come back to Paris. This year, for New Year’s eve,
my parents are going to the restaurant while my sisters and I are organizing a big party at home with
all our friends. I’m looking forward to introducing you to all of them!
Don’t hesitate to write if you have other questions.
Take care
Benjamin