Dear Students,Language is about many things, including the expression of complex ideas and concepts. What is more complex than our own lives and mind?A complexity of life is the relationships we have in our lives: Your family, friends, work mates, work-life balance, ourselves, English… Yes, that’s right. You do have a relationship with the language you’re aiming to master. I would like you to use this opportunity to “improve” your relationship with it as you see how skillful you are in using it to express who you are.
I challenge you to write 5 letters to yourself, giving you the opportunity to use the language you’re learning and have learned to express the intricate and elaborate ideas that exist in your intellectual home, AKA your brain.
Following the instructions, are 6 prompts to write to yourself. They’re designed for different tenses and vocabulary. You can do from 1 – 5 letters for this challenge, however long you want them to be. To count the challenge as completed (and reap your reward) you will have to do 5 upon my return – or our first class thereafter 😉
✨ Language Objective
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To use a variety of tenses (present, past, future) naturally
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To explore idiomatic expressions and feeling-based vocabulary
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Complex & Long sentences
🧠 Tips for Writing
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Try using some emotional vocabulary: proud, frustrated, excited, nervous, hopeful, confused, determined…
Some examples to help you:
– B2 Vocabulary – Emotions
– Blog Post – Atlas of the Heart -
Include idiomatic phrases to add colour:
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“Don’t beat yourself up…”
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“Give yourself a break”
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“Take the leap.”
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“Things will fall into place.”
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“It’s a rollercoaster”
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📩 Submitting Your Letters
Either when you’re finished with all 5 letters or as you do each one, send them to this email: 5minsenglishwithmichelle@gmail.com
✉️ Five Writing Prompts: “Dear Me” Letters
1: “Dear Me, One Year From Now”
What have you achieved in the last year? What habits have you broken or built? What have you accomplished with your English?
2. “Dear Future Me: The Next Adventure”
What is the next big adventure? How would it enrich you? What do you have to do to get there?
3. “Dear Me: Looking Back”
Remind yourself of your strengths, your progress in English, and the moments where you felt proud. What has made you proud of your progress ?
4. “Dear Me: Falling in Love”
Imagine you’re in the early stages of falling for someone.
Would you dare venture into finding a simple poem? Maybe on Pinterest or Instagram on the topic? Writing one yourself is only required if you’ve recently fallen in love (Or, if we’re being optimistic: You’re still feeling like the first week you feel in love with your significant other)
5. “Dear Future Me: After You’ve Failed at Something”
Offer kind advice – maybe even with advice strucutres… What would you tell yourself to keep going, to learn, and to see failure as part of success?
6. “Dear Future Me, Just Before You Turn 35 / 40 / 60 (Choose the next big milestone)”
Write about what matters most as you get older. What lessons should you carry? What should you not let go off?
Happy writing!
