“Getting To Know Me” Introduction Letter
Hello! Welcome to the new school year/ semester at ___________________ School. As your
teacher and mentor, I’m excited to learn about you right from the start. Your task is to write an
introduction letter following the format/guidelines below. Have fun!
1. Everyone has a family, maybe not the same structure of a family, but everyone comes
from somewhere. Please briefly describe your family. Who do you live with? Do you
have sweet siblings or are they sometimes annoying?
2. Tell me about an object that is important to you or your family. What is it? Why is it
special? Where did it come from?
3. Describe a time when someone was judged or mistreated because of their gender, race,
cultural beliefs, religion, etc. This can be a real-life situation you faced, a friend faced, an
episode on a TV show, anything.
4. Name one rule, or law, you think is unfair in society. Why is it unfair? If given the
chance to change it, what would you do? How do you think changing the rule, or law,
would help society?
5. Describe your most fond place and person as a child. How have they influenced you?
6. What is one of your dreams? Who would be your number 1 supporter? What steps have
you identified or taken (if any) towards pursuing this dream?
7. What are your ambitions and goals after high school? Do you have a specific job in
mind? Are you looking into joining the military? Is college appealing to you?
8. You know yourself better than anyone else. What are your academic strengths and
weaknesses, your favorite and least favorite subjects.
9. Readers learn by reading just as football players learn by practicing. Describe your
reading habits. If you read, what genre and/or topics do you prefer? Also describe your
news reading and/or watching habits. Do you watch the news, the daily events unfolding
around society?
10. Tell me about hobbies you enjoy and/or sports you play. Why do you like these hobbies
or this sport?
Format:
Please complete this letter using a letter format. Include a salutation (greeting) at the
beginning, (e.g., Dear ______). Also please include a closing, (e.g., Sincerely, ______).
This task does not conform to a five paragraph essay format. It asks questions to make
you think and to help me learn a lot about you right from the start.
You may type or write this letter. Please make sure that it is legible.
“Getting To Know Me” Introduction Letter Teacher Information
Research has shown that getting to know students and showing they have an advocate from the
beginning is one of the easiest ways to begin developing a relationship with that student. This
introductory letter format can be personalized based on your planned academic content.
This task is not only a chance to learn about your students, but it also gives a wealth of writing
information from the start. You can learn students’ writing styles, strengths and areas of improvement,
their use (or lack thereof) vocabulary. When creating paragraph prompts, you can incorporate probing
questions aimed at planned texts (or extended texts for the semester/year).
I start with students describing their families, because the traditional, “tell me about you” gets
quite a few where-do-I-start-I’m-drawing-a-blank looks. I can look at a student and see s/he has blonde
hair, or green eyes, or are about average height for his/her age. When I ask students about their families, it
isn’t to be nosy. Perhaps I’ve taught an older sibling. Maybe you learn that a student lives with an ailing
grandmother or an aunt. Maybe that student lives in a multi-generational household. As educators, we
know how great of an impact home life has on school life.
Paragraphs 2-6 are geared towards content (this is where it can be personalized to your content
plan) that I’ve typically taught in ninth grade English/Language Arts:
An important object lends itself to Susan Vreeland’s Girl in Hyacinth Blue. This novel traces the
movement of a famous Vermeer painting in flashback chronological order. The topic of an
important object also lends itself to the opening/launch of my “Theme” packet (see packet on
TeachersPayTeachers). This could also be useful discussion with O. Henry’s short story, “The
Gift of the Magi”.
Discrimination or racism (paragraph 3) is geared towards Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
During an emotionally-charged, rigged racial trial of an innocent black man accused of raping a
white woman, the novel’s protagonist, Scout, must not only face ridicule of her father but also
face ridicule of not conforming to gender guidelines.
Paragraph 4 is useful while reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm, or Ray Bradbury’s
Fahrenheit 451. Because rules govern these societies and ultimately guide the plots of these
classics, students should be challenged to question and/or create laws. They are future leaders.
A bit of nostalgia for paragraph 5 as describing fond memories and people who have influenced
us are all parts of our pasts that we should embrace. This paragraph not only goes with Janisse
Ray’s autobiographical Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, but also helps students when given the
autobiographical/memoir with figurative language assignment and the “Where I’m From” poem
assignment—see TeachersPayTeachers).
Paragraph 6 touches on students’ dreams, lending itself particularly to Lorraine Hansberry’s “A
Raisin in the Sun”, where a multi-generational black family living in the ghetto fights for their
dreams. It also gives educators a chance to become a mentor or advisor to help students pursue
their dreams.
Paragraphs 7-10 give students a chance to give more insight as to their own academic strengths
and weaknesses, post-secondary goals, hobbies and sports, and reading and news watching habits.
