For the "We Love Books" contest the Fourth Graders wrote letters to Chris Van Allsburg. The letters did not have to be about any particular book, or have to be about one of his books at all. First the students wrote their pre-writing using the Four-Square Writing design. After their writings were proof-read and edited, corrections were made and the students were ready to type.

Our computer teacher created a template for the students to use when typing their letters. The template was set up so the students would type their letters in squares. It would look something like this:

Square 1:Dear Chris Van Allsburg,
Square 2:You are a great author!
Square 3:How do you write such great books?
Square 4:What was your favorite book?

When the students were finished typing, it was time for the Final Step.