Prepare a Pen Pal Program for the 2009-2010 School Year
Monday June 8, 2009
It takes a little bit of pre-planning to set up a Pen Pal program for your students. But it's worth your time and effort because Pen Pals increase student awareness on so many levels - socially, geographically, linguistically, culturally, and more.
I recommend taking a little time this summer to plant a few seeds for a Pen Pal program that you can implement in the coming school year. Specifically, start looking for a classroom with which to partner up. Hint: our Elementary Educators Forum is an ever-popular venue for such match-ups. Have fun adding a little Pen Pal power to your curriculum!
Comments
Hello! I think you have a great idea going on here. I remember when I was in 3rd grade and my teacher had setup a Pen Pal Program for us and it was fun! I’m going to be a teacher in the future and am definitely going to create my own Pen Pal Program. So I guess this is a thanks for bringing up something from the past into the future for our students.
I completely agree. When I was in 4th grade, our teacher set us up to send letters to people that were in the military. If we knew someone in the military we could chose to write that person, but if we did not know anyone then the teacher would set us up with someone. It was really neat to talk to someone who is living a completely different life than you and it’s a great way to teach about the many things that soldiers do for us.
I loved having a pen pal in elementary school. Besides being just plain fun it helped improve my writing, penmanship, and social skills. I found a book on Elemtary teaching called The Wolf Pack Classroom Management Plan. It teaches prosocial skills, life skills, that make the classroom a caring, harmonious environment. I would recommend it to any teacher.
Peace Corps has an excellent Pen-Pal Program
Peace Corps | Coverdell World Wise Schools | Correspondence Match
http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/correspond/about.cfm