Ever have a pen pal when you were growing up???? I always wished I did! Ever considering having pen pals for your class?? Well you should. People to People International offers a free pen pal matching opportunity. In the past three years that I have participated, I've been matched with other 6 and 7 year olds in England, Egypt, and Africa. England was the most rewarding experience for us-we wrote monthly and couldn't wait to receive new letters. You can also use skype, email, and videoconferencing to communicate with your assigned pen pals.
Writing to pen pals gave us a purpose for friendly letter writing and just great writing (with correct grammar) in general. The children in England amazed me! Their writing was so superior to that of our American system, that it pushed me as a teacher and gave me the opportunity to collaborate with someone in another county. So cool!
So how can you sign up? Well, just click the picture link below and then click on the "Register my class" icon. All you really have to do is fill out an online form. You'll receive a confirmation and then I believe in October, you'll find out who you are matched with. Finding out who my match is each year is like opening presents on Christmas morning!
You'll want to register sooner rather than later, so give it a whirl and be sure to let me know how it goes!
1 comments:
I was searching the internet for some new enriching activities and/or field trips for my first grade class here in California and came across your blog post about the pen pal program! I just registered my class and will see how it goes! I think my students will love this as no one else in my school is doing it. If it works out, I will recommend it to my colleagues :)
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