Do you remember a time before computers and email when people actually had to write letters to send written communication? For today’s elementary school generation, there has never been a time when email, video conferencing, and text messaging wasn’t the norm. Yet, there’s something to be said for old-school communication and the benefits it had. If you’re looking for ways to jump start your students’ enthusiasm for writing, try connecting with a class in another town, district, state, or even country and setting up a class pen pal program. It’s a great way to get students excited about writing, but with the benefit of having technology as an easy and appropriate add-on. Here are some simple do’s and don’ts to get you started.
How to Use Class Pen Pals
Do’s
- Try to connect with other teachers who are out of state or out of the country to set up a pen pal program between students. While it may be exciting to have a class of pen pals who are in another country, it is equally as exciting to get mail from a class across the state or in another part of the country.
- Set clear guidelines with your partnering teacher as to the frequency of correspondence and what the format will be for student letters. For example, do you want to pair students up individually or have the class write a letter as a group? How often will you write and how quickly should you write back once your class receives a letter or letters? By setting up guidelines before you begin, neither class will be disappointed about not receiving letters on time.
- Get your students excited about the project by mapping out where the pen pals are located and finding out more about that area. Dedicate a complete bulletin board display to your pen pal project if possible.
- Help students generate ideas for writing to their new friends. Talk about letter structure and possible topics that would be of interest to both parties.
- Make a big deal out of receiving a class letter or individual letters. The more excited you are about the project, the more excited your class will be also.
Don’ts
- Become class pen pals with someone who you cannot verify is a teacher in a school. There are many predators out there who will happily become pen pals with your class and even create phony personas to gain personal information about students. Always be cautious and use your intuition. If something does not seem quite right, trust your instincts and decline the invitation to become pen pals.
- Give out your students’ full names or other personal information. Make sure that students do not give out this information either. If there are children in class with the same first name, use the first initial of their last name to distinguish them. Home addresses should also never be given out. While this project is a fun way to connect and get students excited about writing, safety needs to be your number one priority.
- Post students’ pictures on your class website. It may be tempting to post pictures of your students on your class blog, but by putting children’s pictures online, you expose them to risks that you may not be aware of. If you want to exchange pictures with the other class, print them out and send them with the letters.
Pen pals can be a great way for students to connect with one another while nurturing and expanding students’ writing skills. Take the time to set up a pen pal exchange program properly and it will run smoothly all year long. Who knows? Maybe your class can have a Skype call or field trip to meet their new friends at the end of the year!
Shyra Breaux says
I think that a great way to protect students is to have a specific topic for writing pen pals as opposed to random writing. For example, both classes can read the same book and discuss them with the pen pals. This would be especially interesting if connection are out of state or the country. Different cultures may have different perceptions, thus more enlightening student book discussions.