Middle School Resource: Pen Pals Around the World
Middle School Resource
Pen Pals Around the World
In this activity, students write letters and exchange information with a pen pal from a school in a country that speaks the language they are studying.
Activity:
- Teacher secures information on schools in other countries and obtains the names and addresses of students in that school interested in being pen pals.
- Students select one of the pen pals and engage in an ongoing exchange of information about:
- Themselves
- Their families
- Their friends
- Everyday activities
- Interests at home, school, and community
- Using e-mail, digital cameras, scanners, and a webcam, students maintain an interactive communication with the pen pals.
- Teacher arranges video conferencing between the two classrooms so that the students have an opportunity for direct communication.
- Students should alternate between speaking in English and the foreign language so that the students in both countries have an opportunity to practice speaking.
Related NY State Academic Standards: W.5.4, L.5.1, L.5.2, and more!
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