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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