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Pen Pal Communities
How It Works: Pen Pal
Communities is a
cross-curricular program that helps students learn about other states in the
U.S. It integrates computer
technology and the Internet as a research tool with social studies,
geography, art, literature, and writing. Second graders read Flat
Stanley by Jeff Brown. They analyze the main characters and discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of being flat. They’re asked to imagine where
they would travel if they were flat enough to fit inside an envelope, and
what they would tell the people they met about their community. Children select the work center where they will complete
tasks such as puppet making, letter writing, and creating a drawing of Flat
Stanley that can be mailed with their letter. Computer groups are responsible for researching one topic about
their own community (with teacher assistance). Topics are historical and recreational sites, museums, and
natural resources. Each student turns this information into a report that is
placed in a packet with his/her letter and drawing of Flat Stanley, class
photos, and a request for information about the community where the packet is
sent. During ongoing work sessions, students utilize centers to
edit, revise, and complete their work. Those using the computer receive
teacher assistance in locating a school in a different state where they will send
their Flat Stanley package. They address the envelope, locate the
destination on the U.S. map, and estimate its general region (i.e., north or
central U.S.). As children receive responses, they share the packages and
discuss what they have learned about each state, and create writing webs that
will later be used to make more
reports. Children can then write
reports about their destination states using Student Writing Center (or any word processing program) and the
information their Pen Pal Community has sent them. Students compare their own community to the ones they have
received information about. As a culminating event, a "take-home package” is made
containing all of the materials received from each "Pen Pal"
state. The packages are taken home
each night by a different student to share the information and letters with
his/her family. The Students: There are twenty-one
second grade students involved in this program, including fifteen students
from the Resource Room. The various
activities lend themselves to whole class instruction, small cooperative
groups, and individual tasks. What You Need: Pen Pal
Communities can be done in a
regular classroom using computers equipped with a word processing program, a
research program, and an Internet connection. The novel Flat Stanley by
Jeff Brown is available at bookstores or from the Scholastic Book
Company. Other materials needed for
the program are mailing envelopes, colored computer paper, disposable
cameras, a community map, and a U.S. map. Overall Value: Pen Pal Communities is an exciting cross-curricular experience. On the cognitive level, social studies
comes alive as children explore maps and learn about different states. Writing skills are honed as children
anxiously write back to their newly found friends. A comfort zone is created for the children to use the computer
as a research and communication tool.
Children gain an understanding of the U.S. mail system, and learn
about their own communities and compare them to the communities of other
children living far away. |
Debra Camputaro began teaching in 1990, and currently teaches
second grade. She conducts workshops
on whole-language literature-based learning in a child-centered
classroom. Donna Gioello had been teaching in Special Education for 15
years. She has taught at intermediate and elementary school levels, working
with special needs students. She was
a contributor to the Family Literacy Curriculum for District 31's Project
Read Program. Grade Level: Elementary School Grades 2-5 Subject Areas: Social
Studies Art Technology Language Arts Contact Debra for
instructional materials. Debra Camputaro 348 Diesius Street Staten Island, NY 10314 718-984-2233 E-mail: teachrsjoy@aol.com Principal: Katherine Corso |