Project Greeting Card

HOW IT WORKS
Project Greeting Card is designed to give fourth-grade students a fun and meaningful way to study poetry and prose while improving writing and reading skills, and working collaboratively while learning about graphic designing. The students complete a six-week unit on poetry and prose studying their favorite authors such as Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky. They research their poet using a CD-ROM encyclopedia and the Internet. Following the poetry, the children study the ‘genre’ of greeting card business. They learn how to use the computer to create customized holiday cards for a special someone. The students use the software Print Artist and Shop and learn to  wordprocess using Microsoft Word. They will work with their teacher and with the school’s art and computer teachers to learn about illustration, graphic design, and scanning, and how to download art from the Internet and graphics programs. They create original cards with their own poetry and prose. Project Greeting Card will provide the opportunity for the older students to share their new skills and knowledge with a younger student when they design, create, and share a special birthday card for the younger student and deliver it on the child’s birthday. 

THE STUDENTS
The students suitable for this project are third, fourth, and fifth graders, ages nine through eleven, but the program can be adapted to lower and upper grades.

THE STAFF
Dina Galanti is a fourth-grade teacher at P.S.52. Through her years of experience and many graduate and in-service courses, she has gained the knowledge and skills needed to develop and implement Project Greeting Card. She has been doing this program for a year. It can be done without assistance, but volunteer parents would be of help. Working collaboratively  with subject teachers is a plus. 

WHAT YOU NEED
A computer with Internet access, a printer, good quality paper, samples of greeting cards, and graphics program such as Print Artist are necessary, along with a CD-ROM encyclopedia and Microsoft Word.

OVERALL VALUE
This is a fun and exciting way for students to study and use poetry, improve language arts skills, and develop computer literacy. The children take great pride in creating their special cards for their special person. Several English Language Arts Standards are addressed. The students read and comprehend at least four books on the same subject, or by the same author, or in the same genre; read and comprehend informational material; write and produce a response to literature; and participate in one-to-one conferences with the teacher.