Pen Pals
As a transformational teacher aiming to develop the whole learner — academically, emotionally, and socially — I wanted to provide my students the opportunity to develop connections with kids their own age who live in other countries. While we certainly study other countries and cultures in an academic and literary setting throughout the school year, I wanted to tap into my middle-schoolers’ social desires and create a club that allows them to become Pen Pals with students who can expand their world views. My Pen Pal students were exposed to people in two countries: London and Canada, an opportunity they would not have otherwise had as middle schoolers. Most of my students have only traveled to Mexico and within the southern United States, and they were extremely eager to gain access to students in very different geographic locations from their own and to learn about their different cultures.
By design, this club was meant to be very social. The students were able to explore their own cultures and identities, becoming excited about teaching someone about themselves, while also making connections with new and different people. Additionally, the safe, inclusive space we created in this club contributed to the cognitive and social development of the students. In his book Yardsticks, Chip Wood (2015) writes that 12- and 13-year-olds’ “cognitive development is greatly enhanced through social interaction…Cognitive growth is enhanced in environments that foster and respect social interaction — where learners are accepted and enjoyed by others” (p. 159).
Overall, the Pen Pals group developed a strong sense of self-pride and a newfound love for meeting new people. These students were surprised with the simplicity of letter writing and the access it provided, and I am confident they have a strong understanding of how to navigate similar opportunities in the future.
Reference
Wood, Chip. Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom, Ages 4-14. Center for Responsive Schools, Inc., 2015.
Logistics and Planning
When planning the Pen Pals club, I had to identify a block of time in the school day that would make the organization accessible to students who did not have access to letter-writing materials at home or could not stay at school. To do this, I pitched the program idea as an “enrichment” course, which is an elective-style class built into our school day. Enrichments change each quarter and take place during the last 35 minutes of the academic school day Monday-Thursday.
To the right is the original planning document I presented to my principal, and ultimately to the Pen Pal parter teachers in London and Canada. This document identifies the goal of the club, as well as a projected pacing calendar indicating the different topics we would explore as a group and the prospective mail dates.
After my administration approved my plan, I reached out to three teachers: a college friend who currently teaches in London, a former colleague who currently teaches in Canada, and one of my student’s aunts who teaches in Mexico. Of the three, London and Canada committed to participating in our Pen Pals program.
Once the planning and logistics for the Pen Pals enrichment had been settled, the club was added to the enrichment list, which was ranked by students at the end of Quarter 2. Of the 52 students who signed up for the club, 23 were admitted to the Pen Pals enrichment at the beginning of Quarter 3.
Student Preparation
While letter writing is part of the 6th and 7th grade literacy curriculum, I wanted my students to have a solid understanding of how to write a friendly letter before we began writing to our Pen Pals. In order to reactive their prior knowledge, I showed the students the letter writing video to the left, which walks the students through each part of a friendly letter. We then created and hung an anchor chart showing the parts of a letter in our Pen Pals room to reference as needed.
After we had a solid understanding of how to write a friendly letter, we came to the age-old question that plagues students of all ages: “But what do I write about?”
To generate ideas, the students engaged in a gallery walk, exploring four different questions:
What do I want to learn and accomplish in this enrichment?
What questions do I have about other countries, specifically Canada and London?
What do you want to share about yourself?
What do you want to share about Memphis and the U.S.A.?
Slides 1-2 to the right show students reading and contributing to the gallery walk posters, and slides 3-6 show the final gallery walk posters.
Once the students had identified what they wanted to write about, they got out their colorful pens, paper, and plenty of stickers. They were eager to connect with students in Canada and London — students they would not have otherwise had the opportunity to meet.
Letter exchange
Below are images from the first letter receipt and exchange. Students were excited to see their names on letters and envelops in handwriting they did not recognize, and they were immediately ready to respond to their new Pen Pal.
Student impact & reflections
Even though the Pen Pals quarterly enrichment has come to an end, the students have chosen to maintain their connections with their new Canadian and British friends. Logistically, we were only able to send and receive one set of letters during the quarter due to mail service delays and even the loss of our letters at one point. I am happy to have exposed my students to people in other countries, an opportunity I personally did not have until college. As middle school students, they have already gained access to first-hand accounts of different cultures in geographic regions very different from Memphis, which has ignited a newfound curiosity them.