Pen+Pal+unit

I must admit that this plan isn't complete yet because the semester is coming to an end but I believe this could be a very useful tool for celebrating and connecting with different cultures. It is something that I plan on revisiting in the next couple weeks and try to grasp a better understanding of how to set up such a pen pal exchange and examine what other school districts have done in the past.

During my research I found a few pen pal programs that were created between African schools and American schools. It acts as a way for both sets of students to grow in understanding the differences and similarities of life in different countries. It creates a connection that is unable to be measured but has an enormous impact on all involved.

[|The Jubilee Village Project] is one of the pen pal programs that I have discovered. In Franklin, Indiana 248 middle schoolers wrote letters to 248 students in Kager, Kenya. These students were able to connect with each other and learned an enormous amount from one another.

[|School-to-School International] is another helpful resource that I found. It is a pen pal portal that connects teachers internationally and give helpful resources on how to start a pen pal program and get involved. It connect educators and presents a way to network with others.

A pen pal program could also be set up to different states, cities, or towns around the US as well to allow students a change to connect with other students who come from different cultures. The basic idea of the pen pal program is to promote understanding and learn from other people. Learn from their cultures, what differences they have growing up, or in school, and what similarities. It is a way for students to write and matter.