I am on a mission to bring back the pleasure of written correspondence with a "pen pal" to the students at my school. I enjoyed learning new things from my pen pals as a teen and still enjoy corresponding with friend and family. We often use the Internet in these correspondence as it takes less time to exchange the messages, however I think we should take time and visit with our paper and pen as well. There is something pleasurable about checking your mailbox at the local post office and finding out you’ve got mail that isn’t a bill.
I enjoy a letter written on any kind of paper, but I like teaching my students the joy of personalizing their writing paper by purchasing stationery or adding some artwork to their correspondence.
It also gives narrative writing an authentic purpose. A gives them the opportunity to scruntize their grammar skills. It reminds them to add details to their writing so their pen pal can interact with their story. I remind them they want their friend to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the things about which they are writing.
They also get the opportunity to use their reasoning skills as they ask questions to learn more about their pen pals. They become friends with someone they have never seen. Global friendships and understanding are created one person at a time.
No comments:
Post a Comment