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Activity
PBS

Dear Pen Pal

For Teachers 1st - 6th Standards
Explore cultures from around the world with an engaging pen pal resource. Through a series of classroom activities and written correspondence, children learn about the favoritec pastimes, schooling, geography, and weather that is...
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Activity
Ball State University

Dear Pen Pal

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Keep your class in conversation with others across the country or across the sea by writing letters to pen pals. The activity calls for students to be pan pals with pupils in Africa; however, the listed steps could be used for any...
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Printables
Wordpress

Access (1st Year) Pen Pal Format

For Teachers 1st - 4th Standards
Help young writers make a good first impression on their pen pals with this personal letter template. Including sentence frames and word banks, this resource supports children as they learn to write personal descriptions using complete...
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Printables
Purple Martin Press

Pen Pal Template: Hello!

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Corresponding with pen pals just got easier with this simple writing template. Including sentence frames and space for drawing pictures, this is a fun resource that introduces young learners to writing personal letters.
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Rediscovering the Lost Art of Letter Writing

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Writers engage with both past and present experiences to compose a letter during Write to a Friend Month.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pen Pals

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students write to a pen pal and learn about their lives. In this pen pal lesson, students learn about a person from another country. Students develop an understanding that they have many things in common with people from other parts of...
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Printables
Paging Supermom

Postcard Template

For Teachers 1st - 8th
A basic postcard worksheet could be a creative addition to your novel unit, pen pal project, or any other activity involving writing letters or sending mail. The template provides two postcards, each with lines for a message, a space for...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock Swap

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students collect rocks found locally and write a brief description which includes the name of the rock, whether the rock is sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous, and what uses the rock has. They exchange rocks with another class in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Check My Writing: Diversity of Learners Adaptation

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students explore different spellings of the same words within the English language, as well as different words for the same thing with the international pen pal classroom. They become familiar with units of measure and time. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Emailing Colonial Pen Pals

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders write emails to a friend imagining they are traveling to colonial America.  In this emailing penpals activity, 5th graders discuss appropriate language and topics in email communication, use correct format and write...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Message in a Bottle

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students acquire a pen pal in a foreign country and write letters at least twice a month throughout the year to exchange with them. At the end of the year, they write an essay that compares one important difference and one important...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Email Buddies

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Collaborate with another class (or school) and have your learners share ideas about their reading through the use of email. Perhaps you'll create a specific question or a few questions for writers to choose from. Not only will they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letter Writing -Traditional and Modern

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study the parts of a friendly letter and how to address an envelope. They write pen pal letters using traditional and modern mailing practices.
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Printables
Curated OER

Postcard Template

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Practice writing short letters with postcards. The resource includes two pages to make four postcards. The first page has space for drawing, and the second includes a place to write, address lines, and stamp spaces.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pen Pal Project

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders write letters to a pen pal in proper letter form. In this writing instructional activity, 2nd graders discuss why they would write to a pen pal, brainstorm the elements that should appear in their letters, then write the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mystery Pen Pal

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate different cities and states in the USA, and practice their letter writing skills while corresponding with a pen pal.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

E-Mail Pen Pals

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students write an e-mail message about what they have been doing in their physical education class. They break in to groups of 3 or 4 students and use the teacher's e-mail account to send an e-mail to their Pen Pal. They then read posted...
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PPT
Curated OER

Parts of a Friendly Letter

For Teachers 2nd
The art of writing a letter has not been lost to email and texting! Teach kids how to format a friendly letter with a presentation about the parts of a letter, as well as prompting them to write a letter about their favorite holiday.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biomes of The World

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars research different biomes, using links from global pen pal letters.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Enhancing Friendships Through Photography

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students connect with pen pals through photography. In this digital photography lesson, students create photo booklets to share with pen pals. Students correspond with their pen pals throughout the school year. Students also create...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paragraph Writing

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders write paragraphs. In this paragraph lesson, 3rd graders discover the parts of a paragraph as they are compared to the pieces of a sandwich. They write their own paragraph to a foreign pen-pal describing our country. 
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Lesson Plan
Apple State University

Friendly Letter Mini-Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
This mini-lesson about informal letter writing is packed with a lot of information about writing a friendly letter. Class members begin by working in pairs to answer questions after reviewing letter models. Then, take part in a grand...
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Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Science Pen Pals

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners explore the scientific career of Benjamin Franklin. In this science instructional activity, students discuss Franklin's correspondence with other scientists and write letters describing Benjamin Franklin's experiments.
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Activity
PBS

Around the Block

For Teachers K - 4th Standards
Arthur and his friends help children explore the concepts of family, community, and diversity in a fun series of activities. From performing peer interviews to mapping out the different places students have lived or visited, this...