This week, my students got their first letters from their pen pals....
from JAPAN!!!!
They were super excited to read them, they were talking about them to their groups and sharing all kinds of details that were in the letters...
It was so cute!!
So, we got write to work planning our response letters...
I'm stickin' with the format I learned from Lori...
I share these template freebies in my visual plans last weekend, but click the pic to get them here too
Then, they took what they wrote in the bubbles and wrote their sloppy copies...
We conferenced....
I helped them with what they needed help on..
circled the word wall words that needed to be spelled right...
talked about what goes at the end of EVERY. SINGLE. SENTENCE.
and then what begins EVERY. SINGLE. SENTENCE.
But I have to say...
they are getting SO MUCH BETTER!!!
Their writing from the beginning of the year to now has TREMENDOUSLY improved!!
I'm finding that my lessons for the actual planning and sloppy copy writing isn't taking NEAR as long.
YAY!!!!
After they wrote their neat copy on THIS paper,
and added color to it, they drew a self-portrait so the kids could "see" what they looked like.
I also did a lesson on addressing an envelope
(my Florida teachers - the FAIR test?? vocabulary word - address??? yeah...)
And here is THE greatest tip EVER for you!!
I learned this from our VPK teacher (who I LOVE and want A to be in her class)
She asks the people at Publix ( aka, the BEST grocery store) and Hallmark and other places if they have any left over envelopes that weren't matched up to cards...
THEY HAVE TONS!!!!
I have been doing that for a few months and have an AWESOME stash of envelopes!! Some places try to SELL them to you, but if you play the
"poor- teacher- trying- to-teach- kids- the -art- of- writing- actual- letters -so- that- art-form- doesn't -die" card, then that usually works to get some free envelopes... haha!!
And, on another note,
but the same tune....
our school is getting ready for our annual Holidays Around the World!
Each grade level picks a country to represent, and guess which country we're going to do???
Yep...
JAPAN!!!
How perfect is it that our pen pals are from Japan???
I'll be back to show you some of our CUTE reindeer we did.
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10 comments
Wow! We are going to be in for a treat when your cute letters and self-portraits arrive! And then I will have to up the ante to top them, I suppose!
What an awesome idea . . . having pen pals from another country! I'd love to have my class write to pen pals somewhere.
When I was a kid, I was able to sign up with a pen pal organization and had several (probably like 10) pen pals from all over the world. Some I only wrote to a couple times, others for a couple years!
A 2nd grade pen pal exchange would be awesome!
What i have learned
What an awesome idea . . . having pen pals from another country! I'd love to have my class write to pen pals somewhere.
When I was a kid, I was able to sign up with a pen pal organization and had several (probably like 10) pen pals from all over the world. Some I only wrote to a couple times, others for a couple years!
A 2nd grade pen pal exchange would be awesome!
What i have learned
Pen pals are great. My son was pen pals with a girl from France when he was in grade 7 and they kept writing each other until they were almost 20!
Wow! You sure have an amazing looking school. Our building is really old and yucky.
Sorry you love/hate my books. Ha ha:)
Barbara
Grade ONEderful
Ruby Slippers Blog Designs
Generally I do not learn article on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very compelled me to take a look at
and do it! Your writing taste has been surprised me.
Thank you, quite nice post.
Here is my web blog :: Work from home
Looks like a great activity! Thanks for the freebie!
So many cute freebies! Thank you!
I must see being able to say you have a Japanese Pen Pal must be pretty cool!
Can't wait to see how your school celebrates holidays around the world!
Halle
Across the Hall in 2nd Grade
Hi Jen,
How fun for your kiddos!
Vicky
Traditions, Laughter and Happily Ever After
Thanks so much for linking up with such a great freebie at TBA! Have a great week!
~Fern
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