Pen Pals Who WRITE! Using "Snail Mail" to Connect Our Students!

What is the Pen Pals Who WRITE Project?

I decided to create this project because of my wonderful experience exchanging letters with pen pals in another state. One year my class had two sets of pen pals, one in California, and one in New Jersey. In 2013-2014 school year, we were pen pals with a class in Spain, last year, Russia.

While we had fun doing projects using tech, receiving letters was even more fun!
​Sooo... I thought if I could get teachers who were interested in having their class write together..... the rest is history!

Last year, we connected with a class in Australia. The kids got to "meet" each other via Flipgrid. A previous year, we met our pen pals through Skype. So, if you are into integrating tech, you have the best of both worlds.

Every year, I connect with a different class. I make sure I get permission from parents before a child is able to connect. No permission, no pen pal. 

We only write once a month, so that it doesn't feel overwhelming. I usually start my students off with a template we created as a class and it includes a sample of a Friendly letter.

However, every child's writing strength is not the same, so they do their best. I do proofread their rough drafts, and have them fix any errors. You want the other class to be able to read it. I also read the letters sent to them.

There is so much excitement when the letters arrive!:) LOTS of excitement because letter writing is a thing of the past. You should see my kids' faces when their letters arrive!:)

If you are interested, fill out the Sign Out form to add your name to the Teacher Connection form. Click on the Teacher Connection form and reach out to a classroom. Teachers must use school email addresses. 

Hopefully, you find a class to connect with! 😎