As a way to practice their communication and letter writing skills, the students in Kate Lesniak’s fourth grade class have exchanged mailings with a fourth grade class in Houston, Texas. The partnership was made possible through the Pen Pal Project organized by We Are Teachers and the USPS.
Lesniak said the students learned a lesson in geography after researching Texas so they could ask members of the other class questions.
The class in Houston sent postcards of Texas with their last mailing, and Lesniak’s class sent brochures of local attractions (e.g. the Erie Canal, Herkimer Diamond Mines, and Baseball Hall of Fame).
“Students have enjoyed teaching others about our little corner of the country,” she said.
“As they have discovered, Houston is very different from Herkimer. It’s been a neat experience for them to be able to interact with kids their own age from a very different part of the country.”
Ms. Brown and Mrs. Olds classes also have pen pals from other areas.
Lesniak said at the end of the partnership, the classes will hold a video call.