Pen Pals 23-24
overview & rationale
We’ve noticed our students are curious about the world around them. They’re asking questions as they engage in geography lessons, make connections to activities and their families’ travels, and further understand history and how it relates to our world today. Our leadership team wanted to capitalize on this curiosity, and further expand students’ horizons to what school is like all the way in Kolkata, India!
We’re delighted to announce our *NEW* pen pals program, launching during the fall 2023 semester. Through this experience, PacPrep students will learn about their fellow peers engaging in learning across the globe; exploring what school is like, getting a glimpse into their community, and making connections to students just like them! To begin, they’ll write letters to the students in Kolkata describing:
Click image to learn more about Speak 4 Silent Voices.
Who they are
Where they’re learning from (and if it changes throughout the school year!)
What a typical school “day” looks like
How they like to spend their free time
PacPrep participants will also ask questions, inviting students to respond back to them sharing a glimpse into their reality. The program will first launch with more generic letters, and from there, match students to specific peers.
how is this going to work?
All of this will happen during class times, with careful teacher guidance and support. Teachers will be advised to integrate lessons based on their respective students’ units of study, supporting students in making connections across location, perspective/point of view, way of life, and more. This activity will not only strengthen real-world connections, but integrate reading and writing skills across various learning standards. Some examples include: author’s purpose, text connections, analysis and critical thinking, understanding historical context, text features and search tools, sequencing, letter-writing, editing and revising.