Starting an international penpal program in your classroom is a great way to encourage students to learn about the world. It also provides opportunities to practice reading, writing and presentation skills!

However, it’s important to set up a program correctly and make sure that students don’t get duped. There are many predators online who will be able to create phony profiles in order to obtain personal information from children.

1. Create a class page on The USPS Pen Pal Project

If you’re looking to establish a pen pal program in your classroom, there are some things that you should know. First, it is important to find out if your class or school has an existing pen pal program before you start one. Ask your child’s teacher or principal if they have a program and explain why you think it might be beneficial for your students.

There are a variety of ways to find a pen pal. Your student can use the internet, look for local clubs or organizations that host pen pals, go to their school or college and ask about their pen pal programs, or contact an international club or organization that is based in your area.

When you have chosen a pen pal, be sure to check their profile to make sure they are age and gender appropriate for your children. This will ensure that they can get along well and communicate in the language they share.

Be sure to teach students the basics of writing letters. This will allow them to write more easily and understand what their pen pal is asking in the letter.

The USPS is currently working with WeAreTeachers to launch the USPS Pen Pal Project for Grades 3-5 this 2021-2022 school year. This program will provide 25,000 third-fifth grade classrooms the opportunity to write one million letters with the goal of building friendships and understanding diverse perspectives.

For more information, visit the USPS Pen Pal Project website. Teachers can register their classes to participate in this program by filling out a registration form. Once the registration process is complete, teachers will receive a kit with envelopes, cards, and a teaching poster.

Pen pals can help your students build their writing skills by providing a real audience for their work. It also encourages them to write with purpose, which can be difficult for many young writers.

Another option is the Fitness Pen Pals program, which motivates children to exercise with a partner. This program can be a lot of fun for students and can be a great way to incorporate physical activity into the classroom.

2. Create a teacher dashboard

A teacher dashboard is an instructional management tool that helps teachers save time and get more done by giving them one place to manage access to student files in Google Workspace and Google Drive. It also makes it easier to give feedback and assessment online.

As a teacher, you need to be able to quickly view all of your students’ files and provide formative feedback. This takes time, especially when you are managing a large number of learners and their digital files across different classroom apps and platforms.

To help teachers with this, StrongMind has developed a teacher dashboard that makes it easy to track student progress, engagement and educational plans. It can also be used to help teachers keep track of students’ grades and attendance and identify which students may need extra support or attention.

First, you should decide what type of teacher dashboard you want to use in your classroom. This will be determined by the amount of time you have to monitor the collaboration of your students and the types of data that you need from the dashboard.

In addition, the amount of teaching experience that you have is another factor to consider. For example, if you are new to using a teacher dashboard and don’t have a lot of experience with it, you may find it difficult to adjust and get used to it right away.

Second, you should choose a location where you want to send your letters to. This will help you determine which students are located in your geographic area and will make it easier for them to send you their letters.

You can also search by grade level to find students who are interested in receiving your letters. This will make it easier for you to select the class that is most compatible with your needs.

After creating a teacher dashboard, you will need to get your students excited about the project by providing them with some extra resources. These can include a letter writing activity for your students and an assignment for the teachers to assign to their pen pals.

3. Create a student dashboard

A student dashboard can be used to track and monitor students’ performance in a course. It can also be used to provide students with information and guidance to help them improve their academic outcomes.

It can also be used to provide a more personalized experience for your students. For example, if one of your students has a particular challenge or difficulty with a subject or assignment you can use a student dashboard to target their specific needs.

Alternatively, if you want to get the most out of a student dashboard you can use it to encourage students to be responsible and accountable for their learning by giving them feedback on their progress in a course or rewarding them for their good work. You can do this by providing them with a set of predictions that are designed to highlight key trends, indicators and patterns in their course performance, as well as recommending actions they can take to improve their outcomes.

This is not an easy task to do, as it will often involve bringing in data from other systems. XAPI is one way to make this possible, but there are other ways as well.

Another option is to create a simple class page on The USPS Pen Pal Project that will allow you to add links to your student’s letters, photos and more. This can be a very effective way to engage your students and motivate them to keep writing.

A teacher can also create a class page on ePals to connect their students with other classes around the world. This site will let your students exchange messages with their matched partner(s) using two options: “Class-to-Class” and “Student-to-Student”.

In addition to connecting with their partners, teachers can also create class spaces where their students collaborate on projects using discussion boards and other ePal messaging tools. These spaces will allow your students to see each other’s letters, photos and videos, as well as discuss the projects together with their partners.

To get the most out of a student dashboard, you should customize it to fit your classroom. This will ensure that your students are able to see and access all of the relevant content they need for their lessons.

4. Have students write online letters

A pen pal program is a great way for students to learn about other cultures and languages. It also helps students to develop compassion and understanding. They’ll begin to see similarities and differences between themselves and their pen pals in a variety of ways, including how they play sports, read books, and eat food.

If you’re interested in starting a pen pal program with your students, you can sign up for a free penpal matching service like International Pen Friends (see below) or ePALS. Both of these sites will match you with students from around the world who are in your grade level.

Before you start your penpal project, it’s important to discuss with your partner teacher how frequently you will send and receive letters. This can help you determine how to schedule your time and if you should have the class write individually or together.

As your class works on their letters, you can teach them about proper letter writing by sharing examples with them and modeling the different elements. You can create a checklist for them that includes correct capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Then, have them practice writing these aspects of a letter using the Draw It activity on Nearpod, which makes it easier for them to understand what they are doing.

In addition, you can encourage students to use their favorite language in their letter as it will make it more authentic and engaging for them. Some students may find this difficult, so be sure to teach them the basics of English and how to use appropriate pronouns if they don’t speak the language they’re writing in.

Once your class has written their letters, they can log in to their account and read what their Pen Pals have written back to them. This can be a wonderful time to learn about their countries and cultures and spark conversations about what they have in common with their Pen Pals.

Then, have them write a response letter back to their Pen Pals. This can be a fun activity that students will enjoy and remember for years to come!