Service Learning Project

Alice Switzer

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Class Info:

Marshall Elementary School

Mrs. Josie Smith

1st Grade

Overview

I went to Mrs. Smith and asked if she would be interested in letting her class do international pen pals? She immediately said yes because that would help with the student’s reading and writing skills.  Most of all it would help them learn about another culture through students their own age.  

Goals

1. Students will discuss elements of culture through correspondence with peers in India.
2. To encourage the students to write freely about themselves, school, and where they live (Arkansas, USA).
3. G.2.1.1 Discuss elements of culture (e.g., food, clothing, housing, language, sports/ recreation, customs, traditions, art, music, religion)
4. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2-Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

Specifications

To gain international pen pals that will become a new friend.  To gain knowledge about a new culture.  To increase the students’ reading and writing ability.

Milestones

1. First, I thought about having students do pen pals with the residents of a local nursing home.  That didn’t work out.  So I switched gears and thought about getting a class to do pen pals with another country for the culture aspect.
2. Second, I contacted the teacher about the project and told her my ideas.
3. She loved the idea!!
4. Fourth, I did some research and found an international pen pal organization.
5. Fifth, I gave all that information to the Principal so she could check it all out and approve it.
6. As soon as she approves everything we will get started.
7. On October 12th I got the approval from the principal.
8. On October 13th I went to the class and presented the pen pal idea and gave them three choices of countries we could write to.  They chose India.
9. I modeled writing a letter while they wrote their letters.
10. I emailed our sister school in India to get their information but they had a festival that lasted until October 25 so they said it would be after that.
11. I gave them a couple more days then emailed again and he said that their school has been having visitors and wouldn’t be able to get back to me until November 11th. :’’(
12. Now we are once again at a stand still waiting on names of the kids we are writing to so we can fill in that part on our letters and then mail them off.
13. On November 7th, we got an email with the names of the students in India.  I took the names to Marshall Elementary and helped our students write their pen pal’s name on their letters.  I also helped the students decorate the outside of their individual envelopes to send in a bigger envelop.  
14. I mailed the letters on November 10th.
15. I emailed Raju from India on November 16th to let him know that the letters were on the way.  I also asked if there was a way we could do some sort of video message.
16. On November 18th, Raju emailed me back and said that skype wouldn’t be possible because their is an 11 hour time difference but that we might could do some sort of video messages through email.
17. On November 25th, Raju emailed me to let me know that they had received our letters. YAY!!  Now we are waiting for response letters.