Laura Cook
SLM 521
Summer 2005
How can a Kindergarten Classroom utilize epals/keypals?
Use it as part of the year long writing program. Instruct students to write in the same format that you are working on during writing workshop, i.e. Poetry, Story, Informative. Adults can scan in the students drawn pictures to send along.
Introduce themselves to a keypal by scanning a picture into the email and transcribing what the student says into the email. Students will get to know people outside their community.
Use the keypals to learn about seasons in another part of the world. Have students email short descriptions of the weather and what season we are in and compare it to what their keypal sends them.
Have keypals from around the world not all from the same classroom and use it to teach the students geography by placing a pushpin on a bulletin board size map. Students can then share what their life is like in that part of the world.
Have students write a story and ask the keypal to add to it. After a few correspondences, print the stories and put them in a book. Send the books home for parents to read and view with their children.
Where can I find keypals for my Kindergarten students?
ePals- This site has a wonderful resource for locating classrooms who want to participate in keypals. You can search for classrooms that speak any language and are any age. When i searched for 5-6 year olds, I received back over 500 hits. Some were irrelevant, however, I found at least 10 classrooms that were specifically kindergarten classrooms. Each classroom that wants to participate has a paragraph explaining why the want to have keypals. Therefore, another teacher can view that and see if their goals are similar. http://www.epals.com/
Kids Space Connection- This site can be used for whole classroom projects or individual children can get on and communicate. The good thing about this site is not every child has to have an email address and password. You can also collaborate on specific class projects. The database is searchable by project title. You can find anyone in the world working on a similar project and share information as it develops. http://www.ks-connection.org/home.cfm