Noelle Vilella

Key  Pals/E-Pals

Below is a list of 5 ways that I could use Key Pals or E-Pals as a part of my classroom instruction.  All activities are geared towards 3rd grade learners.

1.  Web Mentor-  3rd grade students are always so fascinated about the Native American cultures when we study them in Social Studies.  What better what to answer all of their questions about Native American life then to have them speak to a Native American who is currently living or working on one of the many reservations in the United States.  For this project I would try to find a Native American mentor for my classroom.  I would work together with my students to create a list of questions that we would like to send our mentor via e-mail. This would give my students a chance to learn more first hand from a living Native American Indian. This activity could be done in any curriculum area were an expert opinion is needed.

2.  Math Web Surveys-  I have seen many surveys done through e-mail.  One that I have received recently was a name survey.  A class of students sent out mass e-mails to friends and family and had them forward this e-mail to everyone that they knew.  The topic was names.  If your name was on the list you put asterisk beside it, if it was not you added your name and then you would forward it on.  At the end the class would receive a list of common and uncommon names based on where their e-mail was sent.  This is just one example of a web survey.  These surveys could be done in a number of ways.  You could also just link with a few other classes and create a survey from each of them.  This would be an exciting way to get kids using basic statistics and quantitative thinking. 3rd graders would be so excited to tally the results to a project such as this.  These projects also relate to the real world and give students a sense of ownership in the project.

3.  Language Arts Book Read Projects-  This is a great project that connects classrooms who are studying the same texts.  There are also options of connecting the class to the author of the text that the students are reading.  My students read the book Sarah Plain and Tall this year.  They loved the book, but had so many questions about the plains and life on the prairie.  It would have been so exciting for my students to connect with another class that was reading this text or a class of students who lived in the plains.  Students would have discussed questions, opinions, and feelings about the book.  Having the author get in on the conversation would have given my students a greater understanding of the book and how she got her ideas to write it.  This kind of project could help improve students appreciation for literature.  Through discussion and questioning they could gain a clearer understanding of what they were reading.

4.  Math Problem of the Week Challenge-  This would be a great way to get 3rd grade students thinking and collaboratively working with other students.  The idea is to have students create a mathematical problem of the week and set it up as a web page or an e-mail document.  They would then work with other students from other classrooms and moderate discussions about this problem.  This could get students thinking, learning, and teaching one another. This would be a very exciting activity.  You may want to come up with a list of jobs or assignments for each student so that they  have equal parts in this project.  This could be a project that goes on weekly and students could take turns with different jobs.  

5.  Writing Virtual Biographies-  For this project, students would be set up with an e-mail key pal and exchange information about one another (keeping safety in mind and not giving out last names, addresses, phone numbers etc.).  Each student would then take the information that they gathered and create a written biography of their key pal.  When they are finished they would e-mail the biography to their key pal and the key pal would revise and strengthen their biography and return it to their pal.  When the editing and revising are complete the students would share their biographies to the class.  This is an exciting way to get students writing.  It connects students to the real world, helps them improve their writing skills, and gives students an opportunity to make new friends in the process.

Recommended Key Pal/E-Pal Sites

1.  ePALS Classroom Exchange provides a large community of collaborative classrooms to get involved in.  They connect over 113,584 classrooms and 6.5 million students and educators in 191 countries!  They provide safe school E-mail, blogs, and eMentoring.  This site provides tips and lists activities to use in your classroom. This site is also available in a variety of languages.  This seems like a very safe and reliable site to use in the classroom. 

http://www.epals.com/

2.  Askanexpert.com is a great site to link up with mentors that can be used in your classroom.  This site connects you with hundreds of real world experts.  You can find experts from all areas such as doctors, zookeepers, and authors.  The best thing about this site is that all of the expert communication is free!  The possibilities are endless.  There seems to be an expert in almost every possible area.

http://www.askanexpert.com/

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