Keypals and Epals Elective

SLM 521 – Summer 2005

Kayse Moyer

 

For working in a high school, mainly grades 10 and 12, English environment I have found the following ideas the most intriguing for my classes:

1.   Research and plan a report on someone famous: a government figure, an athlete, a scientist, writer, journalist, explorer, etc.  Send a few emails to this person and gather more information for a biographical report.

2.   Set up class discussions with students from other parts of the country while reading the same works of literature.  Complete discussions on interpretations of the novel, applications of the themes and writing techniques.

3.   While reading world literature link up with a class from that country and discuss different interpretations of the novel.  Discuss the differences in reading literature from one’s own country and the interpretations from other cultures. 

4.   Email authors, poets and essayists with questions about their writings.

5.   Create reading circles with students from around the world.  Share books, recommend favorites, and discuss interpretations with a wide range of outlooks.

6.   Begin narrative writing with story starters.  After the teacher assigns the criteria for the story one student emails the beginning to another and so on until the story is complete.

 

Two excellent sites:

Keypals Club - This site is great because it is easy to navigate, easy to register, FREE, and full of students, classes, and teachers worldwide.  6/6/05

 

Intercultural Email Classroom Connections - This site is global and simple for classes, groups, and individual students to link with students from around the world to work on classroom projects and discussion or simply to meet different people and make friends.  6/6/05