Creating Our Own Storybook Exchange

Students share stories about something important in their family or community (a tradition, a favorite place, a person they admire) through drawings, short words, or spoken stories. The teacher helps them notice what makes their stories special and what they might want to tell the partner class.

Working in small groups, students brainstorm and write a short story that shows something meaningful about their community, culture, or values. They draw pictures, add words, and decide together what their story will teach the partner class about their world.

Students receive the partner class's storybook and read or listen to their story together. They talk about what they notice, what surprised them, and what is the same or different from their own story. They begin planning a response story that connects to what they learned.

Students write and illustrate a new short story or create a collaborative project that shows how their community's story connects to or responds to the partner class's story. They practice telling their story and prepare to share it during the video celebration.

Both classes join a live video call to share their original stories and response stories, talk about what they learned about each other's cultures, and celebrate what they created together. Students reflect on new friendships and what surprised them most about the exchange.