Meet Your PenPal Around the World

Students create illustrated letters introducing themselves by sharing their name, hobbies, favorite foods, and what life is like in their community. They decorate their letters with drawings, stickers, or photos and prepare them to send to their pen pal partners.

Students receive responses from their partner class and read their pen pal's introduction. They then work together as a class to create a shared chart comparing similarities and differences between their community and their pen pal's community, noting things like food, hobbies, school routines, and daily life.

Students explore four themed rounds of correspondence with their pen pals over several weeks: My School & Daily Life, Hobbies & Interests, Local Traditions & Celebrations, and Global Q&A & Curiosity. Each round involves creating illustrated letters, drawings, or simple digital messages, receiving responses, and reflecting on what they learn about their pen pal's culture.

Students co-create a final collaborative project with their pen pal (such as a shared digital poster, recipe exchange, or drawing swap) that celebrates what they have learned about each other's cultures and the friendship they have built. They practice perspective-taking and emotional awareness by reflecting on how understanding their pen pal's life has changed their own thinking.

Students present their pen pal letters, comparisons, and collaborative projects to the class, sharing what they discovered about cultural similarities and differences and what they learned about themselves through the exchange. They reflect on how the project helped them understand and appreciate people from different parts of the world.