The ePals Adventure Begins!

Mrs. Ley's and Mrs. Owen's language arts students will be communicating with ePals (like pen pals) from Somerville, Australia! The process will begin next week when the students introduce themselves to their ePal through e-mail. Students will communicate with their ePal on a weekly basis.

Currently, language arts students are learning about the elements/parts that make up narratives/stories. So, students will practice implementing story elements by sharing day-to-day stories with their ePals. Also, as students write a narrative for a final assessment in this unit, they will share their work with their ePal to gather feedback. In addition to learning about the elements of stories, students are also gaining knowledge about how people's stories are the same and different. By the end of this unit, students should have an understanding that all humans have unique, valuable stories to tell.

As a part of the ePal experience, students will also take part in something called the Teddy Bear Program. Mrs. Ley is sending 3 "mascots" to our Australian friends. And, our Australian friends are sending three "mascots" to us. Different students will take the mascots home nightly and will take digital pictures of the mascot in various places that represent Sparta and/or other parts of Michigan. Then, the students will send the photos through e-mail to their Australian ePal, so their ePal can gain an understanding of how people live their lives in Sparta and/or the surrounding areas.

Below are pictures of the three mascots that will be sent to the Australians and a small note that will be attached to each. Let the journey begin!