PencilPALS 2014-15: We’ve Got Mail

January 7, 2015

Orlando's 5th Grade PencilPALS

Orlando’s 5th Grade PencilPALS

This year’s PencilPALS students, comprised of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders in Orlando and Hollywood, are having a ball. They are half way through the school year, and their enthusiasm for letter writing has sky rocketed.  “This is the first fun thing I have ever done with writing,” says Dana, a 5th grader in Orlando.

Students are eager to check the mail each day when letters arrive in their teacher’s mailbox.  No matter who receives a letter on any given day, it seems to please the entire class. Students celebrate by reading select letters aloud to each other and to the class.

The SAG Foundation’s PencilPALS program is teaching children to think about reading and writing in a meaningful way. The process of writing develops their imagination and enhances reading and communication skills. Illustrating letters promotes  creativity. Imagination, creativity, and communication are the skills that help children achieve. Sharing their thoughts, ideas and experiences with a PencilPAL affords each child a sense of pride in their own writing and in their own stories. “My students look forward to PencilPALS more than anything else in the week,” says Ms. Kelly Roberts, 5th grade teacher.

Many thanks to all the PencilPALS volunteers who inspire students to participate in this artful form of communication. The children’s enthusiasm for writing is incredibly rewarding to see!

3rd Grade PencilPALS in Hollywood, FL.

3rd Grade PencilPALS in Hollywood, FL.

Excited students receive books as gifts from their PencilPALS.

Excited students receive books as gifts from their PencilPALS.