Letters to the World

5th Grade Language: We are all friends
Section 6 (Greek Educational System)

Go to the lesson

 

 love-and-friends

Materials for the lesson

Papers for correspondence (could be any A4 paper).
Pens.
Small gifts to give as presents (children can bring from their homes).

Teachers’ Bell.

Layout of the classroom

Three-four desks together as nests, organized in 4-5 corners of the classroom represent different countries of the world.

1st Phase

We divide the students in 4-5 groups of 5.                        Each group represents a different country of the Earth.

The scenario of the lesson has as a prerequisite for each student to have a friend in another country. The countries are set by the teacher to have extreme contrasts.
I.e. Greece-Alaska-China-Egypt-Australia.

2nd Phase

The teacher writes a letter to the class that says:  “Dearest children, with this letter, I invite you also to send a letter to your closest friends to other countries upon this earth. The letter has to be simple and comprehensive and mention all the necessary details”.

  1. The children will have to replace the teachers formal expressions with everyday speech (according to 6.1)

  2. The children have to describe to their friends in other countries some of their daily habits.

    For example: what do they eat? What do they wear? How do they travel from one place to the other?  How do they spend the winter? The summer? What games do they play?

Letters are written.
Each team appoints a postman to take their letters to the other countries.
The Postmen say:
“I come from Alaska and I bring a letter for….” and give out the letters (decide beforehand who will write to who).

3rd Phase

 The teacher decides to read some letters. Conversation/ presentation of the themes described in the students letters.
I.e. Why don’t they move around with a camel in Alaska?
Which is the characteristic animal of Australia? Etc.

The teacher puts aside some letters that will be useful in the next topics discussed in the Section of this lesson (according to the book).
So he/she tells the students, that now that they have to answer to the one that send them the letter. Their friendship has to move on so, to conclude the letter by addressing an invitation to their friend to come and visit their country and they will do…. (children have to imagine what)

The students will have to include in this invitation all the details/elements described by the lesson.

4th Phase

Friends come and meet with their friends. Each student has decided to teach something to his guest.
For example: a dance, a poem, a story and in the end to give him/her a small toy as a gift. Supposedly unknown but it doesn’t matter. The children have to describe its function: what it is, how we play with it etc. (imagination needed!)
I.e. an animal and how it moves
A plane and how it flies.
Some kind of vehicle and how it functions/ runs etc.

Some actions can be chosen to be expressed by pantomime and a theatrical way in front of all the children.  

The teacher finds opportunity in between actions to teach his/her lesson and pass the information of the book.