Family Story Sharing through Letter Writing

The month of November is Family Story Sharing month, and the second grade is taking full advantage of it. Our theme for the school year is inspired by the following quote from William Zimmerman:

“Everyone has a story to tell, if only someone would listen, if only someone would ask.”

Over the course of the year, the second graders will correspond with family members by writing letters as a way to gather family stories and a sense of family identity. Each student has picked a family member whom they would be interested in learning more about. Each letter written will have a few questions that will relate to a topic that we are exploring at school. This a great way for students to practice their letter writing skills, learn more about their family stories as well a way for the students to make connections with their classmates.

This week the second graders wrote their first letter talking about one of the most popular topics: Teddy Bears! The students described the process of sewing their bears and giving each their own identity by naming it. In the letter the students asked their family member if they had a favorite stuffed animal or toy when they were a child and what made it so special to them. We also asked for the family member to include a picture of himself or herself, so our classmates can put a face to our pen pals! Our letters are traveling all over the world some are staying local and heading to Philadelphia while others are traveling to Australia, India and the United Kingdom.

We are so incredibly excited to hear back from our family members and we are thankful that they are willing to both listen and to tell us their stories!