A detailed
schedule is available by clicking 
,
but you will want to make these arrangements with your chosen exchange
partner. The Classroom Pet Exchange does not dictate detailed schedules
in order to allow teachers to tailor the project to their particular situation.
Teachers are under enough deadlines without this project becoming another.
Often after bonding with another class many partners choose to continue
the project throughout the school year. In other situations teachers
decide to wait a month before beginning the project in order to allow their
students to become familiar with their classroom routine. Some teachers
choose to allow their students to take the pet home first, keeping the
adventures in their journal, and then after all students have had the opportunity
to take it home, mail it to the partner class. Whatever the approach,
be sure to reach an agreement with your exchange partner that works best
for both classroom situations involved.
| 1 |
After you reply to the commitment email,
check the Classroom Database for possible
partner classes for your grade level. These classes are arranged
by grade level. Once you have selected an exchange class, send an
introductory
email. Also include your school or home mailing address in
this email so you and your exchange class can mail the pets and their journals.
Please send a courtesy copy of this email to the Class Pet Exchange. A
letter
to parents should be printed from this web site and sent home to
explain the project to your parents. If your partner does not reply
to you in a timely manner, contact
us and we will determine if there is a technical problem or if
the class no longer wishes to participate in the project and needs to be
removed from the database. |
| 2 |
You and your partner will now decide the
approach to take in the exchange:
-
Allow your class to take their own pet home
first and record their adventures in the journal.
-
Mail your class pet and journal to your exchange
class and wait to receive their pet at which time you will begin sending
the visiting pet home with your students who will either write or dictate
stories to you (depending on age and ability level).
If you choose to keep your own pet first and
let your students take it home, decide on the amount of time needed to
carry this out with your partner. Then progress to Step 3.
You may want to share the type of pet your class has selected and its name,
although classes have chosen to make this information a surprise. |
| 3 |
Mail the class pet and its journal to
your exchange class. |
| 4 |
When your exchange pet arrives, begin
allowing students to take the pet home. On the following day students dictate
or write a story about the pet's adventures while at their home. This story
is included in the pet's journal. As your students become more creative,
send a copy of a story to the Class Pet Exchange and we will post it on
our web site. We would also like to receive
photos of classes with the class pet or student artwork to post on our
web site. Check your school district's policy before submitting student
photos or last names. Please be sure all graphics sent to the exchange
are in .jpg or .gif formats. |
| 5 |
Continue the process of allowing students
to take the pet home and record their experiences in journals. Email your
exchange class weekly and tell about highlights of the visit for that week.
The time involved in this part of the exchange will depend on the size
of your class. |
| 6 |
Email student reflections on this project
to the Class Pet Exchange. Return mail the class pet and its journal to
the exchange class. Reply to the feedback
form that will be emailed to you at the end of the the project. |
Welcome