Dates are not included
as school districts begin their school year at different times.
| Week 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. |
| Week 2-3 |
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). 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. |
| Week 4-8 |
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, depending
on their age. If you want to involve parents they could work with
the child on creating the story at home. This story is included in the
pet's journal. Allow students to read aloud and share their stories.
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.
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. |
| Week 9-10 |
Return the class pet and its journal to
your partner class through the mail. 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