Connecting Globally
Our team is working closely with schools in China, Italy, Iran, and other countries that are currently experiencing school closures as a result of the coronavirus. In many of these cases, schools are already closed and teachers are struggling to provide students with learning opportunities now that they are outside of school.
We encourage teachers that are not yet affected by the coronavirus to be proactive. Make a digital instruction plan long in advance of school or district closures and make sure both students and parents are aware of the plan.
Recommended Topics
In addition to extending free access to PenPal Schools, we want to encourage teachers and students to participate in a number of specific PenPal topics to support their students in learning about the health issues and current events that are in the news.
The Human Body connects students with PenPals to learn about the human body, its systems, diseases and illnesses, and strategies that people in their community use to stay healthy. Accurate information is one of the most effective ways to help reduce stress and anxiety related to virus fears and we encourage students to learn about this topic virtually with PenPals.
World News connects students to learn about and discuss current events. We invite teachers and their students to add a human element to the news through the discussion of health, government, and economic news with PenPals.
PenPal Schools for Parents
The PenPal Schools team has also extended free access to parents who would like to use PenPal Schools to connect their children to peers through curriculum-based online instruction while out of school. Parents can download the PenPal Schools mobile application to enroll for free over the next two months.
Learn more:
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