This school year, the fourth classes at Vittoria Primary School embarked on an exciting international project called 'Pen Buddies', in collaboration with Spindulio Progimnazija Primary School in Vilnius, Lithuania. This initiative, which came about thanks to a professional development course followed by teacher Claire in Cambridge, aims to stimulate students' independent and creative writing, as well as foster meaningful relationships between children of different nationalities.
During the course in Cambridge, teacher Claire met Ilma, a Lithuanian teacher with whom she shared the idea of creating a link between their respective schools through a Pen Friend Project. Back in Turin, teacher Claire introduced the idea to her students in classes 4A and 4B, explaining to them what a 'pen pal' was and how, before the digital age, people exchanged handwritten letters.
The children started to write a draft of their first letter, entitling it "Dear Pen Friend...". After a correction and improvement phase, the letters were copied in nice handwriting on stationery provided by the families, ready to be sent. On 22 November, a large envelope containing the 44 letters left for Vilnius, and on 10 December, the letters finally reached their recipients.
The Lithuanian letters returned to Turin at the end of December, hand-carried by teacher Ilma, who was in town for the holidays, and delivered to teacher Claire, who had come down from the mountains for the occasion. The exchange was enriched with Christmas cards and small gifts, including a sweet gesture from Ilma, who donated a box of biscuits and school gadgets.
The following week, the students enthusiastically opened their letters. For some of the children, it was the first experience of receiving a personal letter, and they all discovered interesting details about their new Lithuanian friends and culture. This moment was a unique opportunity to strengthen not only English writing skills, but also curiosity and empathy towards different cultures.
Now, the children are engaged in writing answers, nurturing a dialogue that goes beyond geographical and language barriers. The Pen Buddies project is not only a teaching exercise, but also an opportunity to build meaningful relationships and learn the value of personal communication.
A big thank you goes to teacher Claire, the Spindulio Progimnazija school and all the families involved for making this wonderful initiative possible! ✉️🌍
Students in Lithuania replying to our first letters