RM Winter 2017

Figure 5b. Pre-service teacher questionnaire. Pen pal book study figures 8

along Big Stuff (Winthrop University’s mascot), which was a highlight for many of the third graders. See Figure 4 for a picture. Figure 4. Photo of participants.

Questionnaire for Preservice Teachers Pen Pal Project

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1) Did you like writing your pen pals about this book?

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Why or why not?

2) Would you want to have pen pals again?

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Why or why not?

3) Do you think other preservice teachers should

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have this experience? Why or why not?

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4) What did you learn about reading when corresponding with your pen pal?

5) What did you learn about writing when corresponding with your pen pal?

6) What were some of the challenges you faced when corresponding with your pen pal?

7) What were some of the benefits of communicating with your 3 rd grader about this novel?

Perspectives of the Project Participants At the end of the book study, we administered questionnaires to the classroom teacher, all of the third graders (via in-person interviews), and preservice teachers (see Figures 5a and 5b). In the sections below we will share each perspective. We organized these reflections by some of the key concepts that emerged from their responses: working with pen pals, using technology, creating responses, and the benefits of participating in this project. Figure 5a. Teacher questionnaire. Pen pal book study figures 6

8) What did you think about using technology to “talk” to your pen pal?

9) Do you have any other observations or reflections on this project?

to be college students. This excitement was motivating for my students and remained consistent across all aspects of the project.

Using technology. As noted earlier, we used Microsoft OneNote for the book study. This required some professional development on my part. I had to become acquainted with the organization of the notebook and learn how to access/add content. To prepare for the project, not only did my students need to know what the project was and what was expected of them each day, but they also needed to understand how they would use technology. Therefore, I conducted a series of mini-lessons on (1) how the individual folders would serve as the means of communicating with their pen pal, (2) classroom procedures on how they would access and interact with the technology, and (3) the classroom schedule (approximately 20 minutes per day) for completing and submitting responses. Consistency was an important element established right from the start. I have five classroom iPads. Therefore, it was critical to have a system in place for my students that allowed them all access when needed. In other words, the time I spent delivering the mini-lessons I outlined above was time well spent! After two weeks, my students did not need any guidance other than technical support. This allowed them to become independent in their work with their pen pal, giving them autonomy. Creating responses. To start the project and set clear expectations, I read the first chapter of Toys Go Out (Jenkins, 2006) aloud while my students followed along in their own books. Afterwards, I put students into small groups to discuss the chapter and share their ideas and predictions. At this point, my students were almost ready to write their first chapter responses. I designed another mini-lesson to review the friendly letter format and brainstorm ideas that could be used when creating responses (this included the use of illustrations). For the first entry, I found the majority of my students created responses based on basic story elements including plot, setting

Figure 5.

Questionnaire for the Classroom Teacher Pen Pal Project

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1) Overall, did you like the pen pal project?

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Why or why not?

2) Would you want to have pen pals again?

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Why or why not?

3) Was the pen pal project provide valuable for your students? 1

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Why or why not?

4) What did your students learn about reading?

5) What did you learn about writing?

6) What were some of the challenges you faced?

7) What were some of the benefits of this project?

8) What did you think about using technology?

9) Do you have any other observations or reflections on this project?

ClassroomTeacher When I (Mrs. White) was approached about participating in a book study with my students, I was instantly hooked and excited to begin. I spent time in the classroom activating my students’ prior knowledge about book studies, working with pen pals, and the types of interactions you have during these experiences. This definitely sparked an interest in my students. They were visibly excited, especially when they learned their partners were going

| 32 | Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 | scira.org

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