By Nance Ebert, Contributing Writer
Southborough – For Kristen Theve and David Finneran, two fourth-grade teachers at Margaret A. Neary Elementary School, the 50 States Postcard Pal Celebration June 18 was the perfect way to wrap up a year-long educational program. At the event, students sampled foods from each region, watched an official music video titled “Tour the States” and created a color-coded map of the United States.
The Postcard Pal Project began at the start of the school year in September and helped to bring the fourth-grade curriculum to life. This is the fifth year that Theve and Finneran have partnered for this project and this year’s 42-student, inclusion classroom is the first class to collect postcards from all of the states.
The students were asked to reach out to family and friends that live in different states within the United States to send a postcard back to the school. Included with the request was a letter explaining this project and asked that each postcard include something special or interesting about the state, the climate and a few natural resources.
“It was nice that some contacts sent us more than just a postcard. Some sent us packages with extra materials about their state. We got a large coconut and a huge box filled with enormous pinecones from Nevada. Even the Governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant, sent us a
postcard and returned the one dollar bill that a student, Shang Tang had sent to him,” said Theve.
During the daily morning meeting, there would be a “mail call.” The students were eagerly waiting to see if there were any postcards that had arrived. On the classroom webpage, parents, family and friends could continuously be updated to see which postcards arrived and which were still needed. Mississippi was the last one that came.
“I think one of the great things about this project is that it inspires many kids to do what we call ‘extensions.’ Extensions are learning beyond the classroom,” explained Finneran. “They can include a piece of writing, PowerPoint, iMovie or anything that expresses what they learned. When teaching the regions, it is impossible to share all there is to know about a region or even a particular state. The kids ask questions and want to know more. Many of them take those questions and turn them into incredible extensions that they then share with the class increasing everyone’s learning.”
Throughout this project, the students were also able to work cooperatively together, problem-solve and even make connections with some distant family and friends that they
might not otherwise had an opportunity to do. The students also realized that by reaching out, they can also get a response and their words have power.
“This really brought learning into the classroom and that is so empowering for the kids,” Principal Kathleen Valenti said. “Both the students and the teachers helped to facilitate learning, which enriches both of their experiences. With this inclusion classroom, there are varying abilities with learning that soars. This is a terrific way to bring learning to life.”