The goal of this blog series is to provide STEM pen pals with inspiration and ideas from real letters written by STEM professionals. We asked our 2019-20 LPS teachers to pick a letter that stood out to them and tell us why. We hope this series serves as a resource for pen pals to make letters accessible and engaging for pre-scientists.
This letter was written by STEM pen pal Haley to a 5th grade pre-scientist for round 2. The theme this round was higher education journey.
The letter was annotated and reviewed by LPS Teacher Mrs. Haney, and here’s what she had to say:
Overall, why was this letter exceptional?
The best part of this letter is the scientist’s clear excitement and enthusiasm! This student was bummed that her original scientist had to drop out, but when she received Haley’s letter she got so excited, and even mentioned she wished Haley had been her pen pal for the whole year.
What could make this letter even better?
1) Including maps to show where her college is located, where she lives, etc.
2) Ask the student more questions, especially questions about what we’re doing in science class.
Check out the letter below, with Mrs. Haney’s annotations in purple and green. Thanks to Haley for not only being a great pen pal, but also allowing us to annotate and publish their letter so others can benefit!
