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 Rachel to a 7th grade pre-scientist for round 1. The theme this round was STEM career pathways.
The letter was annotated and reviewed by LPS Teacher Mr. Verbryke, and here’s what he had to say:
Overall, why was this letter exceptional?
There were many features in this letter that made it great. One of the best parts was how this STEM pen pal found ways to connect to their pre-scientist throughout. This STEM pen pal also used drawings to help the pre-scientist understand different parts of their letter like where they live and how the production line at their job works.
Check out the letter below, with Mr. Verbryke’s annotations in the margins. Thanks to Rachel for not only being a great pen pal, but also allowing us to annotate and publish their letter so others can benefit!
I love this letter and how interesting it was while still being relatable. I am also a chemist with a strong background in art so I also found her drawings just fabulous. I feel like this is a great example of how to share your passion with your pen pal and make the letter unique. I really wanted to read every word and study every drawing. Very fun and also very informative! I hope my letters can come close to this one!