The Flat Stanley Project

Mrs. Catherine Acera-Cabrera
SAES - 3rd Grade

This project was an awesome experience for me. I had never done it before so it was a first for me as well as the students. This was done as a group effort and I commend my friends and classmates who worked on this project with me. Our lesson plans were not only based on the Flat Stanley Project itself, but it also incorporated some social studies themes as well as language arts. On the first day of the project we introduced the whole idea of the Flat Stanley Project to the students and had them create their own flat friends. The students were very excited about creating their own friends and took their time in making their friends unique and special to them. After they created their friends, we gave them a whole week to spend with their flat buddies and every day in class they had to write a journal entry about what they did with their friend. We edited their journals every time they finished writing to give them time to edit and correct their papers. We also took some pictures of them when they were working on their letter and when they brought their friends with them to the morning assembly. Before the projects were sent off, we used google earth to find out where exactly our friends were going, how far away it is from here, and how long it might take for them to come back. We also used the internet to get some facts about the CNMI to be included in the kids' letters that accompanied the flat friends. I think the students learned alot from this experience and they enjoyed learning about it. I was able to register the teacher on the official flat stanley website and a few weeks after that, the class received a flat friend from New York. Although, they did not send any flat friend to New York, they were very excited to know that other people out there wrote to them and wanted to get to know them. I saw how the kids were so excited to find out where New York was and how it was different/similar to Saipan. The project made them want to learn about other people and the world and how other places compare to Saipan. I felt this was important because as 3rd graders, they are supposed to learn about their community and the global society as well. I absolutely enjoyed this project and will do it again when I become a teacher. I think it is an excellent way to improve students' writing and, at the same time, teach them about other cultures and the world we live in.

To see photos of the project, please click here:http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd146/franoraliah/?action=view&current=3b4de3bf.pbw

Here's a short video of the students and their flat friends: