The pupils wrote letters to French students where half the letter was in French and half was in English to practice both languages. The goal was to improve writing skills in French, increase knowledge of French culture, and help students realize the importance of learning other languages. 35 students from S3 participated in the pen pal exchange from January to May 2016. The project helped students see that learning French allowed them to communicate with French friends and gain confidence that mistakes are okay when communicating in another language. Students also learned about each other's cultures through sharing details in their letters.

1. Short description of tasks:
The pupils had to write a letter to a French pupil. Half
of the letter was in French and half was in English, in
order to make them practice their French and make
the French pupils practice their English. The French
pupils did the same.
Aims and Objectives
• Improve writing and reading skills in French
• Increase knowledge about French culture
• Realise the importance of learning another
language
Target Pupil Group: S3
Number of pupils involved: 35
Start and Finish: 11/01/16 - 20/05/16
Pen Pal and Meeting Project!
Pauline Croze
(with teacher support)
East Ayrshire

2. This project helped students to:
 Realise the importance of learning other languages: Students saw that it was
interesting for them to learn French because then, they were able to
communicate with French people and have a friend abroad
 Become more confident: Students realised that whilst their French was not
the best, the French students were also not perfect in English. They
understood that the most important thing was to try to communicate, despite
potential grammar and spelling mistakes.
 Learn more about each other’s culture: In the letters, students had to talk
about Christmas, their school, a place they really like in their country…both
students from France and Scotland learnt a lot from each other.

3. Quotes from
learners/teachers
The kids were delighted! Now they all have a friend
abroad. They quickly started to communicate on the
social media as well. (Joyce Hamilton, French teacher)
It was nice to hear from someone from an other
country! (Adam, 14 years old)
It was interesting to do [the pen pal exchange] in a
traditional way, writing a letter rather than sending an
email.(Fraser, 14 years old)
3

4. www.britishcouncil.org
Pictures of the letters
4