A Visit From The Jolly Postman

 

 

 

Introduction:

The children will listen to a literature story about delivering mail. They will also learn about special routes that every mailman has to follow.  The students will then complete a short computer activity that will allow them to make their own postal routes.

Materials:

 

The The Jolly Postman : Or Other People's Letters
by Janet Ahlberg and Allan Ahlberg, a computer and the software: Kidspiration

 

 

Procedure:

 

1. Read the story of the The Jolly Postman : Or Other People's Letters
    to your students.  Review some of the places and nursery rhyme characters that the Jolly Postman visited on his route.

 

2. Ask the students to imagine that the Jolly Postman is coming to deliver mail in their community.  Have them to think about and discuss the people and places that they would him to visit.

 

3. Using Kidspiration software, have the children to design a simple postal route for the Jolly Postman to follow. The routes can be constructed in the form of a circle, square, triangle or rectangle.  The graphics for each student’s map must include places where Community Helpers can be found.
   
4. Brainstorm how the student would give directions to the Jolly Postman to find various places and Community Helpers on his delivery route.
   
5. Give the students the How You Get From Here to There Work Sheet template to plan how they would write directions.
   
6. Have students work at the computer on their template to complete activity.
   
7. Remind students to use spell check and have a buddy read their paper to find errors.
   
8. Publish and bind into a Jolly Postman Directions Book.
   
9. Students can visit this site, type in their address and see a map of their neighborhood. Yahoo Maps.
   
10. Learn about the Postal Service at United States Postal Service and can visit the postal museum at National Postal Museum.

 

Home Learning:

 

The students will make shoebox dioramas of their neighborhood identifying specific characteristics.  They will then bring these projects to school to share and compare with the fellow classmates.

 

Evaluation:

 

Students work in small groups to construct two collages, one with magazine pictures of goods, the other with magazine pictures of services.  Each group will share their collages with the class.  When the presentations are over display the students work in your classroom.

 

Books Resources:

 

We Need Mail Carriers  Helpers in Our Community
by Lola M. Schaefer (School & Library Binding - September 1999)

 

Extension:

 

Organize a treasure hunt. Have students hide objects such as tennis balls or golf balls around the classroom, school, or playground. Put students in groups of two or three and have then create directions to the treasure for others students to follow.

 

Speaker:

 

Invite a local mail carrier to come in and speak to the students about his/her job.   Help the students to pre assemble questions about the jobs and tools that mail carriers do and use.  After the presentation give your guess speaker a “Good Community Helper” award.  This award can be made by the students using Print Shop Deluxe.

 

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