Reading Rainbow episode
HAIL TO MAIL
Integrated Curriculum Guide
✉ Table of Contents
Getting Started & General Activities ........1
Language Arts & Literature
activities & reproducibles..................7
Mathematics
activities & reproducibles..................23
Social Sciences
activities & reproducibles..................33
Science
activities ...........................................41
The Arts
activities ...........................................43
Appendix
bibliography & reproducibles ............45
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Language Arts and
Literature
Through a variety of activities related to learning about
mail, the postal system, and stamps, and through letter writing, students will have the opportunity to experience:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the functions of written communication
recognizing characteristics of different types of mail
writing letters that have different purposes
using the parts of a friendly letter in writing
how to address an envelope
the use of abbreviations
biography as a type of literature
The Hail to Mail book and the review books from the Reading Rainbow program provide opportunities for students to:
•
•
•
•
become familiar with the work of authors and illustrators
compare and contrast pieces of literature
get to know literature from another culture (Russian)
extend reading experiences into writing experiences
Tie-ins to other Reading Rainbow programs are noted with
some activities. These programs allow “video visits” and live
action sequences that provide further enrichment to your
study of the topics.
Looking at the Mail Activities
✉ Different types of mail. In the program, LeVar receives
many different kinds of mail. Examine the different types of
mail that the children bring in from home and discuss attributes unique to each type. Teachers may want to work with a
different type of mail each day over a period of days. The
following types of mail are possibilities for study: friendly
letters, greeting cards, business letters (includes bills), postcards, and “junk mail” (advertisements). Junk mail, in
particular, may yield different interpretations. Discuss with
students why everyone might not view junk mail in the
same way.
✉ Classes of mail. Investigate the different “classes” of
mail and the types of mail that make up each class. Have
students sort the mail they brought in into the different
classes.
✉ Messages on mail. Look for special rubber stamped
messages on envelopes and packages, such as “certified
mail,” “registered mail,” “postage due,” “priority mail,”
“special delivery,” and “returned to sender.” Investigate
the meanings of these messages.
The need to obtain information about classes of mail and
special stamped messages may provide an opportunity for
students to write their local postal office to find out what
these terms represent.
✉ Studying postmarks. Examine postmarks with the stu-
Note to teacher:
First-class mail—letters, postcards, greeting cards, personal notes, and checks. All
first-class mail receives prompt handling
and transportation.
Second-class mail—magazines and newspapers from publishers approved for
second-class mailing privileges.
Third-class mail—primarily advertisements
from retailers and catalogers to promote
their products and services.
Fourth-class mail—parcel post, i.e., packages weighing one pound or more.
dents and determine what types of information can be found
on a postmark.
HAIL TO MAIL
Language Arts
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
7
Mathematics
Through experiences with the Hail to Mail book and Reading Rainbow program, students will have opportunities to
work with these mathematics concepts:
• estimation
• graphing
• sorting and classifying
• weight
• basic operations of addition and subtraction
• counting
• working with a timeline
• money values
Mathematics Activities
✉ Number sense. After you have read the book to students,
go back to the beginning and have them examine the text
and illustrations to locate the many uses of number. For
example, there are numbers on the mail carrier’s badges,
room and apartment numbers, times of day, numbers on
street signs, and others.
✉ Calculating distances. Tie into the geography activity in
the “Social Sciences” Section of this curriculum guide and
research the distances between the places that John Peck’s
letter traveled on a map of the world. Make a chart that
identifies the places and the distance. Use the chart to
answer such questions as: what was the longest distance the
letter traveled between two attempted deliveries, what was
the shortest distance, how many miles did the letter travel
altogether? This activity may provide an opportunity for
students to use calculators in their figuring of relationships
among the distances.
PLACES
DISTANCE
New York to Boise
2250 miles
Boise to Zurich
etc.
Zurich to Brazil
etc.
etc.
etc.
✉ Sorting and graphing. As students are working with the
collection of mail brought from home, have them focus on
the mail they have sorted into a “junk mail” pile. Have them
further sort the junk mail according to where it came from, in
order to determine locations that send the most junk mail
(e.g,. New York, Washington, D.C., California). Locate these
places on a U.S. map. Have students graph the results of
their sorting.
✉ Estimation and weight. Have students estimate the
weight of the junk mail they brought in collectively. Then
weigh it and compare the actual weight with their estimates.
Discuss how the amount of junk mail they receive in their
homes compares with the other mail they receive.
HAIL TO MAIL
M a t h e m a t i c s
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
23
Social Sciences-History
Through experiences with the Hail to Mail curriculum
guide, students will have opportunities to:
• examine the operations of post offices in the past
• investigate historical means of mail delivery
• explore the significance of selected historical events
• become acquainted with a variety of historical and
contemporary personalities
• recognize symbols of the United States of America
History Activities
✉ Past and present post offices. In the video, viewers
have a glimpse of post offices of the past as well as the operation of a present day post office. Revisit this portion of the
video with the students and compare and contrast the workings of the postal system then and now. Additional sources of
information for students include a field trip to a post office, a
visit from a postal worker who has been invited to the classroom to talk about her/his work, and nonfiction books about
the postal system (see Bibliography).
✉ Postal history stamps. Several stamps in The Postal
Service Guide to U.S. Stamps would be of interest to students
as they investigate the past and present of the postal system:
the 20th Universal Postal Congress issue, which reviews historical means of delivering the mail; the Postal Service
Bicentennial issue, which shows past and present modes of
mail travel; the Zip Code issue; the Postal Service Employees
issue, which depicts various jobs at the post office; the Stamp
Collecting issue; the four stamps in the National Postal Museum issue; and various air mail and special delivery stamps
over time.
✉ Pony Express. Have students research the Pony Express.
(An information page for teachers about the Pony Express
appears on page 39 at the end of this section of the guide.
See bibliography for additional resources.)
The following addresses can provide authentic letter writing
experiences for students seeking historical information:
Philatelic Foundation
501 Fifth Ave. Rm. 1901
New York, NY 10017-6103
Postal History Society
Kalman V. Illyefalvi
8207 Daren Ct.
Pikesville, MD 21208-2211
(Consult current copy of The Postal Service Guide to U.S.
Stamps for name of appropriate contact person.)
The Postal History Foundation
P.O. Box 40725
Tucson, AZ 85717-0725
National Postal Museum
Smithsonian Institution
2 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20560-0001
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
HAIL TO MAIL
Social Science
33
Science
Through experiences with the Hail to Mail curriculum
guide, students are able to:
• explore aspects of our natural world
• become acquainted with scientists and their discoveries
• become familiar with inventions and scientific achievements that have had a significant impact on our lives
Reading Rainbow program tie-ins allow “video visits” and
live action sequences that provide further enrichment to your
study of these topics.
Science Activities
✉ Exploring topics in nature. Use the considerable variety
of nature topics on stamps to inspire student research.
Examples from The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps
include the following commemoratives and booklets:
Habitats—Coral Reefs Issue, Creatures of the Sea Issue,
Wonders of the Seas Issue, Desert Plants Issue, Antarctic
Treaty Stamp, and others.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: Dive to the Coral
Reefs; Humphrey the Lost Whale; Jack, the Seal and the Sea;
Sam, the Sea Cow; Desert Giant; Gila Monsters Meet You at
the Airport; Alejandro’s Gift.
Plants—American Trees Issue, Wildflowers Issue (50 different
species are included), Garden Flowers Issue, Orchids Issue,
and others.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: Once There Was a
Tree; Paul Bunyan; My Little Island.
Animals—American Wildlife Issue (includes insects, birds,
and mammals), Butterflies Issue, Prehistoric Animals Issue,
American Dogs Issue, American Cats Issue, Fish Booklet,
Seashells Booklet, Wildlife Booklet, and others.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: Seashore Surprises;
Louis the Fish; Raccoons and Ripe Corn; Is This a House for
Hermit Crab?; Runaway Duck; Bugs; Digging Up Dinosaurs;
Best Friends; Martha Speaks; The Adventures of Taxi Dog;
Duncan and Dolores; Gregory the Terrible Eater; Mama Don’t
Allow; Summer.
Conservation—Preservation of Wildlife Habitats Issue (includes wetlands, grasslands, mountain, woodland),
Endangered Flora Issue, Endangered Birds Issue, Cranes Issue, Anti-Pollution Issue, Earth Day Issue, and others.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: And Still the Turtle
Watched; The Salamander Room; The Paper Crane.
Geological Formations—Mineral Heritage Issue,
Minerals Issue.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: Hill of Fire;
The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth.
HAIL TO MAIL
S c i e n c e
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
41
Appendix
45
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
44 HT AhI Le T OA Mr At I Ls
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Selected Bibliography
of Children’s Books
Books in which Characters Write
Letters, Notes, and Postcards
Ada, Alma Flor. Dear Peter Rabbit. Illus. by Leslie Tryon.
Atheneum, 1994.
Alternating letters between Peter Rabbit and Pig 1 (from
the “Three Little Pigs”) and between Goldilocks and Baby
Bear reveal some friendships and interconnections previously unknown to fairy tale readers.
Ahlberg, Janet & Allan. The Jolly Postman or Other
People’s Letters. Little, Brown, 1986.
The postman delivers different types of mail to several
familiar fairy-tale characters. Alternating pages are envelopes containing these different pieces of mail.
Ahlberg, Janet & Allan. The Jolly Christmas Postman. Little,
Brown, 1991.
The jolly postman visits his fairy-tale friends again, but this
time with a bit different assortment of mail because it’s
Christmas. His journeys even take him to Santa’s workshop where there is a gift for the postman himself.
Ahlberg, Janet & Allan. The Jolly Pocket Postman. Little,
Brown, 1995.
Diminished in size because of a trip to Alice’s Wonderland,
the jolly postman must, nevertheless, complete his rounds
to yet another collection of familiar book characters. There
is more mail to examine, and an enclosed magnifying
glass will help readers with the finer details.
Alexander, Sue. Dear Phoebe. Illus. by Eileen Christelow.
Little, Brown, 1984.
Mouse Phoebe moves out of her mother’s house and into
her own. They exchange many letters, but the letter
Phoebe wants most is the one telling her how much she is
missed.
Asch, Frank & Vagin, Vladimir. Dear Brother. Scholastic, 1992.
Joey and Marvin (mouse brothers) discover an old packet
of letters sent years ago between their great-great granduncle (a country mouse) and their great-great granduncle
(a city mouse). Their family’s past unfolds as they read the
letters.
Baker, Keith. The Dove’s Letter. Harcourt, 1988.
A dove finds a lost letter with no address on it and delivers
it to one person after another on her journey. Its message
of love makes them all very happy, and the dove herself is
exhausted but happy at the end when she thinks she has
found the person for whom the letter was intended.
Bang, Molly. Delphine. Morrow, 1988.
Delphine braves all sorts of frightening obstacles on her
way to the post office to pick up a package. The trip was
worth the effort as she receives a wonderful gift from her
grandmother and writes her a thank you note in the end.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
HAIL TO MAIL
Bibliography
47
Borchers, Elisabeth. Dear Sarah. Greenwillow, 1981.
Sarah’s father writes letters, many of which contain stories
and poems, to his daughter about the cities he visits and
what he sees on a trip to Europe.
Brighton, Catherine. Dearest Grandmama. Doubleday, 1991.
In 1830, young Maudie-Ann is on a long sea voyage with
her scientist father. In a series of letters to her grandmother, she tells of a mysterious, silent boy who comes
aboard the ship and becomes her friend...but, is he real?
Brisson, Pat. Your Best Friend, Kate. Illus. by Rick Brown.
Bradbury, 1989.
Kate and her family take a car trip through the southeastern United States. Kate describes the sights along the way
in a series of short letters to her best friend Lucy. Information about the places they visit makes up part of the text
and illustrations.
Brisson, Pat. Kate Heads West. Illus. by Rick Brown.
Bradbury, 1990.
Kate is on a trip with her friend Lucy this time, and they
are traveling through four western states. Kate relates information about the sights in letters to her family and
friends back home.
Brisson, Pat. Kate on the Coast. Illus. by Rick Brown.
Bradbury, 1992.
Kate’s family is moving to Seattle, and she writes the details of their trip on the west coast, including Alaska and
Hawaii, to Lucy, her friend in New Jersey.
Brown, Marc. Arthur Goes to Camp. Little, Brown, 1982.
Arthur is not happy with his experiences at Camp
Meadowcroak. While the text tells of his problems, the
illustrations show letters to his parents in which he describes his misery.
Campbell, Rod. Dear Zoo. Macmillan, 1982.
A letter to a zoo, asking for a pet, brings an array of wild
animals in response, arriving by special delivery in all
sorts of crates, boxes, and baskets.
Caple, Kathy. Harry’s Smile. Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
Harry loves to correspond with his pen pal Wilma, but
when she sends him a picture and asks for one in return,
he decides that his picture is too awful to send and that he
can no longer be her pen pal. Just when he thinks he’ll
never smile again, Wilma surprises him with a visit and
solution to the problem.
Cartlidge, Michelle. Mouse Letters. Dutton, 1993.
In an undersized book, the mouse fairies leave letters with
clues to a surprise. On each page, tiny letters in tiny envelopes lead to the next clue.
48 HB iAbI lLi oT gO r Ma pA hI Ly
Caseley, Judith. Dear Annie. Greenwillow, 1991.
Since she was a baby, Annie has received cards and letters
from her grandfather. She has written too, from her mother
doing all the writing, to dictating what her mother should
write, to writing her own. When Annie shares her collection
of letters at school, her teacher sets up a bulletin board to
display everyone’s mail.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Cherry, Lynne. Armadillo from Amarillo. Harcourt Brace, 1994.
A wandering armadillo sees cities, historic sites, and geographical features of Texas and beyond and shares his
adventures through a series of postcards with his cousin,
an armadillo at the Philadelphia Zoo.
Davis, Burke. Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers. Illus. by Douglas
Gorsline. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1978.
This historical vignette relates the story of 12-year-old
Grace Bedell’s letter to Abraham Lincoln, suggesting that a
beard would improve his appearance. A copy of Grace’s
letter and Lincoln’s response is included in the book.
Dupasquier, Philippe. Dear Daddy.... Bradbury, 1985.
A little girl writes to her father, who’s away at sea, telling
him what is happening at home. In divided pages, the illustrations show what is happening at home and what is
happening with her father at sea.
George, Jean Craighead. Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here.
Illus. by Loretta Krupinski. HarperCollins, 1993.
On the shortest day of the year, a grandmother writes to
her granddaughter telling her about the changes of the
earth and the animals in winter and the preparation of all
living things for the spring that follows.
Gordon, Sheila. A Monster in the Mailbox. Dutton, 1978.
Julius orders a monster from a catalog. When the monster
finally arrives, Julius is disappointed by it and writes
several letters to the company until he receives his
money back.
Harrison, Joanna. Dear Bear. Carolrhoda, 1994.
Katie is afraid of a bear that she thinks lives in the closet
under the stairs. She writes him letters and he writes back
until he has completely won her over.
Henkes, Kevin. Return to Sender. Greenwillow, 1984.
When Whitaker writes a letter to Frogman, a TV super
hero, his family thinks it’s a waste of time, but they begin
to wonder when he receives an answer.
Short chapter book.
Hoban, Lillian. Arthur’s Pen Pal. Harper & Row, 1976.
A letter from his pen pal helps Arthur the monkey develop
a different outlook on his problems with his sister Violet.
Jakobsen, Kathy. My New York. Little, Brown, 1993.
In a letter to her friend, Martin, Becky tells him about all
the sights of New York City. Colorful illustrations and a
map, along with the contents of the letter, provide much
information.
James, Elizabeth & Barkin, Carol. Sincerely Yours: How to
Write Great Letters. Clarion, 1993.
An informational book with advice for writing all types of
letters.
HAIL TO MAIL
Bibliography
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
49
James, Simon. Dear Mr. Blueberry. McElderry/Macmillan, 1991.
When Emily finds a whale in her backyard pond one summer, she writes to her teacher, Mr. Blueberry, for advice. In
their exchange of letters, Mr. Blueberry insists that a whale
can’t live in a pond, but Emily has an explanation for every
reason her teacher offers.
Keats, Ezra Jack. A Letter to Amy. HarperCollins, 1968.
Peter is a little nervous when he writes an invitation to his
birthday party and sends it to Amy. He is glad that he did
invite her when Amy comes to his party.
Kempadoo, Manghanita. Letters of Thanks. Illus. by Helen
Oxenbury. Simon & Schuster, 1969.
The letters of thanks for the gifts from the twelve days of
Christmas range from very formal at first to rather blunt as
the chaos mounts from the accumulating gifts.
Krupp, Robin Rector. Let’s Go Traveling. Morrow, 1992.
Letters, postcards, and diary entries supplement an informational text as Rachel Rose travels to six ancient sites
around the world.
Leedy, Loreen. Postcards from Pluto: A Tour of the Solar
System. Holiday House, 1993.
When Dr. Quasar, a friendly robot, takes a group of children on a tour through the solar system, they are inspired
to write postcards home to family and friends telling them
what they have learned about the planets.
Levy, Elizabeth. The Shadow Nose. Morrow, 1983.
Someone does shadow paintings of people all over town,
then sends blackmail notes to all the “victims” suggesting
that they did the paintings. In order to escape the blame
(because of his name), Lamont uses the notes to help
solve the mystery.
Lobel, Arnold. “The Letter” from Frog and Toad Are Friends.
Harper & Row, 1970.
Mail by snail is indeed slow, but for Toad, a letter from his
friend Frog is worth waiting for.
MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall. Harper & Row, 1985.
In this short chapter book, Anna and Caleb exchange
touching letters with Sarah, the woman who has answered
their father’s ad for a bride. After she comes to the prairie,
Sarah writes to her brother William telling him what her life
is like.
Moore, Inga. Little Dog Lost. Macmillan, 1991.
Liz has trouble adjusting to her new home in the country
because she is too shy to make new friends. Her letters to
her best friend Jill sustain her through all of her new adventures.
Nichol, Barbara. Beethoven Lives Upstairs. Illus. by Scott
Cameron. Orchard, 1993.
Actual incidents from the life of Beethoven are woven into
a series of fictional letters from a boy to his uncle, a music
student in Salzburg.
50 HB iAbI lLi oT gO r Ma pA hI Ly
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Parker, Nancy Winslow. Love from Aunt Betty.
Putnam, 1983.
While the text of the book is written in the form of a letter,
it’s the illustrations that reveal the events that occur when
Charlie follows the directions for making a chocolate fudge
cake from a Transylvanian recipe sent to him by his
Aunt Betty.
Potter, Beatrix. Dear Peter Rabbit. Frederick Warne, 1995.
In a story featuring correspondence between Peter Rabbit
and other characters from Beatrix Potter’s tales, miniature
letters (originally written by Potter) tucked in envelopes
are included on each page.
Quackenbush, Robert. Skip to My Lou. Lippincott, 1975.
In a letter to his cousin, Matthew writes of all the disasters
of his sister Lou’s engagement party. Each disaster corresponds to a verse of the familiar folk song.
Sampton, Sheila. Jenny’s Journey. Viking, 1991.
As she writes a letter to her friend Maria, Jenny fantasizes
about crossing the sea to Maria’s island home.
Schulman, Janet. Camp KeeWee’s Secret Weapon.
Greenwillow, 1979.
Jill writes a letter home from camp begging her parents to
come for her. After she makes friends and discovers some
new talents, her letters change.
Smith, Janice Lee. The Monster in the Third Dresser Drawer.
Harper & Row, 1981.
Notes are Adam Joshua Smith’s primary means of communication, as he writes messages that express his
feelings on anything at hand—walls, paper, even the bottom of his baby sister’s diaper.
Smith, Janice Lee. The Kid Next Door and Other
Headaches. Harper & Row, 1984.
There is more note writing by Adam Joshua in this book,
as he and his neighbor and best friend Nelson write notes
to each other on the window shades in their rooms.
Spurr, Elizabeth. Mrs. Minetta’s Car Pool. Atheneum, 1985.
Mrs. Minetta takes four children on fantastic adventures
instead of to school on her carpool days. She then writes
carefully worded, but truthful, notes to school as absence
excuses for the children.
Turner, Ann. Nettie’s Trip South. Illus. by Ronald Himler.
Macmillan, 1987.
In a letter to her friend Addie, Nettie relates all that she
saw and heard on her trip from New York to Virginia in the
pre-Civil War south, including the grim realities of the slave
quarters and a slave auction.
Wild, Margaret. Thank You, Santa. Scholastic, 1992.
When Samantha writes a thank-you letter to Santa Claus,
he writes back and they become pen pals for the next year.
In their letters, they exchange information about animals,
where they live, and what they enjoy doing.
HAIL TO MAIL
Bibliography
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
51
Williams, Vera B. Stringbean’s Trip to the Shining Sea.
Greenwillow, 1988.
A series of postcards home traces the trip of Stringbean,
his older brother Fred, and their dog, across the western
United States to the Pacific Ocean.
Yolen, Jane. A Letter from Phoenix Farm. Richard C. Owen,
Publ., 1992.
In letter form, author Jane Yolen tells of her home and family and her work as a writer. Full-color photographs
enhance the author’s introduction of herself to her readers.
Zimelman, Nathan. Please Excuse Jaspar. Illus. by Ray Cruz.
Abingdon, 1987.
Each letter in the book begins with a plea to the teacher to
excuse Jaspar from school and then explains the incredible event that prohibited Jaspar from getting there.
Books featuring the Postal System
and Mail Carriers
Brandt, Betty. Special Delivery. Illus. by Kathy Haubrich.
Carolrhoda, 1988.
Brief history of the U.S. postal system from earliest means
of sending messages to more modern times.
Craven, Carolyn. What the Mailman Brought. Illus. by Tomie
dePaola. Putnam, 1987.
At home because of an extended illness, William eagerly
anticipates the mysterious packages he receives daily from
a series of unusual mail carriers.
Gibbons, Gail. The Post Office Book: Mail and How It
Moves. HarperCollins, 1982.
An easy-to-read informational book about the workings of
a post office.
Haley, Gail E. The Post Office Cat. Scribners, 1976.
Historical fiction based on the practice of using cats to rid
the London post offices of mice and rats.
Hedderwick, Mairi. Katie Morag Delivers the Mail. Little,
Brown, 1984.
Katie helps out by delivering the mail, but she mixes it up
and has to sort it out by matching people’s needs to their
packages.
Henkes, Kevin. Good-bye, Curtis. Illus. by Marisabina Russo.
Greenwillow, 1995.
After 42 years as a mail carrier, Curtis has reached his last
day on the job. When he reaches the last mailbox at the
last house on the last street, there is a big surprise waiting
for him from the whole town.
Kightley, Rosalinda. The Postman. Macmillan, 1988.
A simple, rhyming text relates all the places a postman
delivers letters and packages during a day.
52 HB iAbI lLi oT gO r Ma pA hI Ly
Lakin, Patricia. Red-Letter Day. Illus. by Doug Cushman.
Raintree-Steck Vaughn, 1995.
The work of a mail carrier and the operations of a post
office are told in a fictional format.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Roth, Harold. First Class! The Postal System in Action.
Pantheon, 1983.
This photo essay follows mail through the postal system
from mailbox to destination.
Rylant, Cynthia. Mr. Griggs’ Work. Illus. by Julie Downing.
Orchard, 1989.
Fictional story of the joys of a small town post office and
the man who runs it.
Shulevitz, Uri. Toddlecreek Post Office.
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1990.
A rural village post office is the place where everyone goes
for companionship and other needs, until it is forced to
close.
Siracusa, Catherine. No Mail for Mitchell. Random House, 1990.
Mitchell delivers mail for everyone else, but never receives
any himself. When he becomes ill, he realizes what true
friends he has.
Skurzynski, Gloria. Here Comes the Mail. Bradbury, 1992.
The workings of the post office are revealed as a letter
from a girl in New Mexico travels to her cousin in Utah.
Illustrated with photographs; includes information on how
to address a letter.
Books about the Pony Express
Coerr, Eleanor. Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express. Illus. by
Don Bolognese. HarperCollins, 1995.
Fictional, easy-to-read story of William F. Cody’s adventures as a Pony Express rider.
Dicerto, Joseph J. The Pony Express: Hoofbeats in the
Wilderness. Franklin Watts, 1989.
Informational account of the history of the Pony Express.
Levinson, Nancy Smiler. Snowshoe Thompson. Illus. by
Joan Sandin. HarperCollins, 1992.
Fictionalized story of John Thompson, who lived in
Placerville, California in the mid-1880’s and delivered bags
of mail on skis across the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Stein, R. Conrad. The Story of the Pony Express.
Children’s Press, 1981.
Informational account of the history of the Pony Express.
Books about Stamps and Stamp Collecting
Granger, Neill. Stamp Collecting. Millbrook, 1994.
Jacobsen, Karen. Stamps. (A New True Book).
Children’s Press, 1983.
Lewis, Brenda Ralph. Stamps!: A Young Collector’s Guide.
Lodestar, 1991.
HAIL TO MAIL
Bibliography
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
53
Other Collectors and Their Collections
Anno, Mitsumasa. Anno’s Flea Market. Philomel, 1984.
Wordless book with highly detailed illustrations of all sorts
of objects that can be found at a flea market.
Engel, Diana. Josephina, the Great Collector. Morrow, 1988.
Josephina, an alligator child, collects everything until her
sister can’t stand it any longer. They take some things to
their Uncle Mario’s, who’s quite a collector himself. When
they bring too much back, Josephina has a creative solution to the problem.
Geringer, Laura. The Three Hat Day. Illus. by Arnold Lobel.
HarperCollins, 1985.
R.R. Pottle III had a father who collected canes and a mother who collected umbrellas, but he prefers to collect hats.
Lakin, Patricia. The Jet Black Pickup Truck.
Illus. by Rosekrans Hoffman. Orchard, 1990.
The adage, “One person’s trash is another’s treasure,”
guides a young girl’s adventures to the local junkyard with
her grandmother.
Reid, Margarette. The Button Box.
Illus. by Sarah Chamberlain. E.P.Dutton, 1990.
The array of buttons in Grandmother’s button box provides
hours of entertainment for a young boy.
Tusa, Tricia. Stay Away from the Junkyard!
Macmillan, 1988.
Theodora finds a wonderful collection of junk at Old Man
Crampton’s junkyard, in spite of warnings to “Stay away!”
Poetry
“It’s Confusing” in Ciardi, John. Mummy Took Cooking
Lessons and Other Poems. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
“Dear Brothers and Sisters” in Dakos, Kalli. Don’t Read This
Book,Whatever You Do! Four Winds, 1993.
“Male Mail” in Florian, Douglas. Bing Bang Boing.
Harcourt, 1994.
“Letter from a School-Boy in the Country to His Mother in
Town” by Anonymous; “I Think” by James Schuyler in
Harvey, Anne (Ed.). Shades of Green.
Illus. by John Lawrence. Greenwillow, 1991.
“The Mailman’s Such a Magic Guy,” “Collecting Things” in
Kennedy, X. J. The Kite That Braved Orchard Beach.
McElderry, 1991.
“Pokey Old Mailman,” “The Mailman” in Lenski, Lois.
City Poems. Henry Z. Walck, 1971.
“Letter” in Livingston, Myra Cohn. There Was a Place and
Other Poems. McElderry, 1988.
“Thank-You Note” in Viorst, Judith. If I Were in Charge of the
World and Other Worries. Atheneum, 1981.
54 HB iAbI lLi oT gO r Ma pA hI Ly
“Letter from a Witch Named Flo” in Yolen, Jane.
Best Witches. Illus. by ElisePrimavera. Putnam, 1989.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Repro #8
STAMP COLLECTING GUIDE
These recommendations are adapted from
Lyn-Co Stamps & Coins, 2641 No. 48 St.,
Lincoln, Nebraska 68504.
1. Mount stamps in whatever order or arrangement you wish, such
as by country or by topic (e.g., sports, animals, space, etc.).
2. Acquire stamps from many sources. Ask relatives and friends to
save stamps for you. Purchase stamps from approval companies.
(These stamp companies send stamps to your home on approval.
You buy what you like and return the rest.) Also check local stamp
dealers for stamps to purchase. Drugstores and department stores
often stock stamps. Recent issues are available at the post office.
3. Visit the library to find stamp catalogues. Stamps are listed in
Scott’s Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, a multi-volume,
comprehensive reference source.
4. Take good care of your stamps. The jagged edges, called
perforations, must be intact for a stamp to qualify as sound and
undamaged. Also be aware of tears, creases, thin areas in the
paper, and other signs of damage.
5. Use the following process for removing stamps from mail. Tear the
paper off the envelope all the way around the stamp, taking care
not to tear any part of stamp. Place it in a bowl of water. When the
stamp is loose (generally 3-5 minutes), it will separate from the
paper. Place the stamp face down on a newspaper or paper towel
and let dry thoroughly (2-3 hours). It is then ready to mount.
6. Mount stamps with stamp hinges, taking care not to over moisten
the hinge. Since you may want to rearrange stamps at a later time
as you acquire more, you want your stamps to come off easily
without damaging them. It is important to remember
NOT to use rubber bands, cellophane tape, paper clips,
glue, or photo albums when mounting or storing stamps.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
55
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Repro #10 (Optional)
Postal Service State Abbreviations
Alabama ............................................. AL
Alaska ................................................ AK
Arizona ............................................... AZ
Arkansas .............................................AR
California ........................................... CA
Colorado ............................................ CO
Connecticut ......................................... CT
Delaware ............................................ DE
District of Columbia ........................... DC
Florida ................................................ FL
Georgia .............................................. GA
Guam ................................................. GU
Hawaii .................................................. HI
Idaho .................................................... ID
Illinois .................................................. IL
Indiana ................................................. IN
Iowa ..................................................... IA
Kansas ................................................ KS
Kentucky ............................................ KY
Louisiana ............................................ LA
Maine ................................................. ME
Maryland ............................................ MD
Massachusetts .................................... MA
Michigan .............................................. MI
Minnesota .......................................... MN
Mississippi .......................................... MS
Missouri.............................................. MO
Montana ............................................. MT
Nebraska............................................ NE
Nevada ............................................... NV
New Hampshire .................................. NH
New Jersey ......................................... NJ
New Mexico ....................................... NM
New York ............................................. NY
North Carolina ................................... NC
North Dakota ..................................... ND
Ohio ................................................... OH
Oklahoma .......................................... OK
Oregon ............................................... OR
Pennsylvania ....................................... PA
Puerto Rico ......................................... PR
Rhode Island ........................................ RI
South Carolina .................................... SC
South Dakota ...................................... SD
Tennessee ........................................... TN
Texas .................................................. TX
Utah .................................................... UT
Vermont .............................................. VT
Virginia ................................................ VA
Virgin Islands ........................................ VI
Washington ........................................ WA
West Virginia ...................................... WV
Wisconsin ............................................ WI
Wyoming ............................................ WY
57
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Repro #11
Stationery-unlined
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
59
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Repro #12
Stationery-lined
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
61
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Repro #13
Reproducible Blank Stamp
63
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
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(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
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62
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
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(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Repro #14
U.S. Map with State Abbreviations
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
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65
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Repro #15
Envelope Pattern
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
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67
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Science Activities (Continued)
✉ Research on scientists. Pictures on stamps of famous
scientists might inspire some research into their life and
work. The following scientists, among others, appear on
stamps: John James Audubon, Benjamin Banneker,
Alexander Graham Bell, Luther Burbank, George Washington
Carver, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Robert Fulton.
Have students make a chart of their findings, similar to the
one below.
Scientist
When he/she lived
John James Audubon
1785 - 1851
Benjamin Banneker
1731 - 1806
Alexander Graham Bell
1847 - 1922
Luther Burbank
1849 - 1926
Kind of work
etc.
✉ Inventions. Numerous inventions and scientific achievements are depicted on stamps, including the bicycle, car,
airplane, train, microphone, movie camera, microscope, photography, chemistry, radio, printing press, and hot-air
balloon.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: The Bicycle Man;
The Tortoise and the Hare; Tooth-Gnasher Superflash;
Bored—Nothing to Do!, Ruth Law Thrills a Nation; Kate
Shelley and the Midnight Express; The Bionic Bunny
Show; My Shadow; How to Make an Apple Pie and See the
World, Simon’s Book; Hot-Air Henry; Archibald Frisby.
With the students, make a list of “Great Inventions” and
discuss why they think those inventions are important. Working with part of the above list of inventions (for example,
bicycle, car, airplane, train, and hot-air balloon), have small
groups rank them in order of importance. Each group must
decide the reasons for the order they established. Have
groups share their rankings with the class and compare their
level of agreement.
✉ Space exploration. Several stamp issues commemorate
achievements in space, including First Man on the Moon,
Moon Landing, Space Exploration, Space Adventure, and
many others.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: Alistair in
Outer Space, Space Case; Hot-Air Henry.
42 HS AcI Li TeO nM Ac I Le
Use one of the several CD-ROM encyclopedias to show students a clip of the first landing on the moon by Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Have them compare the scenes
on the stamp with the computer footage. Brainstorm with
students what they know about space exploration. Examine
the Space Exploration stamps to show how satellites sent
into space have explored the planets and the moon.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
The Arts
Through experiences with the Hail to Mail book and Reading Rainbow program, students will have opportunities to:
• create materials for letter writing
• design stamps
• become familiar with various art forms as
depicted on stamps
• appreciate the cultural diversity in the visual arts
• become familiar with the work of composers and
musicians as depicted on stamps
• recognize different musical instruments
• appreciate the variety of forms of dance and theater
as depicted on stamps.
Activities associated with these experiences provide opportunities for classroom teachers to co-plan and teach with art,
music, and physical education specialists in the building.
Reading Rainbow tie-ins allow “video visits” and live action
sequences that provide further enrichment to your study of
these topics.
Arts Activities
✉ Design stamps. Have students design postage stamps.
By looking through The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps
and other stamp collecting books or pamphlets, they see the
variety of topics depicted on stamps. In this activity, they may
design individual stamps or stamps in a series. For the series,
have them brainstorm possible broad topics and different
stamp ideas for each topic. Their stamps could be placed in a
stamp book or displayed on a bulletin board. A blackline master of a stamp outline is located on page 63 in the Appendix.
✉ Design stationery. Have students design special letter
writing stationery. They may want to design a personalized
stationery for their own use, as well as some generic pieces
that can be placed in the letter writing center.
✉ Design envelopes. Have students design envelopes.
They may wish to design stationery and envelope combinations. Stress that their envelope creations must adhere to
postal service guidelines in terms of placement of artwork and
that they need to leave space for an address and stamp. Use
#10 envelopes (business letter size) or the reproducible envelope pattern, located on page 67 in the Appendix, so that
students have adequate working space.
✉ Multicultural art on stamps. Art on stamps depicts a
variety of art forms and represent many cultures. The Folk Art
series (which includes quilts, toleware, woodcarving, carousel
animals, Navajo blankets, duck decoys, and Pacific Northwest
Indian masks), lacemaking, and Pueblo art are among the art
forms celebrated on stamps.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: The Patchwork
Quilt; Tar Beach; The Runaway Duck; The Legend of the
Indian Paintbrush.
HAIL TO MAIL
T h e A r t s
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
43
Arts Activities (Continued)
Artists in the community, such as quilters, tole painters,
woodcarvers, potters, and weavers, might be invited into the
classroom to demonstrate their process and show some of
their creations. Their work might inspire some class projects in
quiltmaking and soap or soft wood carving, for example.
✉ Music on stamps. Music has been commemorated in
stamps through issues on composers, musicians, musical
instruments, and the American Music series, which features
stage musicals, rock and roll singers, and country and western singers.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: Abiyoyo; Barn
Dance; Borreguita and the Coyote; Mama Don’t Allow; Ty’s
One Man Band; The Wall; Berlioz the Bear.
Stamps can be the springboard for listening to a variety of
types of music and discussing the differences, becoming familiar with composers and musicians and their contributions,
and differentiating musical instruments and their functions in
bands and orchestras.
✉ Dance and dramatic arts on stamps. Dance and the
dramatic arts have been featured in stamp series through a
variety of issues, including Classic Films, Comedians, Performing Arts, Stars of the Silent Screen, Theater Dance, and
individual performers.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: The Bionic Bunny
Show; Duncan and Dolores; Ludlow Laughs; Barn Dance;
A Chair for My Mother; Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters; Silent
Lotus; Sophie and Lou.
Use these stamps to inspire creative dramatic activities in the
classroom, such as pantomime, role-playing, creative movement to music, and plays.
✉ Parent involvement. Invite parents to work with their
children to design a family stamp. They will need to make
decisions as to who or what will be depicted on the stamp and
what the stamp will say, if anything. Send a copy of the reproducible stamp outline home for this project. Students may
bring their stamps to school to share with the class. Their
stamps could serve as the basis for a bulletin board on families.
44 HT AhI Le T OA Mr At I Ls
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
History Activities (Continued)
Pony Express National Memorial
914 Penn St.
St. Joseph, MO 64503
Note: It is recommended that a self-addressed, stamped envelope accompany inquiries.
✉ American landmarks. A number of U.S. symbolic landmarks are depicted on stamps, including the Liberty Bell, the
Statue of Liberty (a stamp honoring Frederic Bartholdi, the
creator of the Statue is also available), Mt. Rushmore, the
Alamo, and several monuments. Use the stamps as a means
of introducing the landmarks to students and have them locate pictures in other sources. Discuss why these landmarks
are important to Americans. Other stamps related to U.S.
symbols include the Constitution Bicentennial issue, which
displays the Preamble to the Constitution on a set of five
stamps, and a stamp honoring Francis Scott Key, who wrote
the words to “The Star Spangled Banner.”
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: The Wall; Watch the
Stars Come Out. The Star Spangled Banner by Peter Spier
is a Reading Rainbow review book.
34 HS oA cI iLa lT SOc Mi e An cI Le
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Social Sciences-Geography
Through experiences with the Hail to Mail curriculum
guide, students will have opportunities to:
• utilize map reading skills
• become familiar with cities in their own state
• become familiar with cities and states in
the United States
• become familiar with selected world locales
Reading Rainbow program tie-ins allow “video visits” and
live action sequences that provide further enrichment to your
study of these topics.
Geography Activities
✉ Learning U.S. cities. On the first page of Hail to Mail, a
rhyme about the contents of Mr. Tim’s (a New York mail carrier) bag lists several U.S. cities. Have students locate these
cities on a map. Some of them will be familiar names to many
children (e.g., Boston, Pittsburgh), and some may require
minimal assistance (e.g., Austin, Reno) to locate. Others will
likely be unknown, such as “Roundup” and “Pondicherry.”
Brainstorm some strategies with the students for locating
these on the map. The reference to “L.A.” is an opportunity to
discuss the abbreviation for Los Angeles. A few pages into the
book, postal clerks are sorting mail, and several other U.S.
cities are mentioned.
✉ Learning U.S. cities. Have students search the mail they
brought in to identify the different places from which it came.
Locate these places on the map. Have available a state, U.S.,
and world map for this activity.
✉ State stamps. Stamps depicting the state bird and flower
for all 50 states are shown in The Postal Service Guide to U.S.
Stamps. Almost all of the states have a special statehood commemorative stamp as well. Using the reproducible stamp
blackline on page 63 in the Appendix, have students design a
stamp with symbols that they think represent their state.
✉ Using a world map. Refer to the story and have students
trace the route of John Peck’s letter on a world map
(Schenectady, New York City, Boise, Zurich, Brazil, and back
to New York City.)
✉ Understanding climate. Using the illustrations in the
book, have students note the different ways that each of the
mail carriers in the story is dressed. Discuss how the mode of
dress relates to the climate in which they live. Have students
consider why appropriate dress is important in the occupation
of mail carrier and locations where a mail carrier might need
more than one outfit (e.g., summer and winter).
HAIL TO MAIL
Social Science
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
35
Geography Activities (Continued)
✉ Unusual place-names. Have a U.S. atlas or a collection
of state maps available for students to examine and look for
unusual place-names, such as “Peculiar, Missouri.” As an
extension of this activity, have them pose creative questions
associated with these place-names, as in the following: Is
everyone happy in What Cheer, Iowa? Do people enjoy
games in Fair Play, Missouri? Is Santa Claus, Indiana near the
North Pole? Is Valentine, Nebraska shaped like a heart? Here
is a starter list of examples, but students will find many more:
Blue Eye, Arkansas; Dog Town, Alabama; Rainbow City, Alabama; Chicken, Alaska; Bumble Bee, Arizona; Grasshopper,
Arizona; Weed Patch, California; Yellow Jacket, Colorado;
Picnic, Florida; Kite, Georgia; Monkeys Eyebrow, Kentucky;
Friendship, Maine; Hoot Owl, Oklahoma; Mustang, Texas.
✉ Parent involvement. Have parents and children work
together with the map of the United States included at the
end of this section to color all the states in which members of
their family live. Have students bring their maps to school,
tally the numbers for each state, and record the findings on a
larger U.S. map.
36 HS oA cI iLa lT SOc Mi e An cI Le
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
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Other Social Science Topics
Through experiences with the Hail to Mail curriculum
guide, students will have opportunities to:
• become familiar with various types of transportation
• explore a variety of careers
• recognize contributions of different cultures to our world
community
Transportation Activities
✉ Delivering the mail. Refer to the video and the Hail to
Mail book and have students identify the many different
means of transportation used in the delivery of mail, e.g.,
airplane, boat, truck, train, etc. Discuss why different types of
transportation may be needed for mail delivery, as well as why
the different means of transportation are appropriate for varying geographic locales.
✉ Then and now. Have students compare current ways of
transporting mail to historical means of mail delivery.
✉ Mail delivery stamps. The Future Mail Transportation
issue, as shown in The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps,
poses four ideas for ways that mail might be delivered in the
future. Have students draw pictures of their ideas of future
mail transportation.
✉ Aviation history. The Aviation Pioneers stamp issue and
the Bessie Coleman stamp commemorate the history of flight
in the U.S. Have students make a list of these famous flyers
and then watch Reading Rainbow programs, Ruth Law Thrills
a Nation and Bored—Nothing to Do! for more information.
What other aviation pioneers can they add to their list?
Career Activities
✉ Postal careers. After viewing the program, have students
brainstorm a list of careers in the postal service that they noticed on the video. Keep this list available so they can add to it
after they have read books and visited the post office on a
class trip, or from their own experiences.
✉ Role playing. Role play different postal jobs through the
operation of a classroom postal system.
✉ Occupations. The Hail to Mail book showed many other
occupations in addition to postal careers. Have students examine the text and illustrations and discuss other occupations
that appear in the book.
✉ Occupations shown on stamps. Many careers have
been depicted on stamps over time. Have students search The
Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps resource and make a list
of the occupations they find on stamps. Working in small
groups, have them classify the occupations according to skills
needed for their work, such as “uses math in their work,”
“writes a lot in their work,” “uses books in their work,” “works
mostly with people,” etc. Have them think of a way to show
that many of these skills are needed in more than one
classification.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
HAIL TO MAIL
Social Science
37
Cultural Experiences
✉ Physical geography. The illustrations in the Hail to Mail
book offer glimpses into life in Switzerland and Brazil, particularly the physical geography, and provide a look at Boise,
Idaho. Have students become better acquainted with these
places by researching 2-3 important facts and features about
each place. Have them start by examining the illustrations for
clues. For example, what does the sign “1 Potato Plaza” have
to do with Boise?
✉ Cultural diversity in America. The cultural diversity of
U.S. society is depicted on stamps through people, the arts,
events, and traditions. Native American, African American,
Latino, Asian American, and other cultures are represented in
various ways. Use the stamps along with Reading Rainbow
programs suggested below to expand students’ cultural
awareness.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: The Gift of the
Sacred Dog; The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush; Mufaro’s
Beautiful Daughters; Follow the Drinking Gourd;
Borreguita and the Coyote; Liang and the Magic
Paintbrush.
✉ Learning about Russia. Hail to Mail was written by a
well-known Russian author of children’s literature and translated from Russian into English. Have students brainstorm
what they know about Russia and research to add to and
modify their information. Tie into the “Language Arts and
Literature” section of this curriculum package with the study
of Russian literature.
38
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
REPRO PAGE #8
(Optional)
Background for Teachers
The Pony Express
The Pony Express grew out of a necessity to deliver the mail in a timely
and dependable manner. By the mid-1800’s, the gold fields and the promise
of land had drawn people to the West and the Plains regions of the U.S. Mail,
however, could be effectively transported only as far as St. Joseph, Missouri.
William Russell proposed to his partners in the shipping business, Alexander
Majors and William Waddell, that they establish a means of delivering mail by
horse on a route from St. Joseph to San Francisco. Their claims for delivery
were dramatic—1840 miles in 10 days—and the Pony Express made its first
run in April, 1860.
Pony Express riders carried only letters, no packages. The initial cost was
$5.00 for a 1/2-ounce letter, but was later reduced to $1.00. The riders rode
at top speed, changing horses every 10-20 miles at places called “relay stations.” The riders rarely spent more than two minutes at a stop, just long
enough to move the saddlebag that held the mail (a “mochila”) to a new
horse. There were also “home stations” along the way, where a new rider
jumped on a horse to continue the run. Two runs took place each week, one
going east and the other, west. Riders passed through Kansas, Nebraska,
Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada. The mail was delivered to Sacramento where it was placed on a steamboat for the remainder of the trip to
San Francisco. Barriers such as rivers, mountains, the desert, the weather,
Native uprisings, and wild animals threatened the riders. Because of the extreme danger involved, only young, healthy men without families were sought
as riders. Posters seeking riders were placed all over the West: “Wanted—
young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to
risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages $25.00 per week.”
The Pony Express was in operation for approximately 18 months, until the
telegraph was in place. It began with 80 riders, 420 horses, and 190 relay and
home stations. At the conclusion of its service, 308 runs had taken place,
34,753 letters were delivered, and 616,000 miles had been covered. Only
one mochila was lost during this time.
See Bibliography for fiction and nonfiction sources on the Pony Express.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
39
✉ Sorting and graphing. For a more challenging activity,
students might sort the mail according to first through fourth
class. (See page 7 in the “Language Arts and Literature” section of this guide for descriptions of these classes.) They can
then graph these findings to determine what classes of mail
are delivered in the greatest amounts.
✉ Money values. Research postal rates in other countries of
the world. For example, how much does it cost to send a first
class letter? Make a chart of these costs for comparison purposes. For more sophisticated math calculations, have
students figure the equivalent in American money for each of
the foreign first class rates. (These rates change frequently.
Contact your local post office for an up-to-date listing.)
✉ Parent involvement. To involve parents further in the
Hail to Mail unit, conduct a survey of mail that families receive
at home for a period of one week. An appropriate time to do
this project is about mid-way through the unit after children
have become familiar with different types of mail. Provide
these directions for parents: Begin with predictions of how
many pieces of each type of mail the family will receive that
week. Then count the number and record it on the survey
sheet. (A reproducible copy of this survey sheet may be found
on page 31 at the end of this section of the guide.) The following categories of mail are included in the survey: personal
mail (letters, postcards, greeting cards, etc.), “junk mail” and
advertisements; newspapers and magazines; parcel post
(packages); and business mail (financial statements, bills, etc.)
At the end of the week, have students bring their survey
sheets back to school and graph the results to determine what
types of mail we receive the most of at home.
✉ Estimation and counting. Put a variety of cancelled
stamps in a jar or bag. Have students estimate the number of
stamps in the container. Then have them group the stamps by
10s and count the actual number.
✉ Sorting and classifying. Using the stamps brought from
home, students can sort and classify stamps. Possible theme
categories include: animals, states, flowers, presidents, LOVE
stamps, Christmas stamps, stamps depicting the U.S. flag,
transportation, and others. Students will likely find their own
categories as they sort the stamps.
✉ Money values and classifying. Working within categories, students can arrange the stamps in order according to
monetary value. Have them think of other ways they can arrange the stamps in the categories and allow opportunities for
them to describe the reasoning behind their
arrangements.
✉ Making a timeline. Students with higher abilities might
put stamps on a timeline, according to a date printed on the
stamp or the date of issue. This activity would require students
to use the comprehensive resource, The Postal Service Guide
to U.S. Stamps.
24 HM Aa It Lh eT mO aMt Ai cI Ls
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Mathematics Activities (Continued)
✉ Money values. Using individual stamps and some coins,
have students identify which different coins or coin combinations would purchase a particular stamp. For example, a
nickel and two pennies would buy a seven-cent stamp.
✉ Money values. Have students group together stamps that
have the same value, for example, all the five-cent stamps in
the collection. Have them calculate the value of the group
and identify coins that equal the value.
✉ Money values. Make the milk carton “Stamp Machine”
described on page 27. Prepare a set of cards, 2-1/2 x 4
inches, with an actual stamp on one side and pictures of
coins that match the stamp’s value on the other side. Students select a card, looking only at the coin side. They
identify the amount pictured by the coins and insert the card,
still coin side up, into the “machine.” The card comes out of
the “stamp machine” stamp side up, allowing students to
check their earlier response.
✉ Role playing. Role play going to the post office to buy
stamps. Use actual stamps and coins for this dramatic play
activity.
✉ Money values game. For additional practice with stamps
and their values, students can play the Reading Rainbow
Stamp Game. This game is played like the familiar matching
game, "Old Maid." The leftover card in this version is the
Reading Rainbow Stamp Card. The game is designed for
small group play (3-4 players) and requires 12 pairs of cards.
One of the pair is a stamp card; one is a coin value card.
Stamp cards may be made putting actual stamps of different
values on cards or by writing a number value on the blank
stamp printed on the sample card. Coin cards may be made
by imprinting coin rubber stamps on the cards or by using
pictures of coins on the cards. See sample stamp and coin
cards below. Game directions and the Reading Rainbow
stamp card are reproducible. (See page 29 of this guide.)
sample stamp card
sample coin card
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
25
26 HM Aa It Lh eT mO aMt Ai cI Ls
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
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(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Directions for Making the
Milk Carton Stamp Machine
Directions:
Refer to drawing below for placement of
cuts and added materials.
1. Cut a 1/4-inch high slit in the front
panel of the milk carton almost the
entire width.
2. Cut return slot as shown in drawing.
Do not cut across bottom, just top and
two sides.
3. Bend flap back into carton.
4. Carefully open the top of the carton.
5. Cut a strip of oak tag slightly less than
the width of the carton and a little
longer than the length of the carton.
Tape this strip to the flap on the
carton. Push down to shape.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
• half gallon milk carton
• oak tag or poster board
• contact paper, or
other covering material
• tape, staples
6. Close top of carton; staple shut; trim
off any excess.
7. Cover with contact paper. If another
material is used, adhere with rubber
cement.
8. Make two-sided cards (approximate
size: 2-1/2 x 4 inches). Put an actual
stamp on one side of the card. On the
reverse side, put pictures of coins that
match the stamp’s value.
27
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
REPRO PAGE #6
Reading Rainbow Stamp Game
Directions for Playing:
This game is designed for 3-4 players and requires 12 pairs
of cards plus one Reading Rainbow Stamp Card. Samples of the
cards are shown on page 25. Use 4 stamps of different values
for players to determine who starts the game. Each player
draws a stamp from an envelope, and the player who has the
highest stamp value gets to start the game. The game is played
like the familiar game of “Old Maid.” All cards are dealt to the
players. The first player draws a card from the hand of the
player to the left and attempts to make a pair by matching the
value of the pictured stamp with the value on a coin card. All
matched pairs are displayed, and play moves from player to
player until all pairs are matched and one player is left with the
Reading Rainbow Stamp Card.
reproducible Reading Rainbow stamp card
29
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
newspapers
and magazines
business mail
(bills, financial
statements, etc.)
parcel post
(packages)
REPRO PAGE #7
"junk" mail and
advertisements
Mail Survey/Parent Involvement
personal (letters,
postcards, greeting
cards, etc.)
Actual Total
Saturday
Friday
W ednesday Thursday
Tuesday
Monday
Prediction
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
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(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Mail Survey
31
Note to teacher:
Certified mail—provides a mailing receipt,
and record of delivery is kept at the
recipient’s post office; a return receipt may
also be purchased.
Registered mail—provides protection for
valuable and important mail; it is placed
under tight security from mailing to deliver.
Postage due—insufficient postage was
placed on the mail by the sender, and the
recipient must supply the additional
postage.
Priority mail—first-class mail weighing
more than 11 ounces, with faster delivery
at the least expensive rate.
Special delivery—provides delivery of the
mail beyond normal delivery hours,
including Sundays and holidays.
Returned to Sender—mail is undeliverable
for several reasons, including incorrect
address or no forwarding address for the
recipient.
Letter Writing Activities
✉ Writing for different purposes. Search for opportunities
in which students can have authentic letter writing experiences. Once they have been presented with a variety of
possibilities for writing letters for different purposes, the option to write should always be available. Maintain an area
where letter writing supplies are kept. Make letter writing a
routine activity by encouraging it often. For example, students can write:
• thank-you notes—to the school secretary, the cooks, the
crossing guards, the school bus driver, a visiting speaker, the
tour guide at a field trip site, etc.
• invitations—to parents and other visitors for special
occasions, to other classes in the school and school personnel for a special program, to school and non-school people to
share a talent, to a guest story reader, etc.
• business letters—to companies requesting free items, to
local businesses where children shop (offering a compliment,
asking a question, or voicing a concern), to the editor of the
local newspaper, government officials, etc.
• get-well letters and letters of congratulations, as appropriate—encourage children to write letters congratulating
classmates on small accomplishments in addition to larger
events.
• notes—establish note writing as an important and frequently used means of communication in the classroom. For
example, if another class has decorated a hallway bulletin
board or assembled a display, have a student write a complimentary note on behalf of the class. When your class needs
to borrow a book, a certain material, and the like, from another class, have a student write a note instead of writing it
yourself. Use notes to invite a student to have lunch with you
or sit with you during quiet reading time. Encourage students
to write you a note when they need special materials for a
project on which they are working. Keep several notepads
made from recycled paper readily available in the classroom
for such purposes.
• “fan” letters—Fan letters may be directed to well known
figures in entertainment and sports, to authors of favorite
books, to local heroes whose achievements have been published in hometown newspapers, to friends who do “good
deeds.” Discuss with children the expectations of receiving
letters from celebrities.
Messages in the Mailbox by Loreen Leedy, a review book
from the Hail to Mail Reading Rainbow program, gives examples of letters written for many different purposes. (A more
detailed discussion of this title appears later in this section.)
Two source books of addresses that might be useful for
letter writing are:
Levine, Michael (1994). The Kid’s Address Book
This volume contains 2000 entries, primarily athletes
and entertainers.
Levine, Michael (1995). The Address Book
8
HAIL TO MAIL
Language Arts
This volume contains 4000 entries, primarily corporate
executives, VIPs, and celebrities.
Both may be obtained from:
Perigree/The Berkeley Publishing Group
200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Letter Writing Activities (continued)
✉ Writing to pen pals. Have students write to pen pals.
Possibilities include: students in the same grade in another
school, town, state, or country of the world. (Teachers can
often find requests from other teachers for pen pals on the
Internet.); university students in education classes; residents of
retirement communities, and others.
✉ Using abbreviations. Use letter writing as an opportunity
to reinforce the concept of abbreviations. Common abbreviations appropriate to letter writing include: Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.,
Ave., St., Rd., Apt., Rt., P.O., R.R., the names of the months,
and p.s. Discuss the function of a p.s. (postscript) on a letter.
Some students might notice an R.S.V.P. on an invitation.
Explain that it is actually an abbreviation for a French
expression (répondez s’il vous plaît), which means, “please
reply,” and discuss why that might appear on an invitation.
✉ Addressing envelopes. Introduce addressing envelopes
to the students. As shown in the program, addresses on
letters are read by machine. Therefore, the U.S. Postal Service
has a desirable format for envelopes: all letters are written in
upper case, letters and numbers should not touch, no
punctuation is used, no non-address information (such as
logos, company names, or names of a person) should appear
below or on either side of the address, lines in the address
should be horizontal and spaced evenly apart, addresses
should be complete, the entire address should be visible
through a window in the envelope, and two-letter state
abbreviations should be used (see page 57 in the Appendix
for a list of these abbreviations). For example, students
interested in writing Reading Rainbow would address their
envelopes as follows:
READING RAINBOW
GPN
P O BOX 80669
LINCOLN NE 68501-0669
One point that will require clarification with the students is that
punctuation used in abbreviations in all other situations should
not be used on an envelope. At the end of this section of the
guide, there are four examples of improperly addressed envelopes. Discuss these examples with students. Have them sort
through mail brought in from home for examples of properly
addressed envelopes.
✉ Letter writing stamps. Have students look at the commemorative letter writing issue of stamps in The Postal Service
Guide to U.S. Stamps. The messages on these stamps are
reminders of the purposes for writing letters.
✉ Schoolwide postal system. Investigate the possibility of
participating in “Wee Deliver,” a program that involves students in a schoolwide postal system. Contact the Office of
Literacy, U.S. Postal Service, 470 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Ste.
4102, Washington, D.C. 20260-3110 for free information.
Note to teachers:
Two samples of reproducible stationery are
located on pages 57 and 59 of the Appendix
for use in letter writing activities.
HAIL TO MAIL
Language Arts
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
9
Letter Writing Activities (continued)
✉ Parent involvement. Have a primary caregiver of each
student keep a letter writing journal, in which the child and
the caregiver write to each other every day, for a period of
one week. The contents of these letters can be each other’s
news of the day, family news, or any topic they choose. Encourage the adults to keep their letters short and in readable
writing. These journals can be easily made by placing blank
sheets of paper inside the reproducible journal cover (located
at the end of this section of the guide), folding it in half, and
stapling it in the middle. One side of the journal cover should
be addressed by the child to the caregiver. The other side
should be addressed by the caregiver to the child, as if the
two sides were envelopes. The child can decorate these “envelopes” and design the stamps, making sure that there is
adequate space for a visible address.
Other Language Arts Activities
✉ Writing style. Discuss the style in which the text of Hail to
Mail is written so students recognize that the story is told in
rhymed text, instead of the narrative style of most stories that
they read.
✉ Story setting. Discuss whether the time setting of the
story is the present day or in the past. Have the students
search the illustrations for clues about the time setting.
✉ Critical thinking. The book never tells what was in the
letter to John Peck, other than we know it was “certified.”
Have students speculate about the contents and who wrote
the letter.
✉ Familiar expressions. Discuss the persistence of the
postal system in trying to deliver John Peck’s letter. Why did
they never give up? Share with the students the familiar slogan, “Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail,...” and
discuss its relationship to this story. Students may notice the
multiple meanings of the word “hail” in this discussion.
✉ Language study. Discuss with students different terms for
the person who delivers mail. Have them consider why the
most common terms, “mailman” and “postman,” might not
be appropriate. Have them brainstorm a list of equitable
terms.
✉ Stamp illustrators. Occasionally, stamps are designed
by illustrators of children’s books. Jerry Pinkney, for example, has done 13 different stamps for the U.S. Postal
Service, including the Black Heritage series. Leonard Everett
Fisher designed the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” stamp and
the Colonial American Craftsmen set of stamps. Have students locate these stamps in The Postal Service Guide to U.S.
Stamps and compare the artwork on the stamps to pictures
in books illustrated by these individuals. (Pinkney is the illustrator of Reading Rainbow feature book, The Patchwork
Quilt, and review books, Half a Moon and One Whole Star and
Turtle in July.)
10 HL aAnI gL u Ta Og eMAAr It Ls
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Other Language Arts Activities (Continued)
✉ Choral reading. The title, Hail to Mail, sounds like a cheer
or a chant. Use the poem below as a chant for choral reading.
Shout, “Hail to Mail!”
Let’s shout, “Hail to mail!”
“Hail to what?”
“Hail to mail!”
“What’s that?”
Letters from pen pals,
Packages for you,
Postcards from a place
with a beautiful view,
Magazines to read,
Papers with news,
Ads selling lots of things
people can use,
Cards with greetings
for a special day,
Bills you wish you
didn’t have to pay.
So...let’s shout, “Hail to mail!”
Go get paper and pen.
Think of some news
you can share with a friend.
Then seal, stamp, and send it
by boat, truck, or rail,
and wait for your reply...
Note to teacher:
In a choral reading, students read sections
of a poem in unison or individually without
memorization. The goals are fluency,
expressive reading, and enjoyment. The
same poem may be read several times in
different ways. Once students have read it
a couple of times at the teacher’s
suggestion, they will enjoy creating their
own ideas for reading the poem chorally.
That’s “Hail to mail!”
(A reproducible copy of the poem
is included on page 19.)
✉ Studying biographies. Commemorative stamps honor important people, special events, or anniversaries. Famous
personalities from the past and present, representing a variety of backgrounds and occupations, are depicted on
commemoratives. These people pictured on stamps can
serve as a springboard to studying biographies.
Categories of existing commemoratives that might spark
interest in biographical study include:
African Americans—Benjamin Banneker, Mary McLeod
Bethune, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, James
Weldon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackie
Robinson, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and others.
Presidents—all through Lyndon Johnson
Authors—Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, Joel
Chandler Harris, Carl Sandburg, Mark Twain
Great Americans Issue—Sitting Bull, Rachel Carson, Mary
Cassatt, Buffalo Bill Cody, Crazy Horse, Sequoyah
Other famous Americans—Johnny Appleseed, Daniel
Boone, Davy Crockett, Amelia Earhart, Benjamin
Franklin, Helen Keller, Pocahontas, Eleanor Roosevelt,
Betsy Ross
Note to teachers:
When introducing biographies to younger
readers, it is a good idea to spend some
time on what constitutes a biography and
how to gather information from one. Discuss with the students what type of book a
biography is and brainstorm kinds of information they expect to find in a biography.
Before they set out to read a biography on
their own, read one to the whole class and
compare the information they learned about
the subject’s life with their brainstormed list
of what they expected to learn. Refine their
original chart as needed. Since even picture book biographies will likely pose a
challenge to younger readers, their efforts
at locating information might be more successful if they work with a partner or in small
cooperative groups.
HAIL TO MAIL
Language Arts
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
11
✉ Design illustrator stamps. Have students decide on an
author or illustrator whose work they particularly enjoy and
design stamps of that person’s work. The stamps might depict
a favorite character or scene from a book. These stamps
could be placed in a class book entitled “A Stamp Collector’s
Guide to the Work of __________.” A reproducible blank
stamp blackline master appears on page 63 in the Appendix.
✉ Creating comic strips. The Comic Strip Classics stamps
issue celebrates a century of American comics. Have students
look through newspapers to see which of these strips still appear today. Take a survey of favorite comic strip characters
and graph the results. Have students write their own comic
strips.
✉ Sign language. Students enjoy learning signs and the
alphabet in American Sign Language. Stamps have commemorated sign language communication in two issues:
Recognizing Deafness and American Sign Language.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-in: Silent Lotus.
✉ Celebrating libraries. Stamps have also celebrated the
importance of libraries and reading through issues of the
America’s Libraries, the Library of Congress, and A Nation of
Readers stamps.
!Reading Rainbow program tie-ins: Tight Times;
Perfect the Pig; Alistair in Outer Space; Bea and Mr. Jones.
The library clips from these programs are especially
appropriate for National Book Week in November and
National Library Week in April.
✉ Write to Reading Rainbow. Students are invited to write
Reading Rainbow about which of the activities in the Hail to
Mail guide they enjoyed the most, about their favorite Reading
Rainbow programs, to suggest ideas for new programs, about
what they enjoy reading, or topics of their own choosing. All
mail to Reading Rainbow may be addressed to GPN, P.O. Box
80669, Lincoln, NE 68501-0669.
✉ Write a "friendly" postcard. Students may wish to use
postcards to write to pen pals or family members. If they wish
to have a postcard to keep for themselves, each student can
write to one other member of the class and keep the postcard
she/he receives.
12 HL aAnI gL u Ta Og eMAAr It Ls
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Other Language Arts Activities (Continued)
Getting to Know the Author
and Illustrator.
Hail to Mail was translated from Russian. Discuss what
“translated” means with the students. It was written by
Samuel Marshak, a well-known Russian author who lived
from 1887-1964. He organized the Soviet Union’s first publishing house for children’s books and played an influential
role in shaping Russian literature for children. Hail to Mail was
first published in 1927 and became a classic in Russia. The
translation by Richard Pevear, a poet himself, made this book
a possibility in the United States. Very little of Marshak’s work
has been available to children in the U.S. One other poem by
Marshak has been translated into a picture book, The Pup
Grew Up!, and published in this country. This book was also
translated by Pevear. The illustrator of Hail to Mail, Vladimir
Radunsky, was born and educated in Moscow, but now lives
in the U.S. His ideas for the artwork style and design came
from European commercial art of the late 1920s and early
1930s, when this book was originally published. Radunsky
also illustrated The Pup Grew Up! If possible obtain a copy of
this book and read it to the children. Have them compare and
contrast the two books in style and illustration.
Locate other books set in Russia for students to “browse.”
Some of the more familiar books might be Caldecott winners,
Baboushka and the Three Kings retold by Ruth Robbins, illustrated by Nicolas Sidjakov, and The Fool of the World and the
Flying Ship retold by Arthur Ransome, illustrated by Uri
Shulevitz. Folk tales, including “The Month-Brothers,” “The
Bun,” “Salt,” and “The Great Big Enormous Turnip,” have
been published in several picture book versions. Characters
such as Vasilisa (the Russian Cinderella) and Baba Yaga also
appear in many stories. Reading Rainbow feature book,
Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco, is set in Russia.
Using Reading Rainbow Review Books
The three review books in the Hail to Mail program can
serve as a springboard for many activities.
✉ Messages in the Mailbox by Loreen Leedy is an informational book about letter writing in which a class of children
and animals write a variety of types of letters under the direction of their teacher, Mrs. Gator. Some of the kinds of letters
modeled in the book include: friendly letters, invitations,
thank-you notes, get-well letters, love letters, sympathy letters, fan letters, and business letters. The parts of a friendly
letter, how to address an envelope, and a list of state mailing
abbreviations are also part of the book. In addition to trying
their hand at writing letters for different purposes, students
might enjoy some of the creative ideas in the text, such as
writing on shaped paper, writing on the back of a painting or
drawing, and cutting a letter into a puzzle and mailing the
pieces.
HAIL TO MAIL
Language Arts
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
13
✉ The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Letters by
Janet and Allan Ahlberg recounts the adventures of a bicycleriding mail carrier who delivers mail to familiar fairy tale
characters. Envelopes containing this mail are part of the
book. After reading the book, allow students ample opportunity to examine the many different kinds of mail the postman
delivers, including an advertisement, a postcard, a book, a
business letter, and a birthday card. The stamps, postmarks,
envelopes, and styles of writing on the pieces of mail are also
items of discussion for students. Using the mail in this book
as models, students may wish to write to other familiar story
characters. Another possibility is for students to answer a
piece of mail from the book as if they were the recipient. This
activity would require them to write letters for different purposes. Designing appropriate envelopes, stamps, and
postmarks could be part of the activity as well.
✉ Stringbean’s Trip to the Shining Sea by Vera B. Williams and Jennifer Williams is a natural introduction to
postcard writing. In this book, the story of Stringbean Coe’s
trip to the ocean with his brother Fred is told in a series of
postcards sent back home. The book is assembled as a scrapbook of the trip including the postcards and photographs
taken along the way. Read the book to students leaving
ample time to examine each page. Discuss both the illustration and the message side of the postcard, noting the stamp,
the way it is addressed, the placement of any information
about the picture, and the note from Stringbean and Fred.
Have students pay particular attention to the kinds of messages people write on postcards they send home. Look at
some actual picture postcards. (Sort through the mail
brought in by the children for postcards.) Have students
compare these postcards with the drawings of postcards in
the book. After students have had the opportunity to examine
several postcards, invite them to write their own, using a 5 x
7-inch index card. These postcards may be done by individual location or a group theme. They can be bound into a
class book of postcards and entitled, for example, “Room
____’s Vacation Trips” (for a collection of individual cards) or
“Room ____’s Trip to Brazil” (for a group theme).
14 HL aAnI gL u Ta Og eMAAr It Ls
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
REPRO PAGE #2 (OPTIONAL)
15
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
REPRO PAGE #3
17
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
REPRO PAGE #4
Shout “Hail to Mail!”
Let’s shout, “Hail to mail!”
“Hail to what?”
“Hail to mail!”
“What’s that?”
Letters from pen pals,
Packages for you,
Postcards from a place
with a beautiful view,
Magazines to read,
Papers with news,
Ads selling lots of things
people can use,
Cards with greetings
for a special day,
Bills you wish you
didn’t have to pay.
So...let’s shout, “Hail to mail!”
Go get paper and pen.
Think of some news
you can share with a friend.
Then seal, stamp, and send it
by boat, truck, or rail,
and wait for your reply...
That’s “Hail to mail!”
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
19
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
REPRO PAGE #5
JOURNAL COVER - PARENT INVOLVEMENT
21
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Acknowledgments
Curriculum Guide
HAIL TO MAIL
Writer
Karla Hawkins Wendelin, Ph.D.
Instructional Development
Ann Michaelis
Project Director
Nan Schweiger
Editor
Dick Spence
Special Thanks to:
Teresa Hruska
Terese Johnson
Kay Klechka
Jamee Kline
Ann Wubbels
Communication Design, Lincoln, NE
Special Appreciation to:
Renise Rosenboom,
Philatelic Clerk,
United States Postal Service,
Lincoln, NE
©1996
GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln
(This curriculum package may not be reproduced in any
manner without prior written permission from GPN)
GPN
P.O. Box 80669
Lincoln, NE 68501-0669
(800) 228-4630
Reading Rainbow is a registered trademark
of GPN/WNED-TV
Reading Rainbow Director/Executive Producer
Twila L. Liggett, Ph.D.
Reading Rainbow Associate Project Director/
Executive Producer
Anthony Buttino
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
HAIL TO MAIL Integrated
Curriculum Guide
Getting Started
Before beginning the Hail to Mail unit, plan ahead with the
following activities:
✉ Request the free classroom sets of sample postal materials from your post office. In most cases, you will need to
make your request at a Philatelic Center, which is located at
Main Post Offices. If you are not sure where this center is,
contact your local post office for information. The Post Office
often has other materials, such as posters and informational
pamphlets, available free to classrooms upon request. One
item that you may wish to purchase to accompany this unit is
The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps. The comprehensive
nature of this guide makes it an invaluable resource for students as they conduct research and work through the
activities in this unit. The current edition of this guide is available at your post office.
✉ Collect children’s literature from the school library media
center and public library for classroom display. See the annotated bibliography at the end of this curriculum guide for
suggestions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry related to letter
writing and the postal system.
✉ Arrange field trips or guest speakers associated with
this unit.
✉ Collect materials for a letter writing center in the classroom. Stock the area with paper in different colors and sizes,
stationery, envelopes of different sizes, different types of writing utensils (pencils, colored pencils, markers, pens with
colored ink, unusual erasers, etc.), and supplies such as a
stapler, scissors, glue, and tape.
✉ Set up a mailbox in the classroom to create interest and
promote conversation.
✉ Send home the Parent Letter on the next page informing
parents about the unit and asking for contributions of
materials.
✉ Collect or purchase cancelled stamps which will be used
for activities in this guide. Cancelled stamps can be ordered
from
HAIL TO MAIL
Getting Started
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
1
2
HAIL TO MAIL
Getting Started
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
REPRO PAGE #1
Reproducible Parent Letter
Dear Families:
In our classroom, we are beginning a new unit of study on the
U.S. Postal System and letter writing. We have planned our unit
around the book, Hail to Mail, and the Reading Rainbow
program of the same name, but we will be reading many books
and using a variety of materials as we learn about mail.
We do need your help! We are collecting the following materials:
• mail—postcards, greeting cards, letters, junk mail, invitations,
any mail you have received that you don’t need any more, in the
envelopes, if possible;
• used stamps—these can still be on the envelopes, or just cut
off the corner of the envelope with the stamp on it;
• envelopes to add to our letter writing center—these might be
unused return envelopes, envelopes enclosed in junk mail,
recyclable (in usable condition) envelopes, leftovers from
stationery sets in which the writing paper has been used;
• stationery odds and ends that you no longer want.
We also have a family project involving mail that will
help us with our math. Watch for news about that later!
Thank you for your contributions! Feel free to drop in
anytime and help us celebrate mail!
Sincerely,
3
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
Using the HAIL TO MAIL
Curriculum Package
General Activities
The Hail to Mail book and program videocassette, provide
opportunities for students to engage in a variety of activities
that will lead to a greater understanding of the U. S. Postal
System.
✉ Field trip. If possible, take a trip to a post office. You may
wish to show the video before the trip so that students have
some information about various jobs people have at a post
office. You may also wish to show portions of the video after
the trip, so that they can compare the operations of their local
post office with the one in the video.
✉ Classroom postal system. Set up a postal system in
the classroom. Use a mailbox as the place to mail letters.
Brainstorm the jobs that are needed in order to operate the
system. Students will need to decide what they will use for
their individual mailboxes. Half gallon milk cartons work well.
Students can decorate their own mailboxes. Discuss the importance of having their name prominently displayed on their
mailbox. A tagboard flag can be easily attached with a brass
metal fastener. Assign job roles and change them weekly.
✉ What happens to a letter. Have students make a mural
tracing the path of a letter from the point of mailing to delivery. The video will provide some information. Here Comes the
Mail by Gloria Skurzynski (see Bibliography) is a helpful
source for adding details.
✉ Large and small post offices. Have students compare
and contrast the operation of a large city post office to that of
a small town or rural post office. Depending on where they
live, firsthand visits to both may be possible. If not, books
such as Mr. Griggs’ Work by Cynthia Rylant and Toddlecreek
Post Office by Uri Shulevitz (see Bibliography) provide insight
into a small post office. Students might also brainstorm a list
of questions they would like to ask the postmaster of a small
town post office and write a letter to that person.
✉ World Wide Web. Consult the U.S. Postal Service site on
the World Wide Web for information on history and workings
of the postal system and views of current stamps and future
issues. This site may be found at: http://www.usps.gov/
HAIL TO MAIL
Getting Started
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.
5
Note to teacher:
The first postage stamp was issued in 1840
in Great Britain. It was printed in black ink on
white paper. It showed a picture of Queen
Victoria with the words “postage” and “one
penny.”
In 1847, the United States government issued
its first two postage stamps. The five-cent
stamp showed Benjamin Franklin and the tencent stamp showed George Washington.
Note to teacher:
October is National Stamp Collecting Month.
More new stamps are issued during that
month than any other month of the year.
Promotional materials from the U.S. Postal
Service celebrating this special month are
available upon request. Check with your local
post office.
✉ Working with stamps. Studying stamps allows students
to become familiar with the many varieties and purposes of
stamps and provides numerous opportunities for activities that
cross the curriculum. Have students research the origins of
the first postage stamp and the first United States postage
stamp.
✉ Stamp collecting. Invite a stamp collector to the classroom to discuss his/her hobby and show the students a
variety of stamps.
✉ Stamp collecting. Have students select some of the
more interesting stamps from the mail brought from home or
from your collection of cancelled stamps (see order information on page 1.) Using the method described in the program
and by a stamp expert (see page 55 in the Appendix for a
reproducible guide to stamp collecting) for removing a stamp
from an envelope, experiment with removing stamps and
mounting them. Have students devise an organizational system for this class
stamp “album.”
✉ Commemorative stamp project. For a large-scale
activity that may involve more than one classroom or even an
entire school, explore the possibility of initiating a movement
for a commemorative stamp. Contact the U.S. Postal Service
for current guidelines. Subjects of stamps have to be of national interest and have historical perspective. All proposals
are reviewed by a special Stamp Advisory Committee. To begin the project, brainstorm possible subjects or persons for
the commemorative. Discuss reasons why these are good
possibilities. Narrow the list using additional research, debates,
persuasive letter writing and other strategies to strengthen
support for some commemorative “candidates.” Once a subject has been identified, have students prepare a rationale and
begin the process of convincing the national committee that
your topic is worthy of a stamp. (For ideas, see the September
1995 issue of Learning magazine for a description of one
teacher’s third grade class’s campaign for a stamp honoring
grandmothers.)
✉ Use a mailbox. At the end of the Hail to Mail curriculum
unit, a mailbox can still serve as the place where students and
the teacher leave messages for each other. Individual students
can alternate taking the responsibility for checking the mailbox and seeing that the “mail” is delivered.
The mailbox might also be the place where a new book
waits for the teacher to take it out and read it to the students.
The flag up will be a sign to the children that there is something special inside.
If the mailbox is placed by the door, other teachers, students, and school personnel may be encouraged to use it to
leave messages and materials for your classroom.
6
HAIL TO MAIL
Getting Started
©1996 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.
Teachers who have purchased this READING RAINBOW Curriculum Package are granted permission to reproduce from this book pages for their own classroom use
(notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages). In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.