Elementary students in the United States communicated via email with students in Australia in my research, published in The Reading Teacher. This session will provide teachers with qualitative research results and specific instructions for setting up and implementing ePals in their classrooms. Teachers will learn about the impact of authentic communication activities on students’ motivation/engagement, written language production and cultural learning and empathy. Results and implications for subgroups of general education students, special education students, and second language learners are reported. Student writing samples will be shown. Methods of using the new ePals global community, projects, and activities will also be shared. Learn benefits of globalizing student writing. Assist students in improving their written language and cultural understandings.
