Agribusiness in a Global Environment Lesson 1

Activity - Keypals

One of the most important factors in International Agriculture is people. People are the deciding factor in what sells, how much it sells for, who buys it, how much each person buys, what size package is best, what colors and advertising schemes should be used, and on and on and on.

Since you can't physically go to another country to research their perspective, it would be ideal for you to have a close friend that could help you learn about a country's people - what do they do differently from you and in what ways are you the same? The best and easiest way to form a friendship in a hurry is through the wonders of the Internet. With the technology now available, you can meet and begin talking to someone from an entirely different continent in just a few short minutes! And you can correspond repeatedly during a short time period without waiting for cumbersome and expensive mail carriers!

Your assignment for this lesson is to establish contact with a person from another country. There are several Web site addresses given below to help you get started, but do a little searching on your own as well... the possibilities are almost endless.

When you find someone (and as you are looking), find out the following:

	Where does he/she live? (what city, province, state, country, continent?)
	What language does he/she speak at home? what about in town or at school? (do not assume that everyone will speak English - make sure you contact someone with whom you can communicate)
	Is he/she your age? Older? Younger?
	Has he/she lived there all his/her life? Where else has been "home"?

Remember to:

	Be polite and open-minded. No one is required to be friendly to someone who is rude, and you may actually want to visit this friend sometime in the future.
	Use basic English if you are corresponding with someone who does not claim English as a native language. Avoid slang words unless you explain what they mean. If you don't understand what your pen pal is trying to say, ASK. No one wants to be misunderstood.
	Give as much information as you ask. Offer details about your life FIRST before you ask about his/her life.
	Look for similarities as well as differences.
	Have fun! People are fascinating - a way to share the life of someone who may live entirely differently, but have the same goals, attitudes, and other character traits as you!

Once you have established contact with your pen pal, forward a copy of the email to your teacher with his/her name, country, and email address. You will be required to deliver information about your pen pal's country later, so establish a good rapport with him/her soon!

Some places to start...

	Peace Corps World-Wise Schools - http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/index.html
	Creative Connections - http://www.creativeconnections.org/
	Integrating Technology for Meaningful Learning - http://ndwild.psych.und.nodak.edu/book/chap6/ch6.res.html#anchor35104178
	Kids' Space Connection - http://www.ks-connection.com/penpal/penpal.html
	Launchsite - http://www.launchsite.org/english/parent.html

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