Monster Exchange

The Monster Exchange is a very cool project connecting kids through the Internet to develop reading and writing skills. The website links classrooms who are willing to participate in the project; kids then create and describe a monster in writing and are paired with a child who reads only the description and then attempts to draw the monster (scroll down a bit for example). I would of course encourage anyone to participate formally in the project, but the website provides great examples so that you could structure a monster exchange on a smaller scale (perhaps between two groups or classrooms).

I also love doing monster description as a simple oral barrier activity. Here's a visual support I have used to help kids generate details.