8+Global+Projects+for+Building+Learning+Communities


 * Building Learning Communities- How do we make a Global Connection with the school, community and student's family?**

As I travel around the country and provide Keynotes and Workshops, I am excited about what is changing with some of our teachers. I am currently working with 40 teachers in the Center School District, Center Colorado. The the ethnic mixture of Center Schools is 10 percent Native American, 15 percent Anglo and 75 percent Hispanic. Each culture provides a strong influence at Center Schools and a harmony and interaction not usually realized in other schools. The district has achieved AYP the last 2 years with a 80 % poverty rate and a large amount of the population includes migrant workers.

They have taken the challenge of implementing 21st Century Learning because of a dedicated and committed school board and Superintendent George Welsh that has a vision for the future. They have instituted a 1 to 1 computer connection with laptop computers for all of their high school students and the staff has enrolled for 12 weeks of workshops in 6 areas. Areas include Blogs, Wikis, Visual Literacy, Global Connections,Podcasts. Web Page and Web Quests. Listed below are some of the projects they are working on in the area of connecting the family to the school and Global Communication:

**Center School District - Workshop Comments- How I would use Global Communication Projects in my classroom: Howie DiBlasi- Instructor**
ASSIGNMENT: Building Learning Communities : Projects for the Global Classroom Connection -

Read over each description below; Go to the web site and review the material Determine what grade level each project would work for your classroom Select 1 projects from the list below: Post the following on the WIKI: 1. Your Name and Your e-mail 2. TITLE of Project - Grade level 3. Subject Area 4. Summary of what the project is ( abstract) 5. How to use it in your classroom 6. Standards it ties to –local-state-national- **(You can update this in the next 30 days)** 7. Reference web sites: 8. How you would use a rubric or assessment to determine success-**(You can update this in the next 30 days)** Be ready to share with the group your project ===

=== Students will identify a positive physical feature of themselves. Students will work in pairs to take part in an online writer's workshop. Students will create a descriptive poem about their favorite feature. Students will create a digital photo of the physical feature. Students will create a Photo Story Frame about their favorite feature. Students will record the audio of their poem for Photo Story about their favorite feature. Sample of projects here: [|Best Part Of Me--Windows Media File]
 * 1. This I Believe – Grades 5-12**This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief, written by people from all walks of life, are archived here and featured on public radio in the United States and Canada. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.Sample of projects here:http://www.thisibelieve.org/dsp_ShowEssay.php?state=CO&age=Under+18&uid=14096&yval=0&start=0
 * 2. The Best Part of Me – Grades 2-5**

Tell a Story in 5 Frames has two important parts. The first part is creating and telling a story through visual means with only a title to help guide the interpretation. The second part is the response of the group to the visual story. The group response can take many forms such as, a poetic or prose rendering of the visualization, a critique on the structure of the story, comments on the photograph, or other constructive forms of response. Telling and enjoying stories should create entertainment for the group as well as offer insight into the universal elements that help create a story for an international audience. The more people who respond, as either storytellers or respondents, the greater the reward for all. Sample of projects here: [|5 Frame Sample--Windows Media File]
 * 3. FIVE (5) Frames – Grades 4-12**

Over half a million children around the world tell us about their lives, families and communities making this the world's biggest children's contributory website. It is dedicated to the development of global education by the promotion of: intercultural understanding; language learning; internationalism; and collaboration.
 * 4. This Is My Country – Grades 5-12**

By working on My Country projects, and reading what other youngsters have to say, children around the world will be able to see how our thoughts and actions affect our environment - not only locally, but globally. The My Country project enables us all to extend our intercultural and international understanding.

As they read each other's accounts, children will begin to learn that children all over the world have similar values, and that they have much in common. They will also gain insight into the differences in their lives. Sample of projects here: http://www.schoolnetglobal.com/introduction/a.html

Early childhood education ideas, activities and lesson plans that promote young children's self-esteem and self-identity. This education theme encourages self-awareness and enhances learning about family. At the beginning of a child's experience these activities help ease separation anxiety and during the year they help youngsters cope with the birth of siblings.
 * 5. My Family – Grades Pre-3**

During this early childhood activity the teacher gives each child the opportunity to share information about their family as well as themselves. Materials: A note sent home to parents. Description: Send a note home to the parents at least 1 week before you plan to begin sharing the posters, pictures, etc. Ask the parents to help their children put together a poster or a collage of family pictures for the children to share with the class. Have each child return their poster or collage to school on a different day to share with the class. Each child gets to stand up in front of the class and tell all about their poster, pictures or collage. They can answer any questions that the other children might have after sharing their information.

Comments for a teacher: This activity was WONDERFUL in helping to create self-esteem and confidence in these young children. They loved getting to stand up in front of the class and telling about their pictures, posters and collages.

They liked having the other children ask questions about the pictures and sharing their own thoughts and memories of their pictures. This was a perfect ending activity to our "All About Me and My Family" Unit! http://www.mrsnelsonsclass.com/teacherresources/thematicunits/allaboutme.aspx

http://www.epals.com/projects/thewayweare/ This email project answers the following questions: When I hear the name of a country, what is the first image that comes to my mind? When I meet and ask questions of someone from that country, what new information have I gathered about this country? What do I know about Canada's, and other country's, involvement in the development of that country? What is my new impression of that country, now that I have all of this information?
 * 6. What is "The Way We Are"?**

Principal, Haskin Elementary School
Center, Colorado


 * Project: The Best Part of Me**

Abstract: This project is based on the book of poems by Wendy Ewald. The book combines black and white photos and poems written by children about why they love certain parts of their bodies. It is a way to build self-esteem and can motivate children to write creatively.

In my capacity as building principal, I deal with some children who have difficulty with relationships and often have conflict with others. I believe that using this approach to build the self-esteem of these children would be a positive step in helping them control their behavior. If the children were to read the entries made by others with whom they have conflicts, it might help them to see those children in a different light. I believe it could be a means of improving their relationships through improving their self-concept and creating feelings of empathy for others.

Below is a link to a lesson plan showing other ways to use this book:

http://content.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=218

**Project Title: This I Believe Audio Essay**Grades
7-8Abstract: This I Believe is an international project intended to involve people in sharing what core values and beliefs guide their daily living through writing. Public Radio in Canada and the United States archives writings on the subject from people from all walks of life. The project is based on the 1950’s Edward R. Murrow radio program of the same name. Objective: Students will develop a personal credo that incorporates values they believe are vital to their present and future selves. Application in the Classroom: Students in my classroom, Choices, are engaging in discussions and writings about the values that will guide their choice making and in practicing skills to live by those values. With this project, students will write an essay about what core values they believe are important to live by. Students have first engaged in a process of exploring different core virtues, their meanings, and their behavioral manifestations. They have also learned and practiced skills to stick by these virtues. In addition, they will have explored short-term and long-term goals and how their values determine their success with these goals. This essay is a culmination of this process. With this essay, students will write about the core values that are most important to them and why. They will discuss how they have come to believe in these values. Lastly, they will also discuss how these values are important to them in the present and in the long-term. Students will do the worksheet at the following link and use it as a guide to write their essay: __http://www.takingitglobal.org/action/projects/download.html/6653/TIB_Worksheet.doc.__ Students can then submit the essay to the Global Relief Fund essay contest if they so desire. The last part of this project will be to create the audio part of the essay by recording a podcast of the essay that will be posted on our class website. The link for the grading rubric is below:__

Grading rubrics: Essay: http://www.msward.org/personalnarrativerubric.doc Resource links: Guide: http://www.npr.org/thisibelieve/guide.html This I Believe writing tips: http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/Portals/7/Language%20Arts/This%20I%20Believe%20Essay%20Tips.ppt

Sample essays: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_I_Believe

**Title: What is “The Way We Are”?**
Project: Pen pals via the e-mail (e-pals).

Abstract: Will be used as an after school enrichment class for grades 3-5. Students will be able to identify and format parts of a friendly letter. Students will use appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. Students will be able to identify parts of an email. Students will learn how to write and send emails. Students will develop timelines to communicate with e-pal. Student level of keyboarding skills would increase. Class will help students become global learners by interaction with epals from other countries. Promotes collaborative thinking with epals, classroom teachers, and parents. As project progresses, interaction between epals and classroom teachers would be done via Skype. program

Standards: 1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

5 - Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information

Links: http://www.epals.com/projects/thewayweare/ http://www.skype.com/ http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=178#standards

Assessment: Assess the student’s friendly letters to make sure that they are written in the correct format. Also check to se if the student followed the specified timeline for sending letters. Access the student’s e-mail messages to make sure that they are completed and sent properly. Also check to see if the student followed the specified timeline for writing and responding to messages from his/her e-pal. Check ongoing communications between each pair of e-pals.

Social Studies
Abstract: In first grade we study Families and Cultures, so we are going to use this project as one of our activities as a way of getting our parents involved. There are many ideas such as poems, bulletin boards, activities and book list. Also we can incorporate it into our Reading and Writing. There is also a graphing activity that we could incorporate into our math as this is also a skill that first graders need to know.

Reference web sites: http://www.mrsnelsonsclass.com/teacherresources/thematicunits/allaboutme.aspx

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8854/allabout.html

http://www.readinga-z.com/allbooks/index.html

Part of the lesson will be homework. Students will be expected to return the homework and need to read their activity to the rest of the class. Classroom participation will also be a part of their assessment.

SUBJECT AREA: Reading/Writing
ABSTRACT: This project will allow students to identify a positive physical feature of themselves and create a descriptive poem about this feature. This project incorporates reading, writing, and oral language development skills.

OBJECTIVE: For this project the student will:

Identify a positive physical feature of themselves. Create a descriptive poem about their favorite feature. Create a digital photo of their favorite physical feature. Record the audio of their poem for Photo Story about their favorite feature.

CLASSROOM APPLICATION: I plan to use this project after reading the book The Best Part of Me __by Wendy Ewald. Once we have read this book as a group, each student will choose a positive physical feature of themselves and create a descriptive poem using sensory images about his/her favorite feature. The student will then create a digital photo of the physical feature to reflect his/her poem. Upon completion of these tasks, the student will record the audio of his/her poem describing his/her favorite feature. A Photo Story will be made to include entries from everyone in the class.

ASSESSMENT: Each student will be assessed based on the completion of his/her poem, digital photo, and recorded audio. The students will participate in creating a rubric which assesses final projects as excellent, good, almost, and not quite. (Some specific factors include using correct grammar in the final written draft and inclusion of sensory images).

Below is a link to a similar lesson plan made for grades 3-5.

http://content.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=218____________

**“Best Part of me” 9-12th Graders**
Use for oral and written work in Spanish on body parts. This project is based on the book by Wendy Ewald, The Best Part of Me.

The student will: identify a positive physical feature of themselves. create a digital photo of the physical feature. create a Photo Story Frame about their favorite feature. record the audio of their poem for Photo Story about their favorite feature.

I would use this as an oral/written project in the classroom for my beginning Spanish class. I would use it to help the students to learn body parts in Spanish as well as developing writing and oral skills. The students would have to present their work in front of the class. I would use the websites [|http://www.edhelper.com], [|www.teach-nology.com], [|www.teachspanish.com], and [|http://www.studyspanish.com] to develop word searches, puzzles and other activities to help with vocabulary on this project. We could use this in photo story as a yearly project to compare from year to year. This ties into to both Colorado standards in Foreign Language. _