Title: Sharing Traditions
Authors: Jessica Friedheim, Sarah Hicks, and Cheryl Jones
Project Summary
Over the course of three months, students will communicate with other students through the use of a blog. Students will create posts about their traditions. Students from other classrooms will have the ability to comment and respond to the blog posts. We are starting out very small and communicating with other Howard County classrooms. We see this project expanding to other counties in Maryland and even schools in other states through the country. It could eventually spread to classrooms in other English-speaking countries.
Participants
Grades Targeted: 3, 4, 5
Number of Class/Participants: 10 - 40 students
Recruiting: This telecollaborative project will be advertised in 2015 through the HCPSS email as an offer from the central office social studies department coordinators. The advertisement flyer will be attached to the informative email. See our advertising section for more information. In 2016, we will advertise the project using iEARN.
Number of Class/Participants: 10 - 40 students
- 2014: This project will first be piloted by two project coordinators.
- 2015: The telecollaborative project will be advertised in the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) and will be available to intermediate grades throughout HCPSS schools.
- 2016: The project will be advertised on iEARN and opened to a wider community beyond Howard County.
Recruiting: This telecollaborative project will be advertised in 2015 through the HCPSS email as an offer from the central office social studies department coordinators. The advertisement flyer will be attached to the informative email. See our advertising section for more information. In 2016, we will advertise the project using iEARN.
Project Preparation
- Contact parents and request permission for students to participate in this telecollaborative project. The information collected will be used for academic collaboration with another elementary class and will be kept private on Kidblog.org. Please click the following link to access the parent permission form: Telecollaborative Project Permission Form. This form can be edited with specific names of schools.
- Establish a class blog using KidBlog.org and create usernames/passwords for each student.
- Distribute photo permission slips to students before the project begins (to be attached to any student photos before being posted to blog). Photo permission slips should be distributed with the parent permission form.
- Access "Teacher Zone" for important updates from project coordinators and for opportunities to collaborate with fellow teachers.
Introduction
- Engage students in an interactive read aloud of the book The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan. This book stimulates discussion of cultural differences and the importance of respecting the traditions of others. Explain to students that they will participate in a telecollaborative project, connecting them to students in other schools. Through this project, they will reflect upon their personal traditions and share their experiences with other children.
- Share the anticipated timeline with students, as well as the project goals/objectives, and telecollaborative tools.
- Share the parent permission letter with the students so they are aware that they need parent permission to post on the site. Make sure they also understand the procedure for submitting photos to enhance their blog posts.
- Share expectations for blog use, requirements for assignment completion, and etiquette for commenting upon blog posts.
- Review Internet safety guidelines.
Month 1: Who am I?
During the course of the first month of the telecollaborative project, students will describe themselves to their reader in a one-paragraph personal narrative. The teacher will need to schedule time for students to follow the writing process of pre-writing, rough drafting, and editing before posting final drafts to their blogs. Following the publication of their blog posts, students must read and respond to at least three blog entries on the class' partnered blog.
- What is your name and age? (first name only)
- Where were you born?
- Describe your family. How many brothers and sisters do you have?
- What language(s) do you speak?
- How do you spend your free time?
- What are your interests (sports, books, subjects, movies, games, etc.)
- Where are your ancestors from?
- Why is your heritage important to you?
- Interview a family member about his or her heritage.
- Use a map to show one country that represents you and/or your ancestors.
Month 2: Dining and Food
- What is your favorite food that reflects your family's culture?
- Describe this food in detail. Use sensory imagery in your description (taste, smell, colors, textures, etc.)
- Describe a typical meal with your family.
- How often do you eat at fast food or sit-down restaurants?
- Post a photo or draw a picture of your favorite food. Please include a caption describing your picture.
- Include a recipe for your favorite food.
- Post a menu from your favorite restaurant.
Month 3: Holidays and Traditions
- What is your favorite family holiday or tradition?
- Describe this holiday. Who is involved? What activities do you do? Is this tradition related to your religion? If yes, explain.
- Post a photo or draw a picture of yourself enjoying your favorite holiday. Please include a caption describing your picture.
- Describe your most memorable birthday. Explain who was there, what you did, and why it is memorable.
Closure
Students will conclude this telecollaborative project by reflecting upon information they learned through the experience. In one final blog post, students will describe ways in which their understanding of traditions have changed since the beginning of the project. For more details, please view the page titled "Follow Up and Closure."