Integration Resources
Examples from Within the ePals Community
1.
Synopsis
of our ePals Project Blog
http://sites.epals.com/cpauchnick/about
Candace Pauchnick shares her ePals journey, strategies for connecting technology to standards, and insight into managing a classroom for success!
2.
Speak
Up and Friends
http://sites.epals.com/englishwithfun/about
Explore the journey of the Speak Up English Language school in Serbia.
3.
Writing
and Producing Student World News Podcasts about Global Issues
http://www.radiorasant.org/35.html
This European student media project will support your understanding of using literacy and creativity to spark interest in global issues.
4.
Multi
Country Collaborative Writing Project
http://www.geocities.com/inayath_mohamed/
This second grade class at the International Programs School in al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia worked with peers in Australia and the United States to write five short stories through email collaboration.
5.
Book
Reviews by Middle Schoolers
http://sites.epals.com/greenwich2/node/127
Middle School students share book ideas and book reviews. Their journey might serve as a springboard for your own.
Resources from Trusted Experts in the Field
6.
ReadWriteThink
ePals Around the World
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=178
Overview: It is often difficult to motivate students to read and write. By integrating a letter-exchange program in the classroom, students become excited about literacy learning. This lesson helps you select e-pals for your students and develop real-life writing and learning experiences for them. Students learn the format of a friendly letter and the parts of an e-mail message. With careful selection of an e-pal group, students can also learn about other cultures, languages, and geographic areas that align with the curriculum in your school.
7.
Intel:
Monster Swap
http://educate.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/UnitPlanIndex/MonsterSwap/
Grade: 1-3, Language Arts
Primary students give their imaginations a workout by creating unique monsters. They then hone their writing skills by writing descriptions for cyber pals who will try to re-create the students’ terrible beasts!
8.
Intel:
The World Through a Different Pair of Eyes
http://educate.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/UnitPlanIndex/DifferentPairOfEyes/
Grade:
6-8, Social Studies
Middle school students see the world through
another pair of eyes as they communicate with other students from
different countries. Students learn about life in other parts of the
world, investigate current events, and learn about factors that
affect the quality of life and longevity of other cultures. Students
address the issue of the possible correlation between where people
are born and how long they are likely to live.
9.
Intel:
StarQuest
http://educate.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/UnitPlanIndex/Starquest/
Grade:
6-8, Science, Language Arts
Students relate our modern view of the
night sky to that of the ancients. Studying the changing views of
stars in the night sky helps students know more about astronomy and
culture.
10.
Intel:
Flat Stanley
http://educate.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/UnitPlanIndex/FlatStanley/
Grade:
3-5, Social Studies
By sending a flat friend on vacation, children
learn about life in other countries and get an opportunity to host
flat travelers from around the world.
11.
Intel:
The Great Bean Race
http://educate.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/UnitPlanIndex/GreatBeanRace/
Grade:
3-5, Science
Young botanists investigate plant growth as they
compete in a lima bean stalk growing competition with students from
other geographic locations.
12.
Intel:
From Sea to Sea
http://educate.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/UnitPlanIndex/FromSeaToSea/
Grade:
3-5, Social Studies
Using a WebQuest, students take on the role of
Chamber of Commerce employees and develop informational brochures for
a local city. Then, they learn more about the economy of trade and
its impact on the local cities and citizens. After developing
slideshow presentations, students present what they have learned to
an outside audience.
12. Intel: Can I Make a Difference? Using Email Pen Pals to Increase Second Language Proficiency
http://spanishonthegulfcoast.wikispaces.com/
Grade: 9 – 12
In a semester long project, foreign language students will begin a penpal correspondence exchange with a student from a Spanish speaking country. Through this exchange, students will gain a greater insight into the culture and language of another country, improve their communication skills in the target language, and compare their lives to those of students their own ages in another country by discussing common topics.
13. Romeo and Juliet: Who's to Blame?
http://www97.intel.com/en/ThinkingTools/ShowingEvidence/ProjectExamples/UnitPlans/RomeoAndJuliet/
Grade Level: 8-10, Language Arts
Students explore the themes in Romeo and Juliet and see how the themes apply to modern life and relationships. Students pair with assigned ePALS partners and discuss the differences they see between Shakespeare’s time and their own as well as discuss their impressions and reflections. As students read, they collect evidence as to who or what is guilty of murder. They present arguments in Verona’s court to support whether the deaths of Romeo and Juliet were the result of fate, other people’s decisions and actions, or their own choices. Using these arguments, students then write a jury statement discussing their findings and who or what they find guilty.
14. Showers of Thoughts
The students as sensitive citizens learnt to value resources. The water savers of 5th grade clearly understood that life is impossible without water and needs to be conserved.
15. Assumed Identities: A Colonial History Project
http://www.sjteach.org/colonial.html
Students will actively engage themselves in the Project Based Learning study of the Colonial period of American history. In collaborative groups, the students will do research of their character's particular social group (gentry, middling class, working poor and enslaved Africans). From that shared group research, they will then refine further research to their particular character. They can collaborate further by contacting Colonial Williamsburg reenactors and email students at a Williamsburg area school through ePals.
16.
David
Warlick Sample Blogging Assignments Aligned to NETS
http://davidwarlick.com/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.SomeSampleBloggingAssignmentsAlignedWithTheISTENETSRefresh
David Warlick offers lesson and
assignment ideas for each of the NETS areas (Creativity and
Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, Research and Information
Fluency, Critical Thinking/ Problem-solving/ Decision-Making, Digital
Citizenship, and Technology Operation and Concepts).