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.

13. 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).