19th+January+Lang.+Arts+Rotation

In the current coaching rotation, 7th grade Language Arts students, their teacher, and I are working together to create greater understanding of other peoples around the globe by researching and educating ourselves about their countries and their cultures.

We first grouped students in collaborative groups, assigned them countries around the globe, gave them an introduction and sheets of requirements (see provided copies), and let them go on the computers!

Mrs. Callaway, their classroom teacher, is asking for requirements in writing and research. I, on the other hand, am teaching them how to use a wiki as a sort of travelogue and display their research in fun, engaging ways that involve a lot of multimedia and Web 2.0 tools. After their research and their wikis are complete, they will share with the entire class what they've learned about their country and culture.

Our hope is not only that they will learn geography, technology, collaborative give and take, cultural elements of a people different from themselves, but that they will learn that by educating ourselves about others leads to better understanding about their thinking and hopefully tolerance, acceptance, and friendship.

The links below will take you to students' collaborative wikis from seventh grade Language Arts. Keep in mind that they are works in progress and obviously are not finished. The Language Arts teacher will be working on the narratives that will need to be added or expanded on each page under each multimedia illustration. Students are demonstrating what they are learning or have learned about countries and cultures from around the world, working with others, and technology--all 21st century skills.

http://ahjsindiatravel.wikispaces.com/

http://jmmbpolandtravel.wikispaces.com/

http://ahjrajhaititravel.wikispaces.com/

http://ewabkpuertoricotravel.wikispaces.com/

http://amdsromaniatravel.wikispaces.com/

http://rmvdvietnamtravel.wikispaces.com/

http://ahksitalytravel.wikispaces.com/

http://jhasmexicotravel.wikispaces.com/