Global Classroom Module

Pre-Planning Template

Designer: Anna Fick

Summary:
Students will write personal narratives centered around a variety of cultural themes
such as transportation, food, climate, recreation, and shelter.
Students will exchange personal narratives with a student in another country.
Students from both countries will collaboratively identify similarities and differences
between their cultures/countries.

Background concerning the school and the group you are working with:
This project has been designed for the second grade classes at Oak Harbor
Elementary School located on Whidbey Island in the town of Oak Harbor, Washington.
Oak Harbor Elementary School is identified as a Title I school within the Oak Harbor
School District with 43% of its population receiving free or reduced lunch services. The
current enrollment at Oak Harbor Elementary School is approximately 500 students.
The Naval Air Station at Whidbey Island is located in Oak Harbor and creates a highly
mobile student population. The major ethnicities of the student body are 58.6%
Caucasian, 17.1% Hispanic/latino, 6.2% African American, 6% Asian/Pacific Islander,
and 10.1% two or more races. Approximately 16.3% of the student population are
receiving special education services and 3.6% are transitional bilingual students.

Time frame: Over a six week period divided into two units of three weeks each.

Subject And Grade level: General Education - Second Grade

Proposed Topic and Rationale:

Traditionally, the second grade team at Oak Harbor Elementary has focused their
Social Studies Unit around an "Around the World" trip, visiting different classrooms to
learn about various cultures around the globe and then celebrating their learning
together as a grade level with a World Feast. After being tasked as teachers to re-
evaluate our focus on community at Oak Harbor Elementary as a "School of Choice,"
the second grade team saw a unique opportunity. As a team, we thought to refocus
our cultural study around those cultures that directly impact the community our
students live in to provide our students with experiences that directly relate to the world
they live in. Additionally, while we are able to deliver exploratory lessons within the
walls of our classroom, we recognize that the most powerful learning experiences in
relation to culture come from those who are direct participants in those cultures. Such
experiences and interactions are what we hope to provide our students with in this
newly revamped unit.
Additionally, the DODEA Grant has provided the necessary funding for the all
elementary staff in the district to receive training in writing instruction from David
Matteson. David Matteson's approach to writing focuses on honing students' ability to
tell personal narratives while including grammatical, spelling, and vocabulary
instruction within thoughtfully modeled writing experiences. It is our hope that this
learning experience, which revolves around collecting personal narratives, will provide
students with a meaningful, relevant connection to the power of the personal narrative.


Students will learn about cultures present in the town of Oak Harbor, WA by
engaging in pen pal relationships with students from these countries. Students will
exchange personal narratives through email on a variety of topics like food, clothing,
shelter, transportation, recreation, and education. In culmination, the students will
collaboratively compare and contrast these aspects of life in the two countries to
identify how their hometowns have been shaped and influenced by other cultures.

Global Network You Plan to Use: SchoolsOnline

Key Challenges:
The variety in the amount of time it takes various students to compose and
type/publish their letters to one another will make hard deadlines difficult. The teacher
will need to secure multiple computer lab times to accommodate even the slowest of
writers in the class. They will also need to have meaningful activities prepared to
occupy the students who are early finishers. Such activities might include a country
scavenger hunt, creating an All About Me presentation to share with their pen pal, or
participating in a variety of game-based global learning experiences.
The schedule will need to be flexible to accommodate any delays in construction of
personal narratives due to changes in the school schedule because of unforeseen
events (i.e. weather, etc.). Both teachers will need to check-in regularly with one
another about student progress and any needs to adjust the timeline for sharing.
The time difference between partner classrooms may cause difficulties in coordinating
synchronous collaboration. So, a plan for communicating asynchronously should be
developed that involves sending videos of discussions/questions back and forth or the
use of tools such as Google Drive.

Prior Knowledge: What knowledge does this work build on? How will you assess whether
students have the required knowledge?
Previously, in kindergarten and first grade, these students have spent significant
instructional time focusing on the concept of family and community. These were the
main social studies units at these grade levels. Students mastery and understanding of
these concepts will be indicated on their previous years report cards. Additionally,
students will spend the few weeks of the school year reviewing these key concepts
and will demonstrate their knowledge through a variety of discussions and writing
activities.
Prior to partaking in this unit, students will need to have an understanding of the
concept of culture. Specifically, students will need to understand where it comes from,
how it changes, and why it is important. These discussions will continue throughout the
course of this unit as it is meant to deepen students understanding of culture and how
it can influence and shape people and places. A word cloud might be a unique way for
students and teachers to track their understanding of culture. The word cloud would be
created from a list of student-generated words that describe or explain culture. Then,
words could either be added to the list over time (repetition is welcomed) or new lists
could be created after each discussion. Ultimately, the word cloud would change to
reflect what key descriptions or ideas students associate with culture. This would
provide a solid assessment of what students initial understanding was, as well as how
their understanding continued to grow and change with the introduction of each new
experience in the unit.

Standards and Key Concepts
Content Standards:



Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.5 With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a
topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of
digital tools to produce and publish writing, including collaboration with peers.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information
from provided sources to answer a question.

WA State Social Studies Standards
4.1.1 Understands and creates timelines for events in a community to show how the
present is connected to the past.
4.2.1 Understands individuals who have shaped history in the local community

National Education Technology Standard for Students NETS (S):

2. Communication and collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to
communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual
learning and contribute to the learning of others.
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a
variety of digital environments and media
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a
variety of media and formats
c. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with
learners of other cultures
5. Digital citizenship: Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to
technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.
a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and
technology
b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration,
learning, and productivity

Global Theme:

8. Race and Ethnicity: Human Commonality and Diversity
The best way to reduce prejudice, avoid stereotypes, and eliminate discrimination is to
cultivate a healthy understanding of culture and how cultures interact and evolve
together. This project will strive to teach young learners that places and people are
shaped by a multitude of different cultures that come together to create uniqueness.
Specifically, students will think critically about how other cultures are present within their
community by exchanging personal narratives with students from countries that have
been a prominent influence.

Pre-Lesson Steps:

1. Identify prominent cultural influences on community (Philippines, Mexico, Spain,
Netherlands).


2. Locate classrooms of similar age students in the countries. Contact teachers of these
classrooms.
3. Co-plan with all teachers to determine timeline, themes for narratives, best way to
exchange information, and whether synchronous communication is possible/what
part of the project it should be included.

Technology Use:

Students will use the Internet to research information about the countries with whom
they will be interacting.
Students will use Google Drive applications (Docs, Presentations, etc.) to compose
personal narratives.
Students will use e-mail and the project workspace provided by SchoolsOnline to
exchange personal narratives with pen-pals/

Essential Question (s):

What cultures influence our community?
How have they influenced our community?
What similarities and differences are there between different communities/cultures?

Starting Activity For Module:

Students will be invited to learn a few new games (retrieved from Topics Online
Magazine). Hopefully, students will recognize and voice some similarities between the
games they play and those from other countries. For example, we play freeze tag in the
United States but in Mexico children call it Sun and Ice. So, students would be
introduced to Sun and Ice and would eventually become involved in a discussion about
how the game is similar and different to freeze tag. Ultimately, the teacher would
transition the concept of similarities and differences between games around the world to
one of communities around the world. This would be an appropriate time to introduce the
essential questions and summary of the unit.

Lesson Plans:
Summary of Two Lesson Plans:

Lesson 1: What is Culture?
1. Games from different cultures introduction
2. View videos
- What is Culture - Elementary Lesson
- Around the World for Kids
3. Classroom discussion about culture
- create word cloud together
4. Complete web-diagram defining American culture/Oak Harbor community
culture
- Center circle = American Culture, spokes = transportation, food,
clothing, recreation, etc.
5. Brainstorm personal narrative topics based on information added to spokes
- i.e. American Culture > transportation > cars/planes = tell a story about
a trip or vacation you took, or that took place in a car with a sibling, etc.


- i.e. American Culture > food > special for birthdays = tell a story about
your birthday and the food that was served


Lesson 2: Similarities & Differences*
1. Student sharing/rereading of personal narratives and pen-pal narratives
2. Class discussion of similarities/differences in narratives
3. Introduce Venn Diagram
4. Complete model venn diagram as a class using I-do, We-do, You-do
approach
5. Synchronous or Asynchronous collaboration using Google Drive apps or
Skype to create complete venn diagram or complete further venn diagrams
for different narratives.
*This lesson can be completed after each exchange of narratives, or at the
conclusion of the exchange. It will depend on the time constraints of the
classroom, as well as the ability to arrange a synchronous meeting between both
classrooms.

*Extra Resources: Culture books, multimedia, etc. for kids

Summative Assessment:

The venn diagrams completed collaboratively by students will be the culminating
assessment for this global project alongside the group discussions and personal
narratives. The venn diagrams will convey a students depth of understanding of cultural
differences and similarities as determined through a global partnership. The venn
diagrams will include two parts, one completed by the student individually/with their
class, and the additions from working with their global counterpart. A rubric will be
delivered to score the venn diagrams. Additionally, students will fill out a self-evaluation
on how they exhibited global citizenship throughout the project.