Students' Blog

Here is the link you can find some tasks the students from Clarke Middle and Gustavo Barroso already done.

http://virtualtrip2006.blogspot.com/

The scripts are already!

This week I went to Clarke Middle almost everyday, except thursday. The students finished their scripts and start to memorize to help them film. Last friday we filmed two gruops: Brazil and the United States gruop. Also, when we arrived at school Ms. Gillis prepared all the enviroment. She is really fantastic and engaged.
We will film again this week to get the best students' performance. I am a little worried about Brazil's film because we need to edit the movie and exchange the final product. Also, the students from Clarke Middle will wait more two weeks to see Brazil's video. What are we going to do during these days?

NOVEMBER, 17TH, PREPARING THE SCRIPT

The students were continue searching and preparing their script. However, me and Deise gave to them some copies with instructions to their scripts. Now, they have to work with their group and put the news together on the script. Also, they need to calculate the time, because the whole broadcast can not exceed 7 minutes. Deise prepared the designers to choose their antrance and closure songs, the dresses, and the scenario. I was checking their searches, and giving feedback to their scripts.

NOVEMBER, 15TH, SEARCHING

The students started to work. They were looking for some information on the internet to compose their broadcast script. Some of them had some doubts about the theme, but me and Deise were scafollding them about it. We gave some suggestions to help them.
Also, Deise explained about what kind of script they have to work with.

NOVEMBER, 10TH, CHALLENGE

We started the challenge on the WebQuest:
"Hello, Reporter!
This month our Good Morning CMS broadcasting news will be presenting a new series about Peru, Mexico, the U.S. and Brazil, their features and their people. Your job is to collect information enough to compose a short documentary with 5 minutes length to be presented after six weeks. In groups of four, you and your team - a reporter, a researcher, a writer and a designer - must work together and prepare a short movie to be shot from now to one month! Every week you must read and accomplish a new task aiming to complete your news!"

We devided the students in four groups each team will search about one of the listed countries: Brazil, Mexico, Peru or the United States. The main purpose of this task is get information about society problems that contribute to be more distant from a utopian society. Also, the students can search some curiosity about those cultures to implement their broadcast.

NOVEMBER, 3TH, CONTINUING UTOPIA READING

We were sure that we failed last class, so we went today to continue reading and discussing the "Utopia" text. Me, Deise, Ms. Gillis, and the students had a sit on the ground. Every student read a sentence of the text. Later, we started to discuss about the text. We used the questions below to drive the discussion:
 What do you think about the language in this text? Was it easier or harder?
 What the most interesting part of the text in your opinion? Why?
 Considering your own social reality (living style, costumes, financial situation, etc), does the text resemble anything, does it make sense?
 What do you think is good, and what is bad in this society (Utopia)?
 According to your opinion, is it feasible to form a society like this one? Why yes, or why not?

The students had a great discussion. Also, we put the same questions on the smartboard. They had to answer those questions at home in a sheet of paper for the next class.

NOVEMBER, 1ST, INTRODUCING THE WEBQUEST

Deise started the class with a brief explanation about preconceptions and estereotypical ideas. Later, I introduced the WebQuest on the computer lab. The students entered on the WebQuest and some of them started the "Utopia" reading, but most of them were disturbing the class, because Ms. Gillis was not there, also three teachers were there with their students. The computer lab was crowded, and it was impossible to keep the students calmly.

OCTOBER, 30TH, BRAINSTORMING

The task was talk about Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and the United States. Me and Deise promoted a brainstorming to help the students discussing in a big group some ideas they had about those cultures. The students' participation was too much. Also they discussed interesting points about it. However, they did not know a lot of thinks about Peru, it was hard to them. We tried to coach and scaffold, but it does not worked. We did not finish to film them, but we will do it next class.

OCTOBER, 27TH, FIRST DAY

Me and Deise went to Clarke Middle School. The students were presenting their composition about themselves, because they wanted to introduce them to brazilian students. Me and Deise got some students pictures to publish on a blog with their composition. Later, we showed to them some PowerPoint slides and we talked a little bit about the purpose of the Project.

More observation

Last week we did not have nothing special, because the fourth grade students have the same good behavior. They do not have a lot of interest in classes. But, the students usually to do the tasks and discuss at classes. However, me and Deise have done a presentation about some brazilian elements, like music. Deise translated a samba song and we put the children to listen.

Visitation for observation

Last week I went to Clarke Middle School. It was really interesting, because the students were discussing about Economic and Political Systems like Comunism, Socialism and Capitalism. They described some characteristics about those Systems and listed some countries which used them.
Another day, last friday, the students did not have classes. They went to the school stadium and had a mexican party. The School prepared a kind of celebration about mexican culture. After some explanations, a mexican band started to play typical songs for that country, and the and they invited us (brazilians) to dance samba for everybody. The students gat so happy and started to dance with us. It was fantastic.

Proposal

Problem
Based on teacher’s argue, CM School has a lot of students from foreign countries. However, many native students do not live in harmony with them. They have prejudice, and do not respect foreigner people. The Social Studies’ teacher is trying to challenge her students to do a virtual trip in which they can see, and know some aspects important about culture, society and economic situation from listed places like United States (Athens), Brazil (Fortaleza), Mexico (Gualamajara), and Peru (Lima).
Curriculum: Social Studies Skills - Fourth Grade
MAP AND GLOBE SKILLS
1. use cardinal directions
2. use intermediate directions
3. use a letter/number grid system to determine location
4. compare and contrast the categories of natural, cultural, and political features found on maps
5. use inch to inch map scale to determine distance on map
6. use map key/legend to acquire information from, historical, physical, political, resource, product and economic maps
7. use a map to explain impact of geography on historical and current events
8. draw conclusions and make generalizations based on information from maps
9. use latitude and longitude to determine location
10. use graphic scales to determine distances on a map
11. compare maps of the same place at different points in time and from different perspectives to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human activities
12. compare maps with data sets (charts, tables, graphs) and /or readings to draw conclusions and make generalizations

Schedule Draft:
September:
08 - Class observation, prediction about Brazil's features
15 - Class observation
22 - Class observation
29 - Understanding North and South America through maps
October:
06 - Webquest + map activity about United States
13 - Webquest + map activity about Mexico
20 - Webquest + map activity about Peru
27 - Webquest + map activity about Brazil
Social Resp. / Multiculturalism
I will try to motivate the students to investigate economical, social and cultural aspects from listed places, to improve their knowledge, and make them reflexive persons, inputting some values like respect.
Group Composition
Daniele Facundo and Deise Pequeno

Scenario

i. Context
I will offer a multicultural course module for fourth grade students about the United States (Athens), Brazil (Fortaleza), Mexico (Guadalajara), and Peru (Lima), because, according to their teacher, the students from CM School do not value or respect people from foreign countries. Consequently, I will challenge them to investigate some worthwhile characteristics and problems about cultural, social, and economic aspects in these places. By doing so, I hope the students will learn some ethical values like respect for people in other cultures.
ii. Relevant Principle
The principle of learning that I have chosen is the sociocultural perspective because the students can construct meanings by interacting with the social environment and context. First of all, the students can do a virtual trip using webquest to find information about those places. By having opportunities to interact with students from other cultures and to discuss their cultures, students will learn respect for their foreign classmates
iii. Application Strategy
Based on the Sociocultural principle of learning, the strategy is to develop students’ abilities in perception, reflection, and critical discussion.
A. I will conduct a task analysis to reflect with teachers from CM School about prejudice against foreign students in that school.
B. I will design a project that requires students to search about the listed places, while they have to solve a challenge in the web quest which I will elaborate.
C. I will make lesson plans to show them a lot of worthwhile aspects from those places and to help them understand how important it is to know about different cultures and to live with respect.
D. At the end of the project, the students will write a composition describing their trips and reflecting on cultural problems. By doing so, they will begin to value diversity, which will help them to respect students from different cultures.

Classroom's Observation

Last friday, 09/08 I went to Clarke Middle School. I arrived there about 11 am, because I had a Ms. Gills's feedback by email. Then, I had lunch with her, and her childrens there. After this, I talked to Ms. Gills about the project. She got surprised, at the same time she loved my and Deise ideas. So, I went to the fourth grade classroom and indroduced myself for the children. Also, I spent 50 minutes talking about Brazil, because the children started to asked me a lot of questions. Finally, I had defined the project with the teacher, at the same time I got close to fourth grade students. It was a great experience.

School's meeting

Last friday (Sep, 1rt, 2006) I visited Clark Middle School. I have met two teachers, who teachs history and the other one teachs life science. I decided to work my project with Deise Pequeno and we are thinking about a project that makes a conexion between Brazil X USA. Then, after the brazilian students introduced themselves, we started to talk about our ideas. The history's teacher is interested in teach some geographic and cultural aspects from South America, specially Brazil. At the same time she wants to teach the same categories about United States, specially Georgia. So, I think me and Deise can do a link with her.