This fall my students will participate in The Way We Are project. When looking for a telecollaborative project to use with my second grade students this year, many of the projects were too involved and required a significant amount of time. I originally considered a project similar to Flat Stanley, but I really wanted to create plans for a project that I would be more comfortable with and that required a reasonable amount of time. I think I've found the perfect fit for my first telecollaborative project.
The Way We Are (TWWA) project is a telecollaborative project available through the Global ePals program. Students will be partnered with another class, hopefully in another country. The purpose is to look at how people in different areas of the world are alike and different. Students will communicate with their ePals online through email. The ePals site has message boards where you can communicate with other teachers in order to find a good match between classes. The Way We Are project is an established program and many teachers are looking for a partner class. Each teacher's post has a flag representing their country, so you can use that to target particular countries.
This project has been very well-designed and has excellent, step-by-step lesson plans. Project calendars, accompanying documents, and rubrics are included. Essential questions, student objectives, project elements, and a culminating activity are also included. Everything you need in the way of planning is already completed for you! I've decided to take at least a month between project elements in order to give myself plenty of time to get things done. However, if we find we are completing the project ahead of schedule, I will consult with the participating teacher about changing the calendar dates. If we finish early, students could continue emailing for fun.
I have added a link to a Student Introduction Page which will introduce the students to the project, review some basic email and writing skills, and show a sample project done by a student participant of the project.
