This year, our schools will be participating in a project called
the Global Read Aloud. This project will start October 3rd and will run
for approximately 6 weeks. The idea behind it is very simple; teachers
around the world read the same book aloud to their students and then use
technology to share the reading experience with these other classrooms.
It is a free project and it fits perfectly into the standards we have to
cover.
During the project, the
students will be reading and connecting
with students around the world who are reading the same book. We will use
technology tools to facilitate these connections and conversations.
We are very excited to connect with others, especially since more than 600,000 students are already signed up to participate. This project will allow for our students to use technology tools in a meaningful way, as well as learn about other cultures, all while listening to a fantastic read aloud.
For the last week, sixth grade students had the opportunity to have a Google Hangout and Skype with classes from around the country.
Each class played a game to try to figure out where the other class was from. They had to ask yes or no questions to zero in on the state. After our Mystery Skype, students introduced their teacher, class, school, town, and state.
It was fun to meet new friends and learn about their state, town, and even differences in schools and states.
But, what everyone was the most interested in was discussing our Global Read Aloud book, Pax. Students shared their favorite characters and why, and made predictions and connections with real life. Everyone was so engaged in this process and excited to talk about our book. We will continue to "meet" up with our new friends, throughout the Global Read Aloud.
