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A Thematic Literature Collaborative Internet Project
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| The purpose, objective, or focus of the learning experience: | ||||||
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The "Winter Wonderland" project is a collaborative Internet activity that showcases work created by students involving books having a winter theme. The project, which was hosted by my second grade class, involved thirty-three second grade classes from schools throughout the United States, Canada, and one from Russia. Each class selected a book that would be the focus of their activities, and submitted their finished materials to Mrs. Silverman for publishing on a project web site. The finished web site, which can be viewed at http://members.aol.com/Winter2nd is a colorful, multi-media display of the work of the participants.
This project was designed to be strongly supportive of the English Language Arts Learning Standards, with secondary tie-ins to Arts, Technology, and Social Studies standards. The following standards and performance indicators were the principle targets for this project:
- English Language Arts Standard 2 - Speaking and Writing
Language for Literary Response and Expression
Performance Indicator: Students create their own stories, poems, and songs using the elements of literature they have read and appropriate vocabulary.
- English Language Arts Standard 4 - Reading and Writing
Language for Social Interaction
Performance Indicator: Students exchange friendly notes, cards, and letters with friends, relatives, and penpals to keep in touch and to commemorate special occasions.
Performance Indicator: Students adjust their vocabulary and style to take into account the nature of the relationship and the knowledge and interests of the person receiving the message.
Although the primary focus of this project was on English Language Arts, the online collaborative aspect provided strong tie-ins with the lower primary Social Studies and Technology curricula. The participation of classes covering a wide geographic profile was a perfect opportunity to learn map skills. Inter-class feedback via electronic mail, and assessment of the activities that their peers had performed in other communities supported the use of technology for collaboration.
This activity, or activities modeled after this project, is an excellent starting point for teachers and schools who are relatively new to technology. The only special skills that are required for success in this project are basic competency with electronic mail, and knowledge of how to use a Web browser.
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