Partnership Lesson #2

Essential Question:

What can I learn about the teachers and students at our partner school through well formed questions?

Introduction:

Students will share their Microsoft Word introductory documents with students at their partner school. From these introductory documents students write questions for students at their partner school. The questions will be asked during an upcoming web- conference.

Learning Outcomes:

Students will respond to partner school student introductions with meaningful follow-up questions.

Students will develop relationship with students at a partner school through written exchange and web-conference.

Classroom Time Required:

90 - 120 minutes

Materials Needed:

• Handouts: (2) Getting to Know You, Questions for Web Conference
• Atlases or Internet
• Index cards or paper
• Copies of student Introductions (if computers are not available)

• Technology Required: One Internet accessible computer per student or student pair - this allows students to access hyperlinks.

Pre-activities:

Create introductory projects (See Lesson 1). 


Very Important: Send digital copies of introductions to partner school prior to this lesson! Because there are numerous files and some may be quite large consider sharing student work using box.net. Please go to www.box.net to get instructions for free sharing and accessing of files.

Lesson:

Part 1 - Share! 


1. Tell students about the upcoming web-conference. Explain the purpose of the web conference which is to introduce yourself and ask questions that you may have about your partner school’s students, culture and/or country. Today’s lesson is to prepare students for the web-conference. 

2. Use atlases or the internet to find the location of your partner school. Share, or research together, background information about your partner school’s city, country, geography, school, transportation, holidays, food, culture, etc. 

3. Using the Getting to Know You handout, have students write down questions they may have about the partner school’s city, country, geography, school, culture, etc. 

4. Read introductions sent from partner school. If possible, read the introductions on the computer. If this is not possible you will need to print out student introductions ahead of time.
   • For small groups of students: Have each student read all introductions shared.
   • For large groups of students: Divide into groups. Each group will be asked to read approximately ten introductions. Create a chart to assure that no student is omitted. If time permits, students can read other introductions. 

5. While reading the introductions, students should complete the “Getting to Know You” handout. Rotate throughout the room to keep students on task.




Part 2 - Prepare!



The goal for this portion of the lesson is to prepare questions for the upcoming web- conference. Specifically, the goal is to have between 10-17 questions from each school prepared for the web conference. Questions can be about any topic that interests students and should be directed towards one or two particular student(s). Please use the student introductions as inspiration for questions. 



Below are the detailed steps suggested as a process to come up with the strongest questions. This process is especially helpful when working with a large number of students.

1. Divide students into groups of four. 

2. Hand out ten index cards per group. 

3. In groups of four, have students share and then choose what they consider to be the best / most interesting questions generated for each student at their partner school. Write the selected questions on a index cards. Using the following format: 

   • Question for: 

   • Written by:

   • Question:

4. Have students share and then choose what they consider to be the best / most interesting questions generated about the partner school’s city, country, geography, school, culture, etc. 

5. Gather the questions written on index cards. Reorganize the index cards into piles where all of the questions for a specific student are in the same pile. 

6. Redistribute the questions so each group of four receives one pile (or all of the questions generated for one specific student).

7. Have students read each question and choose their top three. Label the top three questions #1, #2, #3. 

8. Collect all questions. Outside of class go through the top questions. Create a master list of the question to be asked and who will ask the question. Try to get as many different students asking questions as possible. 

9. After the lesson, contact the students whose questions were selected. Ask if they would be willing to ask their question during the upcoming web-conference. If they are, give them the Questions for Web-Conference handout. 

10. Students should fill in the Questions for Web-Conference form and submit the completed form to their teacher by the specified date.

11. Read over student work and make suggestions. 

12. After improvements have been made, arrange a time to meet with the selected students to practice and rehearse what they will say during the upcoming web conference. 

13. PLEASE NOTE: There may not be time to ask all of the prepared questions during the upcoming web conference. Please make students aware that although we will try our best, their question may not be asked. Therefore, please order your questions by importance and/or student interest. 

14. Develop and share a draft agenda for the upcoming web-conference.

Assessment:

Continuously circulate throughout the room and have students share the questions they have generated. Request that students modify and improve questions when necessary.

Modifications:

Prepare:

Special needs students who need a copy of the notes could write fewer facts and questions per student. Additionally, it would help them to have a paper with the names of the students they will read about already filled in.

Share:

Some students may be shy and/or reluctant to share during the web-conference. Try to encourage these students as much as possible. If necessary find other students whose questions were not selected and ask them if they wouldn't mind sharing the selected questions.