Who-Am-I? Items
Supporting Interpersonal Communication Skills
Training
Verbal/Nonverbal
communication. Active listening. Expressing feelings; giving feedback (without
blaiming), and receiving feedback (dialogue to understand). Answering in
own words, in own pictures, or a combination of words or pictures, so that
their message comes loud and clear.
Introduce your class or group to those who are
participating in our program module. Include your school or group name, number
of students, your town, village or city and country.
(question 1)
Construct a life-sized collage with the names of
the students in your class. Send a picture of it to your online friends.
Construct a smaller collage with the printed pictures sent by your online
friends. Ask your online friends about the special punctuation marks in their
names. Practice writing some of their names.
(activity 1)
Interview your parents
and ask them how your name was given. Who decided and why? What is the meaning
of your name and how was your name decided? Do any relatives have your name?
What is the history of your name? What is the symbol of your name? Is there
an interesting story about your name? What are your parents' feelings about
your name? Add a photograph of yourself to the interview if you like and
share it with your class and by email with the students from other classes
participating in the program module.
(activity 7)
Do you know any ethnic dances? Do you have to
wear special costumes for these dances? Share them with your group and take
pictures of the costumes and dances. Make recordings of the music. Construct
a web page with pictures of the costumes and dances. Insert sound files with
the music, you may add diagrams of the dances or even a movie file with the
dance so everyone can enjoy. Share this page with the students participating
in the program module. Ask your online friends about their dances and costumes.
(activity 9)
When you are in the real world trying to get
a job, you have to compete with other people wanting the same position. Simulate
a real world situation: Every class will publish online different job positions
available in their imaginary companies. State the requirements for the position.
Everyone in your classroom and in your online classroom can send their
applications stating why they are the best candidates. Choose a person to
be the interviewer for each job position. This person will decide which applicant
is the most suitable for the job and will recommend him or her.
(activity 2)
Imagine you can change
anything you want, what would you change? Write an essay explaining the things
that make you worry about your family, your school and your country today
and how would you like these things to be in the future. Send your essay
to the list to share your ideas with the rest of the students participating
in this program module.
(activity 2)
Create a drawing that
expresses your vision of a better future. Send this picture by email to your
online classmates and ask them to do the same for you. Print and label the
drawings with the name and country of each artist. Design a giant poster
with all the printed drawings.
(activity 6)
When we are sad or
confused, we just need a word of encouragement from a friend. You are all
part of the "global community". Good friends love and protect each other.
You know how your friends want the world to be better. What can you do to
help them make the world better?
(question 3)
What do you have to
do now to make the world better? Take in consideration your community, your
country and the whole world community and their problems. Write an essay
expressing your ideas and your feelings toward having a better future for
all. Make a real commitment. Send your essay to the list of students
participating in the program module. Print some of your favorite essays and
organize them in a folder to share with your community and your family. Enlist
their help in shaping a better future for all.
(activity 2)
Find what are the
endangered animals in your region, make a web page with the names and pictures
of the animals. Explain why those animals are endangered. Invite the other
students participating in the program module to visit your page. Ask them
for suggestions that could help to minimize this situation. Add their ideas
to your web page.
(activity 7)
Think of ways in which
the education you get and the way you treat others could help you make the
world a better place to live. Send your ideas by email to the list of students
participating in the program module. Ask the other students participating
in the program module to share similar lists with you. Create a booklet of
ideas using the information from all the lists. Print and distribute the
booklets in your class.
(activity 8)
Introduce your class or group to those who are
participating in our project. Include your school or group name, number of
students, your town, village or city and country. Find your latitude and
longitude and GMT factor as well. There are resources to help you on our
Resources page.
(question 1)
In your country would visitors find volcanoes,
waterfalls, glaciers, castles, mountains or deserts? Describe them for us.
(question 15)
Are there historical places of interest near
the place where you live? Describe them and tell why they are important to
the history of your area.
(question 18)
Are there famous heroes from your area? Tell
us who they are and why they are admired. Who is your hero? What does it
mean to be a hero? (question
19)
Plan a website or display board with your teacher
about your school, town or country.
(activity 5)
Maps give us opportunities to show information
about something. You could make a map of the world showing continents and
outlines of countries. You could also make a map of your town, school or
even your room! For this project make a map of your area. Include research
as you create your map and list your sources. Give a presentation of your
map to your class.Use color or shading to show any of the following:
Create a timeline with your online friends and
identify important events that happened in your countries. Select at least
4 important things that happened and put it on the line. Select one as old
as you can possibly find, one or two important and one or two close in time.
(activity 7)
Do you have recreational places for kids in your
city with organized fun activities? Tell us about them. What are your favorite
activities? (question
14)
What kind of food should your keypal expect to
eat while we're talking and visiting the people in your city? Are there local
recipes that are favorites? Please share the recipes with us.
(question 16)
What are the main
occupations of the parents of the students in your group? How can you find
out? As a class, brainstorm ways to get this information. Share it with our
group and then compare the results with those in our project. Why do you
think there are differences? What does this tell you about your village,
town or city? (activity
1)
Talk to mom, dad, extended family members, neighbors
and friends and gather recipes that are specific to your region. Make a recipe
book to share with other classes and our project participants.
(activity 3)
Plan an 'International Dinner' to be held at
the end of this online project. Gather recipes from the participants in our
project and include them in the menu. Form teams now to plan the event.
Planning team - (includes your class teacher)
decides when and where the dinner will be held, who will attend and establishes
other teams for the distribution of responsibilities. Finds parent volunteers
to help with the event.
Decorations team - prepares table and room
decorations
Setup Team - arranges the room, tables etc.
Food Team - makes sure a variety of foods are
selected for the menu and recruits student volunteers who will cook the recipes.
Entertainment Team - plans multicultural games,
'quiz shows' and music for the evening.
Publicity Team - creates invitations for the
dinner, posters, arranges for photos, etc.
Research Team - helps classmates find resources
for their chosen country while planning the music, food, entertainment.
Clean up Team - helps tidy the area when the
dinner event is over.
(activity 4)
Make a bulletin board display about special people
or places in your city, town or country.
(activity 7)
Write a persuasive letter encouraging your online
friends to visit your city. Be sure to support your position with details.
(activity 9)
You have been asked to come up with a suggestion
for new jobs in your area. What kind of jobs do you think could be created?
Why? How would you plan to create them and put them to reality? Share with
the others in the project how you will accomplish that. Make a 'Help Wanted'
page for a newspaper in your area with these new job descriptions.
(activity 11)
Do you have very important tests during the year
that all students must take? Tell us about them.
(question 6)
Arrange for a
Kidlink Chat meeting and discuss
education. Compare notes on the weather, the animals that teach you, subjects
you like and other things that educate you.
(activity 6)
Plan how you are going to maintain life-long
learning. Write an essay or a letter to the others in the project on how
you plan to keep yourself educated throughout life. What learning methods
are you going to use? Will the media (Newspapers, TV, radio, Internet, etc.)
help you to continue learning? Tell the others about media that you think
would be helpful. If they are on the Internet make sure you send a link to
it for the others to see.
(activity 7)
Does your area or country have a legend or folklore
that you know? Share it with the group.
(question 4)
Do you think that there is a prejudice in your
area? How would you define prejudice? Share experiences of prejudice, when
you felt it and when you showed prejudice if you have.
(question 7)
We know that people
in the global village have different opinions and argue. How can we share
different opinions in a positive way?
(question 10)
You have been asked to create a little town for
people from 5 different countries. Choose the countries and include your
own nationality. How would you communicate now that you have all a different
native language? What will you do about your different culture?
(question 11)
Do you intend to invent a new language? Use one
of the 5 languages that the people speak? How are you going to convince the
people that they should speak at least one common language? Is it good to
have it that way? Do you know of situations in history where this became
an important issue?
(question 15)
Tell us something about your place/area/country
by writing a poem. If there are poems from your area share them with the
others. You could even find a song from your area and share it as a midi
file. (activity 1)
Interview an older person in your family or community
and ask them to tell you about their home when they were your age. Share
with us their stories. How is life different today? What topics might you
compare? What would you like that wouldn't have changed? Could things have
been changed in a better way?
(activity 2)
Design puppets and create a puppet show to compare
the differences between life today and life as your grandparents lived it
years ago. Take the information you found for activity 3 and share it visually
in a puppet show.
(activity 3)
Are there certain celebrations in your area/country?
How are they and why are they? Do you have a national day? What should it
remind you about? Do you like it? Would you like to have more such days or
less? Share with the others in the project your traditions on celebrations.
(activity 4)
Create your own special place on the
KidSpace so others will
recognize it as something that is a part of you. This space can be as much
like your room, your house or your city as you want it to be.
(activity 7)
Create a web page for
your new town. How would you like to introduce it on the Internet? Ask people
to visit your site and add a guestbook and/or pages where you put comments
from others. (activity
8)
Draw a costume that is a special costume for
your new town and share the picture on a web page or send it to the others
in the project.
(activity 9)
Did you make a new language for your town? Create
a dictionary and share it with the others on a web page or by e-mail to the
project. (activity
10)
Write a descriptive essay and tell others about
your new global village.
(activity 11)
Take a few minutes and write an introduction
of your class. Tell us about your city, your school and your class.
(activity 1)
Make a survey of what rights the students in
your classroom think they have. Make an analysis of the result, and discuss
possible reasons for differences in opinion.
(activity 2)
Groups "introduce" their ideal child to the class
and explain the qualities and needs that each listed.
(activity 4)
"Adopt" one of the other students participating
in the project and introduce him or her to their new life in your family.
(question 7)
Research the meaning of your name. Talk to your
parents and ask them why they gave you the name they did. Share your findings
in class. (activity 1)
Think of some things that are small enough to
fit into a shoebox that describe you. If you like to draw you might put a
box of crayons or inkpens in your "shoebox." If you like music you would
put your favorite CD. Bring your shoebox and contents to school and share
with your classmates. Make a list of the items you would put in your shoebox
and send it to the mailing
list.(activity 3)
Arrange for a Kidspace
discussion. Debate the concept of open adoption with another class. Decide
ahead of time which school will be the affirmative and which the negative.
Arrange for two students from each class to be the judges. (activity 4)
Make a puppet out of an old sock. Decorate it
to show what you look like. Display the puppets for all to see at your school.
(activity 7)
Each student writes on separate pieces of paper
one positive thing about every other student in the class. The teacher collects
the slips of paper and gathers all the positive statements about each student.
The positive statements are sorted by child and typed on one sheet. These
lists of positive qualities are then given to the appropriate student. Enjoy
a snack together as everyone receives their
list.(activity 8)
Get a partner from your class. Use a handkerchief.
Have your partner blindfold you. Do this for one hour at school. Reverse
the rolls. Write about how you felt being blindfolded and what you missed
the most. (activity 1)
Make your own "Braille alphabet" using small
round cereals, rice or beans. Glue the pieces on grid paper to make the alphabet.
Make a phrase with your alphabet and ask your classmates to decipher your
message. (activity 6)
Design posters to help
improve attitudes toward children with disabilities. Display them in your
classroom and school.
(activity 8)
Do kids in some countries
have more freedoms to express their opinion? Ask your friends in this project
from other countries what kinds of decisions they are able to make for
themselves. (question 4)
Are there strategies that help us express our
opinions in a positive and nonthreatening way? Ask other participants what
strategies worked for
them.(question 9)
As a class brainstorm a list of issues and
circumstances for which kids would like to have some input. Divide your list
into three areas: home, school, community. Break into small groups and plan
ways that your ideas can be heard. Share these with the class.
(activity 1)
Role play situations
where kids are presenting their ideas to adults. Be convincing. Support your
suggestions with valid information.
(activity 2)
Arrange to meet another class on Kidlink's chat
network and discuss some of these questions.
(activity 3)
Think of something
that you believe should be changed in your town. Write a letter to the editor
of the local newspaper or your elected official.
(activity 4)
Use watercolor or any type of paint and design
a poster for your room asking the other members in your house to respect
your privacy. Make it *positive*, not negative.
(activity 4)
Write a poem that tells your parents what rights
you think you should have at your home.
(activity 5)
Who looks after you when you are ill? Talk to
you parents and make a list of your childhood illnesses and when you had
them. Make a booklet about your 'Medical History' and write about how you
were taken care of and how you felt when you were sick.
(activity 1)
Write an essay, "If I Were in Charge of the
School..." Post to the listserv.
(activity 2)
Zlata (10), who lived all throughout a war in
Yugoslavia,
told
her story to Kidlink kids on Kidlink's
chat network. Read and discuss her
experiences as a class.
(activity 4)
Prepare a debate on how much the minimum wage
should be for kids who are old enough to work. Use the Kidlink Kidspace
environment for the debate and invite other schools to watch or take part.
(activity 2)
Read what others say about their schools. Tell
them what you think about their school and ask for clarification about things
you don't understand. Is there something in the schools that others have
that you don't have? Would you like to have it?
(activity 3)
Write a haiku that
tells your principal one thing you would like to have in your school but
you don't have. Illustrate your haiku using your favorite medium.
(activity 4)
If you had to be denied two of the rights on
your list which two would you choose? Tell the group
why.(question 3)
Use a Web search engine and learn more about
countries where children do not have many rights. Share your findings with
our group. (question 8)
Write your own 'Kids' Bill of Rights'
Divide your class into small groups and decide
on 10 things that all young people everywhere should have. Write these on
a large sheet of paper.
Display your chart and explain it to the rest
of the class. Do you have all the things on your Bill? What prevents you
from having them?
Make one "Kids' Bill of Rights" for your class.
Make a banner with the Bill of Rights and display
it in the classroom.
(activity 1)
Make a collage or drawing using chalk, watercolors,
or ink that shows what you think your 10 most important rights are. Display
these art works for all in your school to see.
(activity 2)
Discuss your responsibilites to your school.
As a class, agree on one responsibility that can be improved. Do a project
that will help this responsibility become a reality.
(activity 6)
Prepare an assembly
for your school about your Bill of Rights. Invite the media to come and film
your performance and write about you in the local newspapers.
(activity 8)
Volunteer to visit other classrooms in your school
and talk to the students about the rights of all children.
(activity 9)
Write articles for your school newsletter and
community newspaper about children's rights.
(activity 10)
Ask to speak to community groups about your 'What
Are My Rights?' work.
(activity 11)
Would you consider
having a friend with another skin colour than your own? Do you think this
would cause a problem for you? Tell us why or why not. How could you solve
such a problem? (question
7)
Divide into 3 groups and make a new list
with the 6 most important words from your group based on your individual
lists. Write the words from the 3 groups on the blackboard. Then the whole
group or class has to make a list of the 6 most important words.
(activity 1)
How do you resolve disputes? Do you try to avoid
people you disagree with? Do you find that listening carefully for what the
other person really wants and needs can help?
(question 11)
Make an individual list of causes of disputes
among friends. Work out a list together, based on what each of you have written.
(activity 1)
Make a short role play about bullying
where 4-5 actors take part. Decide in the group how your play shall end...
with a happy or sad ending. Write the text and send it to the list. Print
out the role plays which you receive by e-mail and play them in class. Let
us know what you think about the plays you have received by
e-mail.(activity 3)
First impressions are not always correct. After
we get to know a person well we can sometimes see good things about them
that we didn't see right away. Think of a person who was not at all what
you thought he or she was when you first met him or her. Share these experiences
with your class in small group sessions.
(activity 5)
Write a skit for a puppet show where 2 puppet
friends are disputing because one friend broke a promise to the other.
(activity 6)
Sometimes friends must forgive each other to
settle disputes. Draw a picture of what "forgiveness" looks like.
(activity 7)
Divide your class into small groups and discuss
times in your favorite TV shows where people settled their disputes. What
did they do to settle them? What were their strategies? Add your own ideas
for ways to settles disputes and present the ideas of your small group to
your whole class. (activity
8)
In groups, talk about memories of people that
were important to you and died. Please write down your thoughts about losing
a family member or a friend. Even if this hurts, try to tell us all about
it. Describe how he/she was (face, smile, words... ), what you remember most,
your feelings and thoughts when you first heard, what you have done to overcome
the sorrow and pain, and how you feel today. Write it as a story or a poem.
Please remember to send your texts to the list.
(activity 1)
Gather pictures and other reminders of your loved
ones and make a Memory Book. Prepare the Memory Book in class and share it
with your classmates.
(activity 2)
If you have a favorite toy, gift or article from
your loved one who died, bring it to class and talk about why this object
is special to you. (activity
3)
Pretend you have lost
a loved one in an accident caused by someone. Write a letter to this person
and express how you feel.
(activity 5)
Do you think young people should have
responsibilities in their family? Can you expect that adults do all the work
at the home? Why not or why? Be prepared to defend your answer with reasons.
(question 3)
How do you negotiate with your "employers"
- parents? Include some tips for those who would like to get better paid...
and send them to the e-mail list.
(question 10)
Do a survey of your class and find out what place
in the family birth order each student holds. Place yourself into three groups:
the oldest, the middle children and the youngest. Each group discusses what
the advantages or disadvantages of these positions and then presents this
to the whole class. Be sure to share these ideas on your module's mailing
list. (activity 1)
In small groups brainstorm the roles of the father,
mother, children and grandparents or other family members who live with you.
Make a display board with pictures that define these roles.
(activity 2)
As a class group define together some of the
roles that you have in a family. Include such things as: caregiver for pets,
babysitter for younger siblings, etc.
(activity 3)
Divide the class into
smaller groups of boys and girls. List all the chores that you have to do
in your home. Report these to the whole class. Use a Venn diagram or other
graphic organizer to list these chores. Which chores are done by boys and
girls? Which chores are done mostly by boys? Which chores are done mostly
by girls? (activity 4)
Write a persuasive
letter to your parents asking for more allowance or pay for your chores.
Be sure to include at least three valid reasons to persuade them.
(activity 5)
Plan a debate titled, "Every Family Should Have
Rules." Chose the side you will favor - Pro or Con.
(activity 6)
Create a "Family Rules" guideline for your family
when you are older and have children of your own. Share these on the module's
mailing list. (activity
7)
Make a survey about how much it costs to provide
for an average family in one week in your class. Talk to your parents and
make a list of all expenses including food, mortgage, phone, insurance, car,
petrol, movie, sweets etc.
(activity 10)
Make a survey in your class about the number
of people who work at home or somewhere else, what kind of work they do and
what they get paid every week or month.
(activity 11)
Write some rules you think would be necessary
to improve things in your classroom. Vote and choose in your class which
are the most important rules. Put the rules chosen in a list in your classroom
for everybody to remember. Try to follow the rules for a week. Tell us what
happened. (activity 12)
What family holidays does your family celebrate?
How do you celebrate them? Do you have special meals or gatherings? Do you
sing special songs and wear special clothes? Do you play special games at
these celebrations? Tell us about your holidays on the mailing list for this
module. (question 1)
Send a short voice file (10 seconds) to some
of your new friends. Use the sound recorder in Windows if you use that platform
and send the file as an attachment to e-mail.
(activity 2)
Plan a festival, just
as you would like it to be, and describe it to your on-line friends. Invite
us to your party, tell us about what you'd like us to eat and what kind of
traditions you have. Will there be stories told or will you sing special
songs? Will there be dancing perhaps? Will you make special decorations?
Tell us about it...
(activity 3)
What do we mean when we say "my roots?" Have
you ever made a family tree? When you make one you start with yourself. Introduce
yourself to the rest of the students who are doing this module with us by
telling us a little about yourself. Tell us your name, your place and year
of birth. Were you baptized in a church or in some religious ceremony? Ask
mom, dad or your grandparents to tell you about the ceremony. Relate the
story to us on our listserv for this module.
(question 1)
What was happening in the world during the month
you were born? Search the web to find out. Tell us some of the interesting
things that were going on in the world. Ask your online friends who are doing
this module with you to tell us what events were taking place in the world
when they were born. (question
2)
Are there special naming traditions in your family?
Share them with us on the mailing list.
(question 5)
Ask your parents to describe the first home
you lived in. Are you still living in that home? Ask your parents to tell
you how it is different from the house where they grew up.
(question 9)
Have you ever found any old books, diaries or
treasures in your attic that tell you more stories about your ancestors?
Tell us what you have found.
(question 11)
What are some important events in your life so
far? Write them down and describe them for all of us.
(question 13)
Have you moved from the city where you were born?
When did you move? Do you know why you moved? Ask your parents to tell you
about the places that you can't remember because you were too little when
you left. (question 14)
Do you have brothers or sisters? Tell us about
them. How old are they? Do they live in your city or have they moved away?
Are any of them married? Do they have children?
(question 15)
An heirloom is a valued family possession
that has been handed down from generation to generation. Ask your parents
if there are any very special heirlooms in your family. Tell us about them.
Do you have any possessions that you love that you think you would like to
see handed down to your children and their children's children? What is this
possession that you have that is very important to you? Describe it to us,
when you received it, or perhaps made it, and why it has great value to you.
(question 25)
During the eight weeks of this module you will
make a Family Tree. Begin to gather information for your Family
Tree by asking relatives for names, birth dates and birthplaces of members
of your family. Gather your information and any pictures you might have in
a folder. Collect important information about relatives that you would like
to add to your Family Tree. As a class brainstorm some questions that you
can ask your mom, dad, grandparents and relatives. Share these questions
with the rest of us in this module.
(activity 2)
Pretend that you can go backward in time. You
are having a conversation with a relative who lived a long time ago. What
would you say to him or her? Write your conversations as a skit or play.
Find a partner in your class who will take the part of your older relative
and perform your play.
(activity 3)
Celebrate "Grandparents Day" and invite your
grandparents to come to school. Sing songs, write poems, make paintings for
them and honor them with a festivity. Invite them to tell a story to the
class from the days when they were young.
(activity 7)
Make a cassette recording or video tape of an
interview or sharing time with an older relative. Perhaps they will tell
some stories to share with your classmates.
(activity 9)
Why do you think people move from one country
or part of the world to another? List your reasons and give examples in history.
Share this with us on the mailing list.
(question 1)
Have you ever been to the country where your
ancestors lived? When did you go? Did you live there? Describe the place
for us on our mailing list and ask the other kids in our module to do the
same. (question 8)
Ask the other kids in our module where they think
they would like to live if they had a choice.
(question 9)
Do you ever feel that your culture is under attack?
Do you feel that your culture is changing or losing its identity because
it is assimilating elements from other cultures? Share these concerns and
ask the other students in our mailing list how they feel.
(question 12)
Divide your class into groups and brainstorm
the reasons why people leave a country and why people want to stay in a country.
Display your reasons on a chart in your classroom. Place flags on a world
map to identify countries where a large number of people are leaving their
homeland today. Identify countries where people want to go when they flee.
(activity 1)
Take a survey of the students in your classroom
and find out how many have moved to your area from another city or country.
Ask them how they were accepted when they arrived in their new home. Was
it an easy transition? Graph the information you find. Share the results
with the module mailing list.
(activity 3)
Pretend that you are one of your ancestors who has moved to a far
away country. Write a letter to one of your family members back "home" and
tell about your journey. What means of travel did you take? How long was
the trip? What hardships did you have to endure?
(activity 4)
Are there holidays or festivals in your town
that reflect the cultures of other people who have moved to your area? List
and describe them for a bulletin board display.
(activity 5)
Learn a dance, song or game from another culture
and teach it to your classmates.
(activity 6)
As you continue to work on your Family Tree gather
as much information about each relative as you can. Try to include birthdate,
place of birth, wedding date, children, their birthdates and deaths. Include
remarriages of those who have been widowed or divorced. Start with your immediate
family and continue back as far as you can gain information. You will need
lots of help from your parents and any older living relatives.
(activity 7)
Who are the oldest living relatives in your family
on your dad's side and on your mom's side of the family? Where do they live?
Can you make contact with them in person, by postal mail, e-mail or by telephone?
Tell us a little about these people. Where were they born? What language
do they speak? (question
1)
Ask these relatives what their neighborhood looked
like when they were your age. Share the description with all of us. If you
cannot find a relative who remembers what life was like many years ago perhaps
there are others in your community who can talk to you about life in years
past. (question 2)
How many people lived in your area 50-100 years
ago? Ask your relatives or a librarian to help you find this information.
Search the web to find countries ranked by population, population growth,
and projected growth . How has the population of your country grown since
1950? How is it projected to grow for the next 25 to 50 years?
(question 3)
What kinds of jobs were available in your area
50 years ago? Ask your relatives to describe some of them. What new technologies
have developed in recent years that were not around when your oldest living
relatives were seeking jobs?
(question 8)
Ask your mom, dad or older relatives to describe
a typical school day when they were younger. How is it different from your
school day? Which would you prefer?
(question 9)
Ask your parents or grandparents if they remember
when the TV and radio came. How did it change their lives? How do you think
they lived without these inventions? Share your feelings on this topic with
your online friends.
(question 11)
Write a letter to a relative far back in your
history. In this letter tell them how your area has changed over the years.
If you can, describe the places where they lived as they look today.
(activity 1)
Make a graph of the population growth of your
area since 1950. Write an analysis of this graph. What do the figures show?
How has this effected your country? Discuss the changes in your cities and
the environment because of it.
(activity 2)
If possible arrange a family trip to visit a
place where your ancestors lived, a graveyard or a house where you lived
at one time. Take a camera and share the pictures with your classmates.
(activity 8)
Think back to the times when you sat down with
your older relatives and they told you stories. What are your most favorite
memories of these times? Share some of those stories with us. When others
on the mailing list share their stories don't hesitate to make comments or
ask questions. Encourage each other and tell each other when you like what
they share. (question 1)
How can family members support each other as
they grow into adulthood? Ask your parents if they think it was easier to
be a kid when they were young or if they think it is easier for you in today's
world. (question 7)
What family traditions does your family have
that you would like to see passed down to future generations? Explain them
to us on the mailing list. Have you started any new traditions in your family
recently that will be passed down?
(question 10)
Take a story that an older relative has told you, write it on special
paper, illustrate it and design an appropriate cover. Display the stories
in your class. (activity
2)
Imagine you have to design a new logo for your
country (or for another country). You can include anything you think represents
your country, but try not to include flags or other national symbols. Draw
or paint your designs and have a discussion to decide which logo suits your
country the best. Use
KidCom
to see if you can design a logo with someone in another school or to talk
about the symbols you have chosen.
(activity 9)
What do we mean when we talk about a virtual
vacation? Did you ever go on such a vacation? Can you imagine how it is to
travel without leaving home? Introduce yourself to the rest of us and tell
us a little about yourself. Tell us your name and age, where you live, how
long you have lived there and if you were born there. Send this information
to the mailing list for information.
(question 1)
If any of you know someone in the travel industry
you might like to invite them to the school to tell you about what to show
your visitors. If you live in a town you can ask the mayor or perhaps a mom
or a dad could come to the school to talk about your area.
(activity 2)
Write an invitation: You can write a letter and
send it to the mailing list or you can make a poster with pictures and text
about your area, scan it and send it to the list. Or you can make a Webpage
with the information you have gathered. Perhaps you would like to make a
videotape and send to those interested in making a visit. A postcard, a
photograph or a picture would surely be welcome. You can draw pictures in
the computer or on paper.
(activity 4)
After having sent your invitation, write to the
mailing list and ask others if the information you gave them is clear enough.
If anyone needs more information about your place, find it and post it to
the list. (activity 6)
Work in groups of four and look the invitations
through. Do you all agree? How do you solve a disagreement? Do you vote?
Are there other ways for you to reach a decision?
(activity 1)
E-mail requests to the mailing list for further
information about places on the invitations, discuss with your new friends
what you could do and if you have a request ask if it is possible to fulfil
it. (activity 5)
Choose a place for your virtual vacation. Discuss
why you would choose this particular place for your vacation. Find the place
on the map and put a flag there. Find out about the
latitude and
longitude of the place you have chosen.
(activity 6)
What about the Internet? I am sure you will be
able to find many interesting resources about countries there! Write to the
mailing list and discuss with others how to choose a country to travel to.
Ask the kids that wrote the invitations, if you want more information. Use
the mailing list. (activity
9)
Prepare to present your choice to your class.
When all have prepared their presentations, every group presents its choice
to the class and the class discusses which place they think is the most exciting
to visit. Find out from your budget if you can afford to go to this place.
Then cast your votes.
(activity 11)
Search the web to find out about the weather
where you are going. What kind of weather can you expect? When you have found
out about the weather, discuss what kind of clothes to bring with you.
(question 3)
What are you going to pack? It is important to
have everything you need but not too much. Ask if you need to take something
special with you. (question
4)
Now it is the time to start making arrangements
for your virtual vacation. Get in touch with your hosts and reach an agreement
with them about when to come. What is the easiest way for you to get to the
area? (activity 1)
Discuss whether you have any postcards, pictures,
travel brochures, posters, etc. from your own place, to exchange with your
hosts. (activity 6)
Find out what is the best way to travel to the
place you are visiting. You might be able to find information on timetables
for flights, trains or other transport methods online. Or you can either
send an e-mail to a travel agency or visit one to find out exactly how you
are going to get to the place you are planning to visit.
(activity 8)
How do you communicate? Do you understand each
other? (question 2)
Communicate with your hosts. Sometimes people
find it difficult to find something to talk about when they meet for the
first time. How do you break the ice? What do you find in common to discuss?
(question 7)
Write a "Travellers Diary" and send it
to the mailing list. You arrive and your friends are there to welcome you....You
visit the places you have heard and read about. Your plans and schedule for
the visit will now be put to a test. Tell us all about what happens and how
your plans work out.
(activity 1)
Write a postcard to your family describing how
you like the trip.
(activity 3)
Write an essay about your trip. Tell what you
did like and what you did learn during the trip. Ask your hosts for information
if you need. (activity
6)
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