Global Community and Collaboration

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AWESOME Collaboration

Ms. Stout's Kindergarten Class sharing their descriptions with Mrs. Kilgore and Mrs. Gjerde's Classes

When this class first started, I wasn't share how I was going to be able to collaborated with other teachers because I was the only Kindergarten teacher in the cohort. I normally don't let this bother me, but when the assignments need collaboration/group work and I can't do them on my own- I have high school flashbacks.  It's hard to get people you see all the time to collaborate, let alone trying to get someone in a different time zone. Well, I sent an email, shared an idea and BOOM! two weeks later my class was talking to 42 First Graders in Iowa. How amazing!

As Kindergarten and First Grade teachers, we knew that our students needed something that they could experience 100% at the same time.  Small children have a hard time waiting for results. Doing a Google Hangout ( GHO) allowed all of our students to see timely results right in front of their eyes. 

Our lesson involved lots of writing, drawing, listening and understanding of math curriculum words. In this lesson, two classrooms have each taken time to design a monster. These monsters will then be shared with each other using Google Hangout. The students in Class A will be using descriptive words and phrases to tell Class B about their monsters. They will describe the shape and the location of all body parts. Class B will then design the monster as Class A is giving them clues. At the end of the exchange, Class B will turn their monsters around to see if they designed Class A's monster correctly.  * If time allows Class B will describe a monster to class A.

My students Monster they shared with the other class

Our lesson can be viewed here for anyone to give it a try with their class.