Engaged Learning Project

Shavaun Mincey

Title of Project: This is my story

Subject(s): Reading, Language Arts, Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 5th
Abstract:
The students will participate in a project about cultural acceptance and self-identification. Through a series of lessons, videos,
and class discussions, students will learn about other students around the world and learn more about themselves through the
project. This will set the tone for storytelling we will do throughout the year as we learn about important people in US
History in Social Studies. Students will record data on the computer, work collaboratively, video tape, and make their own
movie at the end. This same project will be completed by another 5th grade class in Gwinnett County. These two classes will
be e-pals for the year. Two times throughout this project the classes will Skype to share their project/presentations.
Learner Description/Context:
When students enter into a new classroom they come with all their previous experiences, traditions, and cultures. During the
first two weeks it is imperative to build a community of acceptance. By studying and learning about other children, students
will create I am masks that tell the story of who they are. From there, they will work in collaborative groups to tell the
cumulative story of their teammates. In this way, students can celebrate their own personal stories and the stories they
created as a group as a way to honor themselves, and their new friends. This will promote cultural sensitivity and acceptance.
Here are the demographics of the e-pal schools. As you can see below, both schools have a high minority population.
However one of the schools ESOL population is over 50%. Additionally, missing from the tables below is the academic
demographics of the classes. In the e-class pair, one class will be in an inclusion class (a class with students with disabilities
and regular education students) and the other class is a gifted class. Hopefully, through the partnership both classes can
strengthen each. One class may possibly have a stronger handle on the English language, and the other class may challenge
its partner class with a stronger sense of understanding of the academic content. It is an interesting pairing and hopefully it
will make for an exciting learning and collaborative experience.

Time Frame: The project will take two weeks. During the first week of school the teacher will use their 30 minute school
wide learning time and no more than 15 minutes of Science and Social Studies if needed. The following week, the teacher
will use 30 minutes of the Science and Social Studies time to finish the project.
Standards Assessed:

Net-S

Engaged Learning Project

Shavaun Mincey

Learner Objectives:
Students will learn about 5 major people in the Civil War. Students will understand the importance of cultural acceptance.
Students will be able to create maps, post blogs, and make a movie upon completion of this project.
The hook or Introduction:
I know you think I know you, but I do not. I know you think you know me, but you do not. We all walked into this room
with some type of (point to the board) REPUTATION. However, each day you walk into this room, and especially today,
everyones slate is wiped clean. (Wipe reputation off the board). Many times we judge people based on things that we have
heard about each other. For the next two weeks Im going to challenge you NOT to do that. This room is a safe place and it
begins today. Good morning, my name is Ms. Mincey. Who, my friends, are you?
Process: (The technology part doesnt really begin until week two, but I have to lay the foundation in week one.)
Day 1 Aspirations (1st Day of school)
Students will watch a video by Kid President that is inspirational to teacher and students. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=RwlhUcSGqgs After students watch the video, the teacher will lead students through a discussion of the important parts of
the video that they can learn. Then the teacher will talk up the Kid President (hopefully to create an emotional connection to
the Kid President for Day 2s lesson). Then students will talk about things they want to aspire to in 5 th grade, using some of
the suggestions from Kid President.
After the discussion, have students discuss character traits that they think describe Kid President. (Needed for Day 2)
Day 2: Assumptions
Part 1
Hand out pictures of Robert Smalls, Ulysses S Grant, John Brown, Harriet Tubman, and Jefferson Davis. Each student gets
one random picture. Ask students to tell the story of the person in the picture. Name them and tell how they were important to
the Civil War. When they draw a blank tell them to use the picture to help them tell their story.
Teacher only gives students 5 minutes to write, and then students share their stories in a small group. Teacher can then take
two volunteers to share their stories. Using a Power Point, reveal who each person is and how they were important to the
Civil War. Students will correct their misconceptions and their notes will be graded for participation. Teacher then explains to
students that the stories they wrote are really assumptions. And sometimes we tell peoples stories by just looking at them
and we never get to know the person. Challenge students to get to know each other and avoid assumptions. Encourage
students to tell their story and to make sure their actions match the stories they want told about them. (Although the Social
Studies standard was not thoroughly taught, it does address the standard as an introduction to what students will be learning
in the weeks that follow.)
Part 2
Go back to the chart where students wrote down characteristics they thought described the Kid President. Students need to
know that even with positive guesses and good intentions, when you label someone without getting to know their story, it is
still an assumption. Play the real story of the Kid President. http://youtu.be/IcZVGjG6LWM Compare and Contrast the
characteristics previously listed. Let the students talk about what they learned about the Kid President and have them add to
the list and take away from the list, better supported assumptions and take away assumptions that were incorrect.
***Homework*** Flipped Lesson***
Students need to log into their edmodo.com accounts (created during meet the teacher) and watch the videos about children in
other places of the world. As they watch the videos I want them to think of the following questions, where are you, or where
is your family from originally? How has your familys life changed from ten years ago until now? Students will need their
parents help to answer these questions. For a product, all students need to bring in a former address of where their family is
originally from.
Videos:
http://youtu.be/PjSenTvm69w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHF6cBTTgyw
Day 3 Cultural Acceptance: Where are you from?
Part 1
For the past two days we talked about character traits of different people. We then told their stories based on their own
assumptions. Instruct students to make a T-Chart. Have students write down on one side, the assumptions people make about

Engaged Learning Project

Shavaun Mincey

them, and the other side, the truth about who they are. They will then write I am stories. These stories will be the first
things they email to their e-pals from another school.
Part 2
Gage the room to see how many students watched the video (homework). Bring students to the floor and engage in a brief
discussion of the videos to set the stage for the class viewings of the video. After you watch the videos, the floor will be open
for the students to engage in conversations of their honest thoughts of the videos. The teacher will explicitly teach that
students all over the world live lives that are different but also live lives that are the same. They will learn through the
cooperative group project and from their e-pals how much people can have in common. The point of todays lesson is for
students to be grateful of their stories and to accept people regardless of race, economic status, or popularity.
The teacher will then bring up www.zeemaps.com and map where different students are from in the class to make a world
map. The teacher is taking the time to model this websites usage because the students will be using the same website on their
own next week.
Day 4 Self-Identification: I am
Students will be given paper masks to draw, color, and glue on. Students will use their I am stories as direction in creating
an abstract mask that represents who they are. For group share, students will Skype their e-pal class. Any student that wants
to share will place their name in a box for the teachers to pull out of. Students will sit with their masks over their face to
honor their I am masks and to cut down on assumptions, again this is the first time they will meet their e-pal class.
Students will be assessed on their I am written pieces.
Day 5 (2nd Week of school)
Part 1
Students will be split up into groups. These groups will be their project groups for the week. This first meeting is for each
student to read their I am stories to their groups and explain their masks. Then students will brainstorm how they will tell
their group stories. They will be required to create a fictional tribe and explain the story of their tribe including the essence of
each student involved in that group.
Part 2
The class will go to the lab and students will email their e-pals for the first time and send them their I am stories.
Day 6
Part 1
Students will go to the lab and create a map on zeemap.com that shows where each person in their group is from. They will
print the map when completed. Group maps will be assessed for a one of the group project grades.
Part 2
Students will continue to work with their groups on their We are presentations.
Day 7
Students will videotape with cellphone or video camera their We are presentations. Teacher will close the lesson by
explicitly teaching how to pull their videos into Windows Movie Maker.
Day 8
Teacher will explicitly teach how to make a simple movie through movie maker. Students will use the remainder of the time
to make their videos. Videos cannot be any longer than two minutes. Teacher will email the videos to the e-pal class or use
Drop Box or the Cloud to receive the file. (They will swap videos).
Day 9
Students will watch their class videos and then watch the e-pals videos. In between each set of videos the teacher will walk
through how to give feedback. Students will practice expressing two positive things and one opportunity area for each video.
Students will have to choose a video to evaluate and submit their feedback to the teacher as a grade.
Day 10

Engaged Learning Project

Shavaun Mincey

Part 1
Students will Skype their e-pal class. One person from each group will give feedback (decided upon by the class) to the
different group projects in the e-pal class.
Part 2
Students will blog on www.kidblog.org about the project experience. They will need to address the question, why is it
important to know who you are as a person and then accept people for whom they are? Their blogs will also be graded.
Product:
Students will create I am masks that tell the story of who they are. From there they will work in collaborative groups to tell
the cumulative (fiction) story of their teammates. In this way, students can celebrate their own personal stories and the stories
they created as a group as a way to honor themselves, their new friends.
In groups students will listen to each other present their I am mask. Then they will create a map that shows where everyone
is from in their groups. From there they have to creatively link everyone into fiction story that they will present as a drama or
dance that tells the story of everyone in the group. Students will videotape their drama, and create a movie in Windows
Movie Maker; their videos will be shown to the class. Students will also post a blog to reflect on how the exercise will help
them be more accepting of their peers. The class will Skype with their e-pals and email them as well. Students will be
assessed on their Social Studies notes, I am stories, We are movies, Group Maps, and Reflection blogs.
Technology Use: Video cameras will be used to record their presentations. These presentations address the Challenging,
Authentic/Meaningful and Student-directed Indicators Engaged Learning. Laptops will be used to make maps and group
movies. Skype and www.e-pals.com will be used to collaborate with other students in the county, these activities target the
Collaborative and Culturally Responsive Indicators of Engaged Learning. Internet will be used for students to post blogs as a
way to record their reflections on the project.
References and Supporting Material:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwlhUcSGqgs Kid President Video
http://youtu.be/IcZVGjG6LWM True story of Kid President Video
www.zeemaps.com Tool to create group maps
www.georgiaperformancestandards.org Tool used to locate Standards
www.e-pals.com Used to collaborate with a class from another school
www.skype.com Used to share projects and offer feedback for a class from another school
Gwinnett County Public Schools Portal: Social Studies Pacing Calendar
I used the textbook Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching
I will need to make a sample rubric for the I am stories and for the group videos.