Nicole DiPaolo McCloskey
Fall 2012- ITS
Culture E-Pals
Telecommunications Lesson
Title:
Culture E-Pals
Suggested Grade Level(s):
9th or 10th grade
Content Area(s):
World Geography, World Cultures
Overall Description –
Culture E-Pals is a semester long project for the second half of the school year when we study
World Regions. I have 160+ students and I will assign each student from each class one e-pal from
various countries around the world. My goal is to spread out the e-pals so that each class will have
at least one e-pal from each of the participating countries, ideally with no overlap.
Students will email their foreign counterpart and ask questions about their culture including general
information such as: daily life, education & school, music, foods, celebrations and holidays, family,
etc. Students will discover different cultures along with the possible problems youth face in their
particular countries. They will attempt determine possible solutions to those problems. My rationale
is that often students learn about different cultures but are unable to relate to how their counterparts
actually live. In other words, how do the facts about those cultures translate into peoples' daily lives.
After a number of emails, individual students will determine solutions to the problems the youth face
and write a concise 200 word solution to the problem that their e-pal may face. This will be typed
and drop boxed to myself for consideration and then forwarded to YAPI.
Overall Objectives and/or SOL’s -WG.3c:
The student will apply the concept of a region by analyzing how cultural characteristics,
including the world’s major languages, ethnicities, and religions, link or divide regions.
WG.4:
(dependent on the corresponding youth) The student will locate and analyze physical,
economic, and cultural characteristics of world regions: Latin America and the
Caribbean, Europe, United States and Canada, North Africa and Southwest Asia, SubSaharan Africa, Russia and Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia,
Australia, and the Pacific Islands, and Antarctica.
WG.5:
The student will compare and contrast the distribution, growth rates, and characteristics
of human population in terms of settlement patterns and the location of natural and
capital resources.
WG.6:
The student will analyze past and present trends in human migration and cultural
interaction as they are influenced by social, economic, political, and environmental
factors.
WG.8:
The student will distinguish between developed and developing countries and relate the
level of economic development to the standard of living and quality of life.
WG.12b:
Nicole DiPaolo McCloskey
Fall 2012- ITS
The student will apply geography to interpret the past, understand the present, and
plan for the future by relating current events to the physical and human characteristics
of places and regions.
Description of Telecommunication Tools Used
individual student email addresses
Additional Technological Tools Used
www.epals.com
www.yapi.org
Description of SSCC:
Search: Students will use email through their choice of service company to correspond with youth in
various parts of the world. The e-pals will be supplied by me through the e-pals website.
Sort: Students will keep a log noting the cultural characteristics and facts supplied from the e-pal.
For content benefits, students will be asked to share the cultural characteristics of their specific e-pal
when there connections within the content.
Create: Students will collect their information so that they will be able to reference it when creating
a proposal addressing the possible issues of the youth within their society.
Communicate: Students will first correspond through email with a foreign counterpart on a weekly
basis. Students will then write a 200 word proposal indicating possible solutions to the problems that
youth face in the developing world.
Description of ACTS:
a. Authentic Problem:
The youth of America face a number of different problems, "developed world" problems. In fostering
relationships with youth of other cultures my students will not only investigate foreign cultures, but
also issues and problems that plague the youth in other regions of the world, "developing world"
problems. Through the students' investigations of cultures and youth issues, my students will
attempt to discover solutions that they can propose through Youth Advocate Program International
www.yapi.org. The organization works on behalf of victimized and exploited youth and the
organization asks to hear ideas from the youth perspective.
b. Clear Outcome/Product:
200 word written proposition for a solution to a problem affecting youth today, emailed to the
teacher.
c. Thinking Skills (What thinking skills are targeted and how will they be introduced, practiced,
scaffolded?): Teacher will initially introduce the idea and purpose of the e-pal. Students will
compose emails during class time with initial teacher assistance and proofing. During the 18 week
semester, students will read or correspond weekly or biweekly with foreign youth. They will record
Nicole DiPaolo McCloskey
Fall 2012- ITS
elements of culture discussed with their e-pal, saved on Score (course management system) and
submitted via drop box.
Skills that students will employ include: comparing and contrasting based upon personal
experiences, problem solving, and writing.
d. Software Skills:
Email via varied email clients and drop box via Score.
Instructional Plan/Sequence (Recommendations for implementing the lesson):
Preliminary Correspondence
Part I
Students will conduct initial contact and introduction of self to e-pal. Rate of emails may differ
among youth but class time will be offered one time per week.
Students will email e-pal at least 9 total emails to youth in a different country. Biweekly free
response about the topic of the emails and what the student has learned about the youth's culture
submitted to me via drop box.
The class, as a whole, will weekly collaborate on the type of questions they should ask, what
information they have received, what issues are confronting the emailed youth, and any types of
problems or concerns my students may have.
Part II
After correspondence for at least 8 weeks, I will prompt students to address the possibility of
problems that the youth face personally or within their local area.
Once problems have been identified, students will begin thinking about possible solutions that can be
offered regarding youths' problems.
Part III
Finally, nearing the end of the school year, students will create their 200 word proposal for solving
the problems that the youth may face. They will drop box their proposal to me for editing and
possible submission.
Evaluation Strategy:
Rubric
1: strong (met all requirements to a high degree, little prompting and guidance necessary)
2: average (additional work is required, needs minor prompting and guidance in correspondence
with youth)
3: weak (needs extensive assistance to complete required steps)
Part I:
Preliminary Research:
a. introductory email
Nicole DiPaolo McCloskey
Fall 2012- ITS
Part II:
Activity:
a. appropriate email correspondence with foreign counterpart over 16 weeks
b. identification of a personal or societal problem for youth in that region of the world
Part III:
Conclusion:
a. 200 word statement regarding a plan to address the problem and possible action for a solution