A Look
Inside the
Global
Classroom
…and why you want to be there. 
Patti Weeg pweeg@comcast.net
August 2, 2004 - Hawaii
Spain
In the global classroom you’ll find…
Taiwan
Curriculum standards
An audience and a purpose
South Africa
Real world meanings
Global perspectives
Taiwan
Global collaboration
Deeper understandings
Canada
Curious? Come along… and meet the students.
“…appreciation of the global diversity and interdependence of the world’s people,
institutions, traditions, values, and environment…” HCPS
Belgium
Drie minuten stilte voor
Amerika
Belgium
Belgium
Students at Gemeentelijke lagere school in Belgium
during three minutes of silence for America
Jef de Kriebel's website:
http://www.kriebel.olen.be/Foto's/Drieminuten/drieminuten.html
Written after the March 11, 2004 commuter train bombings in Spain.
"I expect this to be the last tear"
“Why? Why have so many people died? I would like to
express what I feel in these moments. I feel myself impotent,
full of rage. Sometimes I dream that a genie comes to visit
me and that grants me three desires. I would like to ask for
a console, to have a lot of force and to be able to fly. But
suddenly, my heart cries and does me to say things that I
think in the deepest part of me. Then I tell to him:
First desire: "I do not want more war"
Second desire: "Not more bands of terrorists"
Third desire: ... and then I say: "I do not know what to ask for." There are
things that can not be arranged. The reality has to be assimilated. This world
is not fair/equitable. We all are rabid and, when somebody does us damage,
afterwards we want to return it to him|her. We must say that; even I behave
like this.
Then I wake up and a tear falls me and I say afterwards. "I expect this tear to
be the last one".
Ángel Moreno García 1A (12 años)
Barcelona, Spain
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=14787
Serenity Quest
a Peace project by middle school
students in Richmond, Virginia
“The kinds of problems in our
neighborhood are specific. They
are gun firing, drug dealing, and
also drunk driving. Believe me
because I’ve seen it all from drug
dealing to gun firing. It was really
sad to see so many people hurt
or even die for false reasons but
other people don’t even have
anything to do with it, sort of like
bystanders. Things just happen
for no reason at all. Usually
there are different feelings for the
people that are standing around.
Some don’t care since they did
not get hurt and others are
concerned because it could be
their family members or friends.”
~Tanika
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=8131
Dealing With Violence
From Campinas, Brazil
Hello my name is Laura, I’m 15 years old and in my neighborhood we have a
serious problem with minors of 18 committing crimes and violent actions.
The Statute of childhood and teenagers in Brazil protects the minors from being
arrested. Because of that, many minors that live in slums (what we call
“favelas”) are recruited by drug dealers to be a part of the scheme. These
minors are between the ages of 13 and 17. And most of them also die before
they reach 18.
The reasons for most deaths are:
- Getting shot in the crossfire with the police (and this can happen to anyone at
the wrong place at the wrong time like Tearra);
- Knowing too much and being a snitch (to the police or to rival factions);
- Getting shot in the crossfire between rival factions.
These minors don’t have access to many things like quality education or good
houses. They also don’t have buying power. They suffer from prejudice from
the rest of society as well. Because of all those problems they see in trafficking
an opportunity to get easy money and power (status in the slums).
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=9527
Rio de Janeiro
Favelas on the hillsides
By Tali Sorek
I had a box of colors-Shining bright and bold.
I had a box of colors,
Some warm, some very cold.
I had no red for the blood of wounds.
I had no black for the orphans' grief.
I had no white for dead faces and hands.
I had no yellow for burning sands.
But I had orange for the joy of life,
And I had green for buds and nests.
I had blue for bright, clear skies.
I had pink for dreams and rest.
I sat down and painted Peace.
http://www.jewishla.org/TorahBytes/html/tazria-metzora5762_byte.html
Paint the Peace
Alegria Quaglia Calvo
Age:15, Spain
“This drawing tries to represent how peace makes a road among the war.
How do the dreams, the freedom, the force and the life, break with the darkness of
this. The drawing is inspired by the poem of Tali Sorek and maintains a close
relationship with this:
The peace is represented by the dreams symbolized by the pink color in the
poem; for the blue bird, which according to Tali Sorek are the clear and shining
skies, and represents the freedom; for the force, the fire, the passion, the jewels of
the life, represented through the sun; and by the life that it breaks with the
darkness: the tender but strong green buds. The war and the sorrow are
represented by the black color. The drawing tries to express how the peace starts
to grow finishing with the war.”
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=15473
Friends Across the Seas
and across cultures
Aysha and Nicole were 8 years old when they wrote
to each other.
December 1994
Dear Edan, Noam and Nicole,
How are you? Thank you for the letter. How old is Nicole? Please tell her hi for me. Would
she write to me too? Is your test hard that you have to take to get into your school? Do you
learn Arabic there? I know lots of Arabic words. No, I am not a Jew, I am a Muslim. We go to
Israel sometimes to visit my family there. I like Israel but I don't like the war. We couldn't
pass the gates. Your friend, Aysha
Dear Aysha,
Thank you for your letter. I want to tell you about the kibbutz. A kibbutz is a place where my
mother was born and grew up. In a kibbutz there is a communal dining room. There is no
school there. I didn't start to learn in school when I was still on the kibbutz. My brothers did.
They learned at a regional kibbutz school at another kibbutz. On a kibbutz, the property
belongs to everyone. The property is the things which are in the kibbutz and everyone uses
them…. Your friend, Nicole
http://www.globalclassroom.org/collaboration/f-israel2.html
Hi Aysha,
I will send you pictures. I want
to tell you something about
Midreshet Ben Gurion and the
school where I learn. First of
all, in the midrasha I have
many friends and I like it here
very much. It is beside a big
wadi in the desert. I like to go
and look at the wadi. At my
school I have many friends
also and we have 5 hours of
learning each day except for
Fridays when we have only 4
hours. The name of my
teacher is Dina and I think she
is very nice. I am in grade 2.
I want to tell you that last year I
had a teacher named Liat. She
was very nice also. Our
principal is named Ilana.
Your friend,
Nicole
Dear Nicole,
Thank you for the picture. I like it. I like
your butterfly and the bear a lot. I have
13 Barbies and I have even more but
they are upstairs in the attic. I have
Snow White the movie too.
We don't have any animals at home but
my mom really wanted a dog. I am
Muslim and we celebrate all the Muslim
holidays but we also celebrate
Christmas. We have Eid and that's
when we pray hundreds of times. All
ladies wear a scarf around their hair and
they are not allowed to show their hair
to anyone. ladies can show ladies their
hair. We don't wear the scarf here
unless we go praying but we will do it
when we go to Israel.
Your friend,
Aysha
Zlata’s Diary
an excerpt from a chat with Zlata on Kidlink IRC - 1995
Belaire: What was the worst experience you had to cope with
while still in Sarajevo?
Zlata: I don't know because for me the war was like one day
where each second was terrible. Maybe when my mother went out and she
didn't come back home or when my friend was killed...
Katie: Zlata do you ever wish there was never any war?
Zlata: Of course. It's the most stupid and the worst thing that exists on this
world.
Maxine: Do you think your life will be back to normal someday, Zlata?
Zlata: I hope. I wish it with all my heart :) It depends on some people. We'll see.
Amanda: What were your deepest fears in Sarajevo?
Zlata: Hum. I don't know. I wasn't afraid of death. I was more afraid to stay
without legs or arms. Because when you die it's over and when you're wounded
you suffer all your life.
Brittany: what was it like in Saraevo when the war was going on?
Zlata: It's too hard to say with words. If I say horrible, it's not the right word it's
more than horrible.
http://www.globalclassroom.org/fzlata.html
Students’ Reflections
after the chat
“On June 2 , 1995 I talked to Zlata on-line. Our countries should not
fight because what Zlata went through was horrible and no kid
should go through something like that . She went through war-time
birthdays and her life completely changed during this time. You
must feel sorrow for the people of Sarajevo and for the people who
go through things like this.” ~ Ana
“When she wrote her diary she sometimes only had a candle to see.
She worked hard and long to write her diary. The way I feel about
Zlata and Sarajevo is that people over there are desperate for food,
water, homes, and health. Now the war is even worse. …You can
help them by sending money and food and even clothes or
something. You as a person should help our world. We can make a
big difference in Sarajevo by sending things. When you hear about
all the bad things over there you will want to help too.” ~Kelly
A Teacher’s Reflection
I was part of something big! I first heard about Zlata Filipovic on National Public
Radio. Then I met John Ost. Next I read Zlata's Diary. Finally I was on Kidlink
sending and receiving messages from Zlata! Now I listen to the news from Sarajevo
and I feel connected to those distant events. As political strategies are developed
and employed I think about the children and their families. I know, as many families
do, that no one needs troops, bombs, or air raids. The people need food, safe
homes and to be with their family and friends. Above all people need peace. The
best part of the Kidlink chat with Zlata was knowing that 100's of children and adults
were also concerned about Zlata and the war in her country. Like me, those
involved with the IRC are beginning to learn more about our world. This gives me
hope that the children involved will become caring adults in the future. The only way
to stop war is to have mutual respect and understanding with your neighbors and
people in foreign lands. The Kidlink chat is one method of reaching understanding
between people of different cultures and ideas. Now children and grown-ups all over
the world can express their personal thoughts, feelings, and hopes. What are my
hopes? I hope that the students will continue to read and write about real people in
real life struggle. My prayer is for peace.
Amy Crouse, Teacher Grade 1, Delmar Elementary School
What Are My Rights?
A 7 year old child working as a shoeshine girl.
El Kidlinker, Bolivia
No. 1-2004
Dennis
Life on the street is something desperate, because there are moments that you
have nothing to eat. But some kids start to work in shops or markets in the
morning. In the afternoon they work in the pensions or for people. And in the night
kids beg in the pensions and some of them sell cigarettes. Some kids start to
steal and that’s how kids survive on the street.
http://www.kidlink.org/kie/ngo/alalay/pag2.html
From: “What Are My Rights?” module of “Who Am I?” program
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 that you
think should be there? 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.
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.
http://www.kidlink.org/kie/nls/english/rights/lesson8.html
“Can you see stars…?”
Sent by Ana in Taiwan
“A friend of mine wrote to me from Cebu,
The Philippines, saying that he
happened to look up into the sky from the
deck of a steamboat and was amazed
to see a web of twinkling stars that
reminded him of his home in Santa Cruz
(LA). Can you see stars easily from
home? I haven't seen them for...who
knows how long!” ~Ana
“About the stars...yes, we can't see the stars because of air
pollution; to see the twinkling sky one needs to go up the
mountains. The higher, the better. Last year when I was working in
Taipei, the capital city, days were humid and grey with frequent acid
drizzles that people had to open their umbrellas even if the
raindrops could hardly be felt. This year in this small town, Dayuan,
I can enjoy ocean blue sunny days while riding my bike :-)” ~Ana
Save Our Environment Club
From: “I Have a Dream” program
My environmental club's name is Save Our Environment Club (S.O.E.C.) It
started on 2 September 1999 with the students of my class. Later on some other
students also joined it. Our activities:
-To create awareness
-Discussions
-Paper Recycling (We recycled ourselves)
-Global Warming
-Pollution
-Wildlife
-Acid Rain
-Water Conservation
-Paper bags (We made them) etc.
We hold meetings on Sundays (when every 1 is free)
at 10:00 am.
Nitin (India)
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=7709
Oil Spill
While Tevin and Gunnar discussed the temperature in
Cape Town and found the city on the map, Mrs. Weeg
told them about three famous South African penguins
named Peter, Pamela and Percy.
Tevin and Gunnar are very curious boys and they
have questions about the penguins in South Africa
who got oil on themselves because of the Treasure oil
spill. The boys asked Tracey Bruton their questions
because she helped clean some of the soiled
penguins.
Dear Tracey,
Was it hard to wash the penguins? Why did you put
transmitters on them?
Your friend,
Tevin
Dear Tracey,
Why did you clean the oil from the penguins? How long
does it take you to clean a penguin?
Sincerely,
Your friend,
Gunnar
http://www.globalclassroom.org/collaboration/penguins.html
Cleaning Penguins
Teenage volunteer, Tracey Bruton, in
Cape Town helped clean penguins
after the Treasure oil spill in June
2000. She wrote to my students at
Delmar and explained her
experiences.
“…When I found out about the terrible oiling of
the penguins because of a ship, the Treasure,
that sank just outside our harbour, I really
wanted to help. I spent every day of my June
holiday helping, up to 10 hours a day. At first I
was a regular volunteer, helping out with odd
jobs like cleaning penguin pools, and carrying
buckets, but then I was transferred to the
washing room and became an experienced
"washer."
Washing a single penguin takes 20-30
minutes, depending on how much oil the bird
has on it. You have to have two people to
wash a penguin- one to be the washer, and
the other the handler. The handler picks up a
bird from the appropriate pen, brings it to the
washing room, and you begin the process.
Penguins are washed in little tubs, and a
soapy solution is added to warm water in
order to clean off the oil. Each penguin uses
about 6 tubs before it is clean…” Tracey
http://www.globalclassroom.org/2000/weather2.html
Connecting
From the Ice
From Dave Hess in McMurdo, Antarctica
There are no trees, grass, flowers or any other visible plants. The town
where I am staying is mostly volcanic rock, with ice and snow all around. It is
a desert, as there is very little precipitation. It is very dry, cold, and windy.
This morning when I walked to work, it was -10F with a 27 mph wind. That
put the wind chill at -62F.
The humidity here averages about 10%, which is very dry. When you
perspire, it evaporates quickly. You body can dry out very quickly causing
dehydration. I drink 3-5 liters of water a day, and more if I am doing physical
work. Where do you think we get our drinking water?
Thanks for writing,
Dave
Click here for the answer. 
http://www.globalclassroom.org/hess.html
Questions from Mr. Dave in Antarctica…
Hi Patti and Kids,
I took a journey tonight to a very historic place. I walked about one half mile
down the road to a place called Scott's Hut. It is an old wooden building
built over 90 years ago. The roof made of wooden planks without any
shingles. The hut was not open, but they do open it occasionally for people
to see inside. I looked inside the window and saw old crates of food. On the
outside under the overhang of the roof was a dead seal that was probably
dried and smoked for food. Seals are abundant here, and I saw one lying
on the ice near the hut… The hut looks as it did when it was erected,
preserved by the temperature and humidity. Who put the hut where it is,
and for what purpose was the hut used? ~Dave
Dear Mr. Dave,
That was a pretty tough question, but I think we have a reason why.
Because there was the Ross Ice Shelf and they said that they were not
going to take the boats that way, so they found a route that took them to the
south pole and the boats could fit through there. So that is where they set
their camp up. Also Scott wanted to follow the same route as Roald
Amundsen. This was a very tough question. I am going to ask you a
question, dealing with this same one: What mountains did Scott and his
men travel on? Well I have to go. BYE-BYE!!
Your friend,
http://www.globalclassroom.org/hess24.html
Rhae
Author in Residence
“Dear Gerrod, …To come up with more ideas, you can play the What-if
Game. I play this game every time I get stuck with one of my stories, and I
am not sure which way to go with it. I ask myself, What if this happens?
How will it change my story? What if that happens? Where will my story go?
You could ask yourself; What if Lucky's tooth punctures the ball and it goes
flat? What if he runs away with the ball? What if the other team makes fun
of the dog-player? What if Gerrod gets hurt in the game? Will Lucky come
to his rescue. What if Zach can't get low enough to scoop up the ball? Will
Lucky swoop in between the other player's legs, get the ball and run for the
touchdown? What if the Ref says, "No dogs in the game!"? What if your
quarterback is allergic to dogs? I bet you can think up some What-if
questions of your own. Then, you can pick the one! …. “ Your friend, Lois
Szymanski
http://www.globalclassroom.org/authors/gerrod.html
Photography Workshop
Þessi mynd er af
loftræstiskerfinu í Síðuskóla.
Reykurinn er ekki alvurunni.
Photograph by:
Óðinn Sigurðsson
This picture is of
airconditioning in Siduskoli.
The smoke is not real.
The smoke makes this a very dramatic picture. It shows the dangers of air pollution. The
air vents for the school are right in the middle of the black smoke. You have done a good
job creating the smoke. It looks real unless you look closely. But this raised a big question:
Is it acceptable to create fake pictures? Some people say that the image is what is
important; anything artists do to create the image is fine. Others say that faking a picture
is like lying and is morally wrong. What do you think?
(This question is for both Óðinn and anyone else in the workshop who would like to leave
a comment about it here.)
--Dan Wheeler
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=4499
Math Challenges – Bianca (Maryland) and Tomo (Japan)
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=4195
Tomo’s Math Challenges
First puzzle,
there are three numbers,totally 20.
And one large number is over 10.
another two numbers are different
only one.
Second,
there are three numbers, totally 36.
and three numbers are raw of
natural orders. another words, these
three numbers or, the one plus one
is the second number, and plus one
is the last number.
Oh, sorry I could not write properly
for Tomo's puzzle.
Thanks,
Isamu
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=1676
Bianca Solved the Puzzle
Tomo wrote:
First puzzle,
there are three numbers,totally 20.
And one large number is over 10.
another two numbers are different only
one.
Hello Tomo,
Bianca solved your problem and
discovered that there is more than one
answer.
We used Integer Bars to solve the
challenge.
Do you see any patterns in the
bars?
Your friends in Maryland,
Mrs. Weeg and Bianca
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=1789&HoldNav=1676
How Many Hours Apart Are We?
From: "Ana" ana@ilov-e.com
To: "Patti Weeg" patti@globalclassroom.org
Subject: A short note from Taiwan
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 15:51:40 +0800
Calculating the number of
hours apart we are in
Maryland from our friends in
Taiwan.
Using the header from Ana’s message
Delmar 5th grade students are calculating the
number of hours difference between
Maryland and Taiwan. To do this they are
using a simple number line. GMT will be 0 on
the line. We will put Maryland on -5 and
Taiwan on +8. You can see the students
doing this activity in the picture. Click on this
link to download the Word file with this
activity: GMT Activity Sheet
http://www.globalclassroom.org/2004/taiwan/weeg/howmanyhours.html
Invitation From Japan
We checked he numbers that passed around our school: people 6
bicycles 3 bikes 7 cars 183 trucks 118 This data were checked
about thirty minutes. I'd like to add graphs about this theme. Thanks,
Isamu
Comparing Traffic
J
A
P
A
N
E
S
E
D
A
T
A
Gathering Data at Delmar, Maryland
Traffic in Front of Our School
These students counted the
most traffic – our 11:45 class.
Time of
Day
Cars
Trucks
Walkers Bikers
8:30-9:00
AM
6
2
4
0
9:00-9:30
AM
3
1
1
0
11:4512:15 PM
15
5
30
0
1
4
0
12:45-1:15 3
PM
http://www.globalclassroom.org/2004/isamu/index.html
Comparing Traffic
Delmar, Maryland and Kanagawa, Japan
Dear friends in Japan, I saw your graph that
shows how many vehicles and people
passed by your school. I predicted that if I
counted the vehicles and people who
passed by my school that the number would
be the most at dismissal time and at the
beginning of school.
I counted the cars, trucks, walkers, and
bikers that passed by my school at 9:00 on
Monday, October 6. My prediction was our
number would be smaller than yours. My
graph shows you the data. I was right.
Cars 3
Trucks 1
Walkers 1
Bikers 0
When I look at my graph and compare it
to your graph I think that your school
might be located on a highway. My
school is located in a neighborhood.
Your friend,
Amber
Amber’s Analysis
Delmar Student
Guess the location! 
Comparing School Lunches
Japan
“…thanks for your letter, dear David,
we have no pizza for our lunch.
How many times do you have pizza for your
lunch?
My favorite food is curry with shrimps.
Yuu's favorite food is shrimps…”
Delmar, Maryland, USA
Brittaney's lunch at Delmar in
February. Brittaney brought a
small box of raisins to
school. You can see it on her
tray.
thanks for your letter,
Kei from your Japanese friend
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=8448
How Do You Travel to School?
We sent this graph to Isamu and his students in Japan. Isamu wrote
back and said that all of the students in his school walk to school so
they couldn’t make a graph like this for us. We decided to graph the
time it took students to travel to school.
http://www.globalclassroom.org/collaboration/insight.html
Comparing Data
From Delmar:
Hello Tomo, Here is a
graph I made for you. It
shows how long some 5th
graders ride the bus to
school every day. I hope
you like it.
We close school on
Friday. Have a great
summer.
Your friend,
Christopher
Tomo’s Graph and a Question
I've heard that you who take bus to school have to ride about an hour. It means you
live in far away from school? Our students all walk to school. This is so fun to
research and make graphs.
Thanks,
Tomo and Isamu
The Kidlink Graduates
“I have enjoyed being a part of Kidlink this year. Kidlink has so many good
qualities, and is so much fun. I enjoyed reading mail from kids all around the
world. I got to know how other kids live and how their school life was. It was
interesting to hear from kids my age in other countries. It was like everyone
involved in Kidlink was friends, and we could talk to each other by sending
emails back and forth.” ~Holly, senior at Fresno High School
“To KidLink: Throughout these 9 months, we’ve as people
have grown even bigger thanks to your KidLink website.
We now get to see the life and cultures of other kids around
the world from numerous countries including us in the
United States. I, myself, have grown in interest in other
cultures that were presented to us by your website. And I’m
pretty sure that the other kids in the world think so too.”
Andy C., senior, Fresno, California USA
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=3595