North vs. South: The Survey
Please take our survey by following
@dayna_browning and following the link in
the latest Tweet
Or
Enter the following link into your
browser: http://goo.gl/forms/R9qyd9C8v5
Or
Scan this QR Code:
Soda or Pop?
Virtually Connecting Classrooms to Explore
Cultural Identities, Stereotypes, & Perceptions
Laurie Hogan-McLean, Mattawan Middle School
Susan Schierbeek, Mattawan Middle School
Dayna Browning, Auburn Junior High School
Kim Johnson, Auburn Junior High School
Welcome
The South (Auburn, Alabama)
– Dayna Browning: dmbrowning@auburnschools.org
– Kim Johnson: kcjohnson@auburnschools.org
The North (Mattawan, Michigan)
– Laurie Hogan-McLean: lhogan@mattawanschools.org
– Susan Schierbeek: sschierbeek@mattawanschools.org
– Anne Weston: aweston1@mattawanschools.org
Our Essential Questions
• What are stereotypes?
• How are stereotypes formed and broken?
• What are the cultural differences within
America?
• How do factors like culture and
geography shape us and influence our
lives?
What We Do
What we do together:
1. Blog
2. Take surveys
3. Analyze film
4. Read
5. Write
6. Reflect
7. Publish writing
8. Respond to poetry
9. Write poetry
10. Video conference
Tip: Pick and choose from these components to
make your own unit or add these elements to a
unit you already love and use!
What We Found
• Students led and participated in rich
conversations.
• Students came to new understandings about
themselves, their cultures and how
perspectives shape their lives.
We Found out a Lot!
• Students came to class excited and
begging to Skype or blog every day during
the unit.
• Students wrote and responded to others’
writing in thoughtful and meaningful ways.
• Students wanted to learn & practice digital
citizenship.
Common Core
• This unit hits a bajillion standards. Check
out our website to see what piece of the
unit aligns to which standards.
A Quick Tour Through Our Unit
• Step 1: THE HOOK! Stereotypes Survey and “Day &
Night” Pixar film.
• Step 2: AHA MOMENTS. Examine survey results.
• Step 3: TOUGH QUESTIONS. Video conference & blog.
• Step 4: READ TO LEARN MORE. Shared readings.
• Step 5: DEEP TALK. Blogging and video conference 2.
• Step 6: LET’S WRITE. Common and shared writings.
• Step 7: REFLECT. Reflective essay.
• Step 8: EXTEND. Documentary film production and peer
review.
Surveys Made Easy
• We recommend using Google Forms – you can
easily share, edit, and create pretty pie charts to
review survey results!
• Your results
Survey Results – The Expected
Alabama
Michigan
Survey Results – The Unexpected
Alabama
Michigan
Survey Results – Cultural Views
Alabama
Michigan
Film Analysis
• Pixar’s short “Day & Night”
• Use Notice and Note strategies to deeply
analyze what’s happening in the film
• See “A Tall Order for Pixar Shorts” NCTE 2013
Boston presentation for further instructions
Video Conferencing
• What we used: Google Hangouts
– Other options: Skype, Facetime, Tango
• What we talked about the first time:
– Unpack the survey results
– Let them be curious – they want to ask
questions about weather, styles, food, music,
etc.
Let’s get Digital
• Blogging (we use Weebly):
– Set clear rules for students
– Have students post using first names and school
initials
– Set clear topics for deeper discussion but also
allow for students to ask those “style, favorites,
what do you do” questions that might not have
been answered in the initial video conference
(you might be surprised by the new
understandings they come to in these informal
discussions)
And their posts make you laugh…
Learning About Stereotypes
Through Text
• Fiction:The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton,
Downsiders Neil Schusterman, Flowers
for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
• Multi-genre short texts: articles,
podcasts, videos, poems, personal
essays, songs, etc.
• How to do it together?
– More blogging!
– Another video conference
Making Information Accessible
• Helping all students be successful
information navigators
Connecting through
Conversation
The 2nd Video Conference
• It’s time to get deep…
Writing Elements
•
•
•
•
“This I Believe” Essays
“Two-tone” Poems
“Where I’m From” Poems
Reflection Essay
Two-Tone Poetry Discussion
“This I Believe” Discussion
We’re Expanding!
• C-SPAN Documentaries
• Our other big expansion ideas: multimedia presentations, co-authored stories
or essays, debates, service projects, book
clubs
What connected classrooms do
for students
• Gives them an authentic audience
• Sets a real purpose for learning
• Creates a safe space to explore
stereotypes and “non-PC” things
How can this work for you?
1. List 5 important novels or units you teach.
2. List 5 social issues you think are most
relevant for your students.
3. What are two essential questions
integrated into your teaching that you
want to address better?
Examples
• Novels or Units: Romeo & Juliet, Canterbury
Tales, Poetry Unit, Animal Farm, Of Mice and
Men, Personal Essays, Persuasive Writing
• Social Issues: Prejudice, Politics, Immigration,
War, Social Media, Identity
• Essential Questions: How can social media
shape identity? How can poetry help us express
ourselves? How much of an influence does fate
play in our lives?
Focus
• Circle the top 2-3 units or issues you
want to consider using for creating a
collaborative classroom.
• Share: What are texts, questions, ideas
you have for implementing a connected
classroom?
Connect with us
• Check out our website and our new
teacher connect page at
www.northandsouth8.weebly.com
• Email us!
–
–
–
–
Dayna Browning: dmbrowning@auburnschools.org
Kim Johnson: kcjohnson@auburnschools.org
Laurie Hogan-McLean: lhogan@mattawanschools.org
Susan Schierbeek: sschierbeek@mattawanschools.org
• Question and Answer