Spanish Pen Pals with Flipgrid

It's always wonderful to bring new teachers and subject areas into the library!  Ms. Marcinkowski, Iroquois Middle School's new seventh grade Spanish teacher, was eager to bring her students into the library for a special project.

The purpose of this project was to allow students to use their Spanish speaking and listening skills in an authentic context while appropriately using technology.  The objective of this project was met by crafting a pen pal project through the use of Flipgrid.  Flipgrid is a safe, educational platform which hosts audio and video.  Educators are able to post a prompt and then students are able to record video and audio responses. 

For this project, Spanish 7 students at Pioneer Middle School in Yorkshire, NY would be viewing the Iroquois students' videos.  Iroquois students would also have the opportunity to view videos created by the Pioneer students.  The Flipgrid resource provided a great way to facilitate a digital pen pal project!

The Flipgrid prompt was created by Ms. Marcinkowski.  The requirements of the prompt allowed students to showcase their knowledge of vocabulary from previous units.  Students used their vocabulary packets in order to prepare a written script as a response to the prompt.

Students prepared a script to use for the Flipgrid prompt.

Once students had their scripts approved by Ms. Marcinkowski, it was nearly time to begin the recording on Flipgrid.  However, before students began recording, this was a perfect time to review some internet safety and overall privacy tips.  Although Flipgrid is a safe platform due to its use of passwords and unique URL links, there are many instances where students may be in an unsafe environment online.  Through utilizing digital safety flyers I had created, we held class discussions on internet safety concerns.  It is important that students understand how to protect their personal information while online.

One of the tech tip flyers used to facilitate a digital safety conversation.

It was now time to begin recording.  At this point in the project, there was some level of differentiation.  A handful of students did not receive permission to use Flipgrid, so they instead created postcards using their script.  Other students were allowed to record audio, but not a video of their face.  These students either covered their laptop's camera or pointed it to another object.  It took students a few tries to get the hang of using Flipgrid.  Seeing and hearing yourself on video can be a little unnerving, but they powered through the awkwardness and recorded some outstanding videos.

Students found a quiet space in the library to record their Flipgrid videos.

Listening to yourself on video led to some giggles!

Ms. Marcinkowski helps a student troubleshoot some recording issues.

After students were satisfied with their recordings and saved them to Flipgrid, they moved on to Part 2 of the project.  For Part 2, students visited the Pioneer Middle School Flipgrid page to view the recordings from the Pioneer students.  As a test of their listening skills, the Iroquois students wrote down (in English) what they believed the Pioneer students said in their videos.

Students recorded their interpretation of what the Pioneer students expressed in their videos.

There were many positive outcomes from this project.  Students gained a familiarity with the Flipgrid platform, which will allow them a safe space on the internet to record their thoughts.  They also had a chance to practice their vocabulary in a way that was interactive and fun.  The Iroquois students loved viewing the videos posted by the Pioneer students.

Ms. Marcinkowski and I would like to thank Ms. McKenzie and Mrs. Racitano, the Spanish teacher and librarian at Pioneer Middle School, for their willingness to partner with us for this project.  We're looking forward to creating more opportunities for the Iroquois and Pioneer students to communicate as pen pals!

January 2018 Highlights

January 2018 in the Iroquois Middle School library welcomed new teachers, classes, and projects into the library space.  The larger projects for the month involved sixth grade mythology research and a seventh grade project based on The Outsiders (both of these projects will be discussed in separate blog entries).  Here are some of the other highlights from the month of January:

Civil Rights Stations
Because Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is right in the middle of January, Mrs. Reid wanted her sixth grade reading students to become aware of the events and key figures of the Civil Rights Movement.  We decided it would be powerful to introduce students to other children and teens that made an impact within the Civil Rights Movement.  Students moved through a series of stations in order to learn about Claudette Colvin, Ruby Bridges, The Little Rock Nine, and the Birmingham Children's Marches of 1963.  At each station, students used the QR reader app on an iPad to access a video of the station's subject.  The station also contained photos, articles, and books for further context on the individual or event.  Students discussed the stations in small groups, then wrote their own responses about each station.

Sixth grade students watch a video about the 1963 Children's Marches.

Students learn about Ruby Bridges' contributions to civil rights efforts.

After the students had visited each station, they then had time to reflect upon the stations as a whole.  Students were instructed to think about the following questions:

1. What station inspired you?  Why?
2. What station surprised you?  Why?
3. Why was it so powerful for children to participate in the Civil Rights movement?
4. Is there such a thing as "good trouble"?  What are some examples of good trouble?
5.  What can students in 2018 do to make a positive influence in the world?

Instead of answering these questions as a written response, students were instructed to record a video using the Flipgrid educational video platform.  When using Flipgrid, students can record a video response on a secure website that isn't visible to the public.  The Flipgrid responses can then be viewed by the other students in the class.

Preparing to record a video response on Flipgrid.

Some of the students enjoyed the opportunity to use Flipgrid, but others were more hesitant.  Sometimes it is a little unnerving to see and hear yourself on video!  The completed Flipgrid recordings were excellent.  Students shared many important takeaways and insights concerning the Civil Rights Movement.

Music Projects
Mrs. Fox visited the library with both her sixth grade and eighth grade general music classes.  The sixth graders were researching a specific orchestral instrument and the eighth grade students were researching a Rock and Roll musical artist.  Students used books, websites, and databases (specifically World Book, Britannica, and Kids InfoBits) in order to find their information.  These projects also gave students a chance to practice filling out MLA citation note sheets for each resource.

Genre Tasting
The sixth grade reading classes frequented the library to exchange books.  A handful of students have already reached their 40 book goal for the year!  One of the most memorable sixth grade reading class visits from January was a "genre tasting" event with Mrs. Whalen and Mrs. Govenettio's students.  During this genre tasting, students sampled the library's best selections from a variety of genres.  Students were on their best "restaurant behavior" and many left the library with a new and interesting book to read.

Students sample books from the mystery genre.

Nonfiction and biographies appeared as part of the Genre Tasting.

Science Class Visits
It was exciting to welcome two science teachers to the library!  Ms. Pici's eighth grade science class visited the library to perform research for their Atomic Theory project.  They used databases and websites in order to find information about scientists that contributed to what we now know about atoms.  Mrs. Ferger's seventh grade science students came to the library to complete a biodiversity webquest in preparation for their Skype visit from a Yellowstone National Park ranger.  Once students completed the webquest, they used the Wonderopolis website to learn a little more about Yellowstone.

RtI Inquiry Project
Ms. Beauchamp's seventh grade RtI students visited the library to embark on an inquiry project.  We began the unit with a YouTube compilation video called "Cats vs. Cucumbers" where it was observed that a number of cats seemed to be genuinely afraid of cucumbers.  In order to find out why this was the case, students utilized the Wonderopolis website in order to read scientific theories as to why cats might be frightened by cucumbers.  After reading through the Wonderopolis article, students then shared the main idea of the article with their classmates. 

On a subsequent visit, students went back to Wonderopolis to research a question of personal interest and then share their findings.  Over the next several class sessions, students posed questions for their classmates that could not be answered simply through the use of Wonderopolis.  To find the answers to their questions, students employed a variety of strategies such as keyword searching, website evaluation, finding the main idea, and reading for supporting evidence.  Students returned to the library in early February to present their research findings.