Jen Pohl
SLM 521
Elective 2: Collaboration
Collaborative
Projects on the Internet
The following projects are appropriate
for 6th grade
If
you could take someone to Dinner…
Sponsored by the
Internet Projects Registry
This
collaborative project is based on the “get to know you” question that is
supposed to “tell” a lot about a person. Students write an essay to answer the
question and have to choose one historical figure, one personal hero, and one
local hero. After writing this essay,
they post it on the class website, including pictures, which will then be able
to be accessed by other classes. The
classes can discuss their choices with other students from across the country
and learn about each other and their local heroes.
Date Visited: Feb.
19, 2006
When asked to write a paragraph,
students often try to get it done as quickly as possible, ignoring the rules of
using a topic sentence, closing, and transition words, resulting in a choppy
piece of work. This question, If you
could have three wishes, what would you do with them, prompts students to write
a one paragraph response. Before they
begin, they can look at examples of other students’ work on the website and
when they are finished, they can then add their own work to the site.
Date Visited: Feb.
19, 2006
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4868/write.html
Sponsored by the
Peace Corps
In this activity, students will read
stories about water, its origins and uses, from different African
countries. Then they will compare the
stories, see what is similar and different, to create their own original stories,
and later poems, about water, based on what they read. Students pay close attention to the use of
the five senses in the original stories and their own stories.
Date Visited: Feb.
19, 2006
http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/water/africa/lessons/MSlang01/index.html
Sponsored by the
Peace Corps
This lesson introduces students to the
culture of
Date Visited: Feb. 19, 2006
http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/guides/senegal/hello.html
Sponsored by the
Peace Corps
This two-part activity begins with
students writing to a Peace Corp volunteer explaining what makes their town
special. Then students will read what
volunteers and students have written to the question, What Makes Honduras
Special. Students will then compare what
they wrote about their town to what was written about
Date Visited: Feb.
19, 2006
http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/guides/honduras/honwhat.html
The Two-Minute Mystery
Writing Club
Sponsored by the
Connected Classroom
In this activity, students have to
decide what makes a good mystery story.
They have examples to read online to help them determine this. Once they find the essential components,
students will write their own mysteries.
These stories will be posted online for other students to solve. This activity encourages students to think
creatively and use the elements of a mystery to produce a story.
Date Visited: Feb.
19, 2006
http://www.qesnrecit.qc.ca/ccdb/2mmclub/index.php
This
website is a virtual book club for students around the world! Students are able to go into discussion areas
for all types of books, from picture books to young adult novels, and are even
able to participate in talks with specific authors (time authors are available
is listed). This is a great site to
encourage kids to read and then have a chance to talk about the book with
someone their own age.
Date Visited: Feb.
19, 2006
Sponsored by Kids
on the Net
This site teaches students about what
should be in a book review. After
explaining the parts that should be included, students can write their book
review and submit it to the website where other students can read their writing
and recommendations.
Date Visited: Feb.
19, 2006
http://kotn.ntu.ac.uk/authors/howto.htm
This
website offers student written reviews on a variety of books and links to other
reviews. Students are given the
opportunity to post their own reviews for others to read. Reviews can also be searched by keyword if
you cannot remember the title or an author of a book, or if you’re looking for
a book on a certain topic.
Date Visited: Feb.
19, 2006
http://library.thinkquest.org/4155/
Sponsored by
KidsCom
Students are given a character,
setting, and a prop that they have to incorporate into a story. Once they write that story, they can post it
online for others to read. There is a
contest every week for the best/most original story. Other visitors to the site vote on their
favorite and that story is highlighted for that week. This is a great place for students to express
their creativity and read the work of students outside of their classrooms and
schools.
Date Visited: Feb.
19, 2006