about places

About ...

Oh, The Places We'll Go!

world map2.jpg (12953 bytes)

A Collaborative Global Internet Project

WELCOME!

Dear Friends:

Several classes could not be accommodated in last spring's
My Town Is Important project. This new project is an extension of that concept and should fit easily within your fall community study.

We always start the school year learning about our place in the world. Please share your "special places" too!

Marci McGowan

To Register: Send the following information by email to Marci McGowan at marcimcg@aol.com:

teacher's name, grade level, name of school, city or town, state/province/country, email address for contact person

Registration Dates: July 25 - October 1, 2001.

** June 26: Waiting List started.

Entries Due: October 31 or earlier.

Entries include: One or two class poems, no more than four (4) images as jpg or gif files, description of additional activities and resources used.

A project page will be created for each class participating.

Objectives:

* Students will learn about other places in the world and communicate with other classes using Internet.

* Students will write a description of significant features about their special place using the unique format from Margaret Wise Brown's, The Important Book and /or an acrostic poem.

* Students will view participating class entries on the project webpage.

* All activities to be aligned with region/state and technology standards (NETS).

Suggestions for extended activities: illustrations, interviews, drawing a map, writing a song or script, writing a response to participating classes about their entries using email, creating a slide show for visitors, engaging in an online scavenger hunt.

Project Description:
1). Students select a "special place" to share with other project classes and write poems in one or two different formats about their place.

Examples of special places:
* a community created by the class
* a location mentioned in a story read in class (a resource page will be available soon)
* a school, neighborhood, town, state, province
* a river, lake, mountain, park, desert, seashore, ocean
* other geographical area

2). Students write a poem describing their special place using the format from Margaret Wise Brown's, The Important Book. You can read about this book at www.amazon.com.

Beginning sentence: The important thing about my school is ....write one thing.
Middle sentence(s): mention a few or several other key features.
Ending sentence: repeat the beginning.

Note: The first and last sentences are the same.

Example:

The Sky

The important thing about the sky is that it's blue.

Sometimes it drops rain or gives snow in winter.
It's also black when it's dark out.
Stars live up in the sky. The sky is pretty.

But the important thing about the sky is that it's blue.

3). Students will write a poem about a special place in acrostic format:

The Ocean

O ver and over
C ome the waves
E very minute
A lways coming
N ever ending sound

To see more examples of this poetry format go to Fall Poems.

4). Students will engage in additional learning activities related to language arts, social studies, art, technology, math, science.

5). Teacher will submit class entries by October 31 or sooner via email to marcimcg@aol.com.

This project is hosted by Marci McGowan, a teacher at
H. W. Mountz Elementary School, Spring Lake, NJ.

Other projects include:

My Town Is Important 2001

Fall Poetry Project 2000

Spring Poetry 2000 (not available)