Jan 31, 2011

The Lunch Box Project


Plot Location: Beirut, Lebanon


brief audio introduction on Woices 
click to hear some voices on the Woices Map in different languages

The Lunch Box Project on Wiki
The link to the project on wiki :  The Lunch Box

We've been recently involved in an interesting project, "The Lunch Box", an international language and cultural awareness project. The main goal is to use the second language for an authentic purpose and to become aware of the similarities and differences between cultures. There are five stages in this project and the activities in each stage are going to be completed by a certain date.

The participants are:


- Australia: Laurimar Primary School, Melbourne, VictoriaDoncaster Gardens Primary School, Melbourne, VictoriaOberthur Primary School, Perth, Western Australia,  and  The Hutchins School, Hobart, Tasmania 

- The United Kingdom: Sinfin School, Derby
- Jordan: Mafraq 

We're currently in stage one of this project which needs to be completed by Friday, February 4th...and we're done! We have joined the group on google and also the teachers' blog on Posterous to go with the project and then located our country on the map and  recorded our voices on Woices Map.
Here is the link to the project on Posterous: "The Lunch Box"

blog on Posterous


Thank you Mrs. Jess McCulloch for organizing this project...it was so interesting to discuss this project with you on skype and share ideas!

Jan 29, 2011

Dicto- Comp Technique


the first step to Dicto- Comp...listening

Boys did the acting out, while the girls read the poem a second time.

Girls did the acting out, while the boys read the poem a third time.




Here is a video of how we acted out the poem.

writing one sentence for each action


Dicto- Comp Dictation is an effective exercise and a learning activity. We applied phonics skills and practiced the integrative use of listening and writing skills. 
Here are the steps we followed:
1. First, we listened to the poem several times.
2. Next, we read the poem slowly and acted it out.
3. We listened to the poem and all the students tried to act it out.
5. Teacher pantomimed the poem and we wrote one sentence for each action.
6. Peer- Correction
Thank you, Mrs. Tamara Nicolai Itani, for telling us about this technique. Dictation has never been so much fun!

Jan 28, 2011

Take- Home Lucky (2)

with a new bike

at the supermarket

taking a shower




Reading to Lucky is one of the best things you can do with him.


Thank you Muheiddeen for helping your sister, Marwa, read to Lucky.


Lucky's Diary

Jan 27, 2011

Our New Japanese Friend, Hikari

Hikari with Flat Stanley

Hikari with Santa

reading Hikari's message


our gifts to Hikari and our Japanese friends

Lebanese flags





Hikari, a Japanese hairdresser, is our new friend. She has sent us a letter telling us that she has never visited Lebanon before and would like to know more about our country. Hikari, has also joined us in our Flat Stanley project and sent us beautiful photos. Thank you so much for communicating with us.
Here are our letters to Hikari:


Jan 23, 2011

Toys and Joys: Gymnasium 140, Russia







Favorite Toys of Russian students of Gymnasium 140

Thank you Ms. Galina Merezhko, the international projects coordinator at Omsk Gymnasium School in Russia, for participating in our project on the e-languages website. We loved the way you described your toys...your toys are beautiful!
We are learning English by playing and we learn the most when it's fun to learn! We all have our toys and enjoy our time sharing them with great friends, don't we?

Toys and Joys: Massachusetts, USA






Mrs. Deb Grady, a home educator in Massachusetts in the USA, has joined our project "Toys and Joys" on the e-languages website. James, Delia, and Maggie, our new cute friends, have shared a presentation and recorded their voices to tell us about their favorite toys. Your toys look really great! 
Thank you Ms. Grady, we are so pleased you have participated in one of our favorite projects and would like to share some of the wonderful learning experiences with you.
This is the link to their presentation on their class website: Mrs. Grady's Website
and here is the link to "Toys and Joys" project on the e-languages website: TOYS AND JOYS

Jan 21, 2011

Flat Friends from Japan

Marina and Haruka 

Nanami and Kyoko 



Our lovely Japanese friends have put their final touches on their Flats and will send them to us hoping they will have great adventures in Lebanon. They have made them alive with colors and beautiful clothes. We promise you, Marina, Haruka, Nanami, and Kyoko to take good care of your Flats and will make them feel at home! Stay tuned for some adventures with Flats!
Flat Stanley, have a safe flight...can't wait to meet you :)
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth...We very much appreciate your collaboration!

Jan 20, 2011

Dictogloss Technique




Dictogloss Dictation


Dictogloss Technique is a classic activity where we are required to reconstruct a text by listening and noting down key words which are then used as a base for reconstruction. We practice listening, reading, writing and speaking by working in cooperative groups and use the vocabulary we have already learned (body parts, fruit, and vegetables) in order to complete the text and make up our own poems.

Special Thank You to Mrs. Tamara Nicolai Itani. We have learned a lot from you and this activity is one of the unforgettable activities that makes dictation active and task based...and brings lots of laughs!

Jan 18, 2011

How to Build a Snowman





"Build a Snowman" is a song we love to sing and pretend we are making a snowman. There are no rules to be followed to build a snowman. It will be prefect no matter what we do and this is one of the reasons we like to build him. To us, he will come alive even for a little while. 
How we wish it would snow in our beloved city, Beirut! Nothing would make us happier than playing in the snow, making a snowman, and having a snowball fight!

Jan 17, 2011

My Home on the Map

All on the Map


naming places shown on the map


 "All on the Map" cards as an aid to completing the graphic organizer chart:
 Photos and Maps



telling about a time when a family member used a map to find a place




It's the end of the selection '"All on the Map" and here is one of our post- reading activities. We drew maps of our neighborhood and located where our houses are. Then we shared our maps and explained what we drew. At the end, we described similarities and differences of where we live.

Jan 13, 2011

Creating Winter Lapbooks





 




Lapbooking is a tool for learning. It's easy to make and learn project.  We have created winter lapbooks covering details that we have already studied about winter. It's a great way to include hands- on activities and  a review tool that we can refer to it over and over again.

Jan 10, 2011

National Children's Day in Bangkok




Our friends at Udomsuksa School in Bangkok, Thailand have celebrated National Children's Day in an interesting way...watch their photos that show their experience sitting on the Prime Minister's chair and acting like real ministers.
Thank you Ms. Sally Medina, we are sure that our friends learned a lot at the government house and at the same time had fun on their special day...and we hope their voice was heard!

Jan 7, 2011

Our First Skype Experience

in Colorado, USA






"On Friday we skyped with our friends in Beirut, Lebanon. We have been friends for a year and a half, but because of the time difference, this was our first skype. Rawya's students in Beirut met at her home in the early evening to make this possible. We were so excited and happy to talk to our friends in person!"

Mrs. Cheryl Arnett- Sunset Elementary School, Craig, Colorado, USA


in Beirut










In spite of the big time difference between Colorado, USA and Beirut, Lebanon, we've found a way to skype. We met at our teacher's house this afternoon at 5: 30 pm our time while it was 8: 30 am in Colorado. We were pretty excited to be able to video chat with our friends. It's a very authentic and powerful experience for us.
Thank you for skyping with us and hoping to set up a meeting another time.
...and another thank you goes for the parents who are helping us in every possible way! You are making a huge difference!

Take- Home Lucky 1

at Raouche, Pigeon Rocks...
after enjoying a stroll along the coastline


watching a 3d movie


at Dino City


with my lovely grandpa

you are my sunshine



"A Take- Home Lucky" is an open-ended activity that connects what we are learning in the classroom and extending that to our home. We take turns taking Lucky, our Teddy Bear, home overnight... and together with our parents work to write what we did with Lucky in the journal and share them with our class.

Jan 6, 2011

Flat Friends to Japan


My Flat Stanley will travel to Japan!


It was a great morning! We made and colored some Flat Stanleys and mailed them to Yokohama in Japan.  Our friends told us they have made little people like themselves: Kyoko, Nanami, Hiroko and Marina. They will send them by e-mail to the U.S., England and to us...
Thank you  Stu and Yuko Farnsworth, it's so interesting to learn about your traditions and culture through our Flat Friends.
Stanley's life continues to be exciting!

The Way We Play: ePals

We hope to learn more games from our friends around the world.




We all like to play games. There are many games that are fun and enjoyable for us. ePals has started a project about the way we play and many schools from different countries shared this activity and, of course, we shared , too.

"The Way We Play" project on ePals:

(What are the games or sports that you play in your country?
In your presentation, include:
Games or sports that you play in your country and show us how the game or sport is played or tell us about any rules that someone playing the game or sport has to follow.)

Here is the link to our video which is also featured with five stars on the ePals website:
http://www.epals.com/media/p/261490.aspx
Thank you ePals for helping us start our new year  in a very positive way.

Jan 4, 2011

The Way We Celebrate Our Eid: ePals



"The Way We Celebrate" is a new project on ePals website:

(What holidays or events do you celebrate in your country?
In your presentation, include:
Holidays or events that you celebrate in your country and
Tell us more about how you celebrate your favorite holiday or event. Are there special foods that you eat? Are there special games that you play? Do you have any special celebrations in your town? )

...and we joined this project greeting the world on Eid Day!
here is the link to our video featured with five stars on the ePals website:

Thank You Ms. Elizabeth Fish for always appreciating our work...your feedback is valuable to us!

Here's My Flat Friend!




Playing in the snow is one of Flat Stanley's favorite activities....and here are our Flats wearing heavy clothes in Colorado. Nothing makes us happier than watching photos we receive from our friends, and this video proves that. You look absolutely wondrous...wish we were with you to enjoy!

Happy New Year from Colorado


Our friends made snowsuits for our Flat friends

...and Flat went into the snow with them!

 first day back from winter vacation

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....it's so cold!
 

Happy New Year



Now winter is here and our Flat Stanleys are enjoying the very cold weather in Colorado, USA. The snow photos are truly BEAUTIFUL! While the temperature in Craig is -20 C nowadays, it's sunny in Beirut with a teamperature of 20 C and we're still waiting for the rain to take some photos with Flat as we promised you.
Enjoy the cold winter weather and  the snow... But be careful not to catch a cold!