Assignment Description

    The assignment given to our fifth grade students that will demonstrate cultural understanding and global awareness will be a communication project about recycling between our rural students of Dundee, Michigan and a class of urban students from New York.  The project will demand the students to use technology based communication through blogs and epal to acquire information and resources about recycling in the urban community of New York.  The students will begin the project by contacting their assigned student from the urban school and assessing cultural insight through various questions suggested by the teachers and questions of their own creation.  The main topic of their project will be recycling. The goal of the information gathered is to create a better understanding of the urban culture and educate their urban student about recycling as it pertains to their community.  The idea is that the urban student will be creating the same project, so the goals are mutual.  The students will have the whole semester to work on this project and will present the final product in a powerpoint to the teacher and urban student.  

    The questions to help build the students projects are as follows:

• Does your family recycle? If so, what do you recycle and where?
• Do you learn about recycling often?  Who educates you and what do you learn?
• What would you like to know about recycling?
• Why is recycling important for you and your community?
• Are there any landfills located near you?  Where?
• Do you have to pay to recycle?
• What are common forms of recycling used in your community?  (Agricultural, Industrial, Individual)
• Is recycling visitor friendly in your community?
• How does your community advocate recycling?    

Students will communicate through E-Pal and a blog created for them and their assigned student.  Each blog will be available to each student in the rural class in Dundee, Michigan and the urban class in New York.  Students are working to gather information about what their student knows and what they want to know to help structure their recycling topics.  They will provide general information about recycling as well as recycling in the urban community of New York.  The students will also find local resources to advocate recycling among the students they work with.  With their student working on rural recycling, the end result of both projects will demonstrate global awareness and cultural understanding in an urban or rural community.