645 Samantha Biskach Global Classroom Module Edtc 645

Global Classroom Module 1
Global Classroom Module:

Celebrating Diversity, Advocating for being an Anti-bully, and the Experience of Belonging
Samantha Lorraine Biskach
EDTC 645: Dr. LeAnne Derby
November 8, 2016
University of Maryland, University College

Overview and introduction:
The Celebrating Diversity, Advocating for being an Anti-bully, and the Experience of
Belonging Global Classroom Module is a cooperative learning opportunity for students in the 6th
grade, middle school level. Though most of the instruction and collaboration will take place in
the American classroom using computers for cooperative learning, students of ages 11-12 will be
able to pair with an international classroom to gain a global perspective on the universal theme of
Race and Ethnicity: Human Commonality and Diversity. Both classrooms of the same grade will
read and analyze texts reflecting the theme of bullying, diversity, and the experience of
belonging. For the first half of the unit, students will read fiction texts that include characters
involved in bullying situations. Students will take observations of the characters and be able to
explain in the first of two major assessments how the character and situations in the text make a
connection to the units Essential Question: How does a sense of belonging affect and individual
and their actions. This will first major assessment will be referred to as the Belonging Written
Response Prompt.
During the second half of the unit, students will begin to read a series of nonfiction texts
with the overall Central Ideas relating to bullying and belonging. Students will interact through
the use of an online Weebly Website, where they will post their work samples and final projects.
Students will also collaborate with their international classmates using Google software as Gmail
and Google Classroom. As the second and final major assessment, students will create an
informational Google Slides presentation displaying facts of bullying they have learned
throughout the unit. Students will also be able to reflect on their projects and make connections
with the global perspectives of bullying and belonging with their classmates in the international
classroom. In choosing to complete a project engulfing the global themes of bullying, belonging,
and diversity, students of both classrooms will gain the experience of what life is like in another
country. They will be able to make connections with diverse students on a real-world issue. At
the final conclusion of the Global Classroom Module, students will be successful if they can:
Develop a Pen Pal letter and accompanying video to a diverse classroom
Create an effective written response that describes how a particular storys plot unfolds,
the characters change, and how the text read makes an Essential Question connection
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are
appropriate to the task and audience
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting
through support of peers and teacher
Use technology to produce and publish writing, as well as to interact and collaborate
with others
Research the topic of bullying and analyze informational texts in order to present
knowledge
Use knowledge of text features, central idea, and the essential question to present
findings on how does bullying affect an individual and their actions?
Conduct a short research project that answers a research question by gathering relevant
information from print/digital sources.
Use technology to produce and publish presentations, as well as to interact and
collaborate with others

Global Classroom Module: Previously Submitted Pre-Planning Proposal
Title: Celebrating Diversity, Advocating for being an Anti-bully, and the Experience of
Belonging.
Designer: Samantha Lorraine Biskach
Summary:
This lessons central goal is to allow students to collaborate with a diverse classroom
regarding the theme of Celebrating Diversity and becoming an advocate for anti-bullying.
Through this globally friendly experience, students will be able to explore how words, images,
and color work together in posters/multimedia presentations to capture the viewers attention and
communicate ideas in a powerful manner (ePals, 2016). Both classrooms begin learning through
collaboration of Pen Pal letters and through the process of examining posters from a collection
curated by the Smithsonian Institution, and analyze messages presented (ePals, 2016). Classes
will then share images of posters from their own communities or countries. As a culminating
activity, students will be able to become designers of multimedia presentations that express the
benefits of diversity, advocating for anti-bullying, and celebrating diversity. Students will present
their posters to the diverse classroom and share their perspectives of what it means to be an anti-
bully advocate.
Classroom background and demographics:
Secondary school level students (middle school)
Approximately 67% White students
Approximately 8.9% African-American students
Approximately 14.5% Hispanic students
Primarily lower to middle class

50.9% FARMS (Free and Reduced Meals)
10.6% Special Education
Time-frame:
Over a six-week period of time, the proposed project will be divided into three lessons of two
weeks each.
Subject and grade level:
English Language Arts
6th grade/middle school students
Proposed topic and rationale:
Topic: Exploring cultural perspectives of celebrating diversity, advocating for anti-
bullying, and sharing the experience of belonging.
Rationale: Certain central ideas of fiction and nonfiction texts in middle school include
an element of the experience of belonging and celebrating diversity. For secondary level
students, understanding the effects of bullying and how a sense of belonging defines an
individual is vital for this age group to comprehend. Though language barriers and cultural
perspectives of this topic will vary, many students of this age group no matter where they are
from must deal with the unfortunate situation of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination.
Through collaborating with a classroom in Egypt, American and Egyptian students will be able
to gain a perspective of what "reducing prejudice," "avoiding stereotypes," or "eliminating
discrimination" means to theirs and the opposite classroom they are engaging with. Students will
begin a Pen Pal experience collaborating on how their community thrives and respects diversity.
In an effort to celebrate diversity, students will create posters/multimedia presentations that to
informs audiences of the effects of bullying and prejudice in an effort to enhancing students' self-
image as the primary goal. Students will learn how to create powerful presentations and how
alike or different their opinions are when it comes to the concept of bullying and having a sense
of belonging in ones community. Classrooms will collaborate using Google Gmail and a
Weebly website to post their views and creations.
Global network utilized: collaboration with teacher and students will be conducted through
Google (GAFE) technology, as well as the ePals software.
ePals.com and the Poster Power Experience
https://www.epals.com/#/exploreExperience/view/WQaP6hp34motxo6pz
Key challenges:
The key challenges with this unit will be to find a platform to initiate and provide
discussion opportunities for students and teachers. Google Apps for Education (GAFE) could be
a possible way to counteract this issue if both schools have access to this technology. Each
classroom could create a Google Classroom for discussion purposes and posting responses for
questions posed in the unit of study. Also, with the challenges of time differences, an obstacle
would include the process of creating opportunities for instant feedback and collaboration. The
option of having an online medium to post discussions and assignments will be beneficial.
Screencasts of creating multimedia posters in a digital fashion could also create a sense of
collaboration.
Prior knowledge:
The prior knowledge needed for students is to read and review literature regarding the
theme of bullying and the Essential Question regarding the experience of belonging: How does a
sense of belonging define an individual and affect their actions? Students will be reviewing what
bullying is and what it is not. Students will also need to gain understanding of bullying facts and
statistics regarding American youth. In order to create the culminating project of a poster,
students will need background information of creating visuals using text features and informative
writing skills. Since students will be collaborating through the use of technology, students will
need to know how to properly use technology for discussion purposes and how to conduct proper
digital discussion etiquette.
Standards and Key Concepts
Content standards: Standards utilized in the project will be aligned with the Common Core
State Standards (CCSS) for 6th grade.
o CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is
conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal
opinions or judgments.
o CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and
publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
o CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question,
drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
Use a variety of formats to prepare the findings/conclusions for sharing
Share findings and/or conclusions through a variety of print and multimedia venues
o CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards:
6. Creative Communicator: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for
a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to
their goals.
6d: students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for
their intended audience
7. Global Collaborator: Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their
learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.
Global theme:
With regards to Global Themes, the category that fits best with this lesson plan module
would include Race and Ethnicity: Human Commonality and Diversity. Due to the overall topic
including the use of multimedia posters to create a global perspective of advocating for anti-
bullying and a sense of belonging for all, students will review texts that provide data on bullying
and experiences in fiction and nonfiction articles. Additionally, themes of reducing prejudice,
avoiding stereotypes, and eliminating discrimination will be an area of discussion for the young
learners. Students will ultimately be able to collaborate with a diverse classroom on their
perspective of how does a sense of belonging define an individual and affect their actions, as
well as having the ability to become an advocate for being an anti-bully.
Pre-lesson steps: In an effort to connect my students with a diverse learning experience, the
following steps must be taken:
1. Develop a lesson using ePals digital platform
2. Locate or identify a teacher/educator from an Egyptian/ Middle Eastern setting willing to
take part in the ePals project
3. If ePals does not find possible opportunities, turning to other digital networks might be
necessary to locate a diverse classroom.

4. When a connection has been made with the diverse classroom, co-planning the lesson
with my partner teacher will commence.
5. Identifying a platform for students to collaborate will be decided. Google Apps for
Education (GAFE) or a comparable medium may be suggested to the peer teacher.
6. Discussing possible challenges that may occur during the lesson will need to be discussed
and possible solutions to these obstacles will be created.
7. The culminating activity will be strategically planned with peer teacher.
Technology-use: Students will use a variety of technology tools during this unit of study:
Laptops, MacBooks, and/or iPads will be used for creating digital posters and digital
discussions.
Google Apps for Education (GAFE) or similar tools will be used for communication
purposes.
Screencasts may be used to create real-time productions of the creation process of
posters. This will help with the challenge of time differences among the diverse
classrooms.
Multimedia presentation tools as Glogster, Power Point, or Weebly website makers may
be used to create presentations and post for sharing with the partner classroom.
Essential questions: The following questions will link our project to student learning objectives:
In what ways does our need to feel a sense of belonging conflict with our individuality?
How does a sense of belonging define an individual and affect their actions?
How can having a sense of belonging create a positive community?

Differentiated instruction:
Using the Explicit Instruction model for teaching, I will break down each lesson to fit the
need of learners. With a mixture of abilities in classes taught, extended time for assignments,
notes sheets, graphic organizers, and models of assignments will be used to meet the needs of all
students. Allowing for choice of what platform to use to create multimedia presentations will
also allow for a sense of choice for young learners.
Starting activity for module:
As a way to hook the students into investing into the unit of study, both teachers can
present a cue-set activity of asking a series of questions including: What does having a sense of
belonging means to you? Then, both teachers can provide a short video of what bullying looks
like in contemporary society. A video entitled 2015 Anti-bullying Video found on YouTube
will provide easy access to both classrooms of images regarding famous celebrities that
overcame being bullied and not feeling a sense of belonging during their youth. Finally, a
reading of a bullying-themed text will launch to start out the unit for each classroom. Though the
texts may differ, the overall theme of belonging and bullying should be present.
Lesson Plans
Summary of lesson plans:
Throughout the six-week unit, a total of two lessons will be initiated in an effort to
prepare students for the final culminating project of a multimedia presentation of an anti-bullying
campaign poster. During the first three weeks, students will read a fiction text regarding a
character who experiences a bully situation and does not have a sense of belonging. Students will
read the text and characterize the character and how he or she reacts to her lack of a sense of
belonging. Students will also analyze how this character overcomes the struggle of being bullied.
In addition to these first few weeks, students will read, analyze, and review nonfiction and
informational texts regarding bullying. They will complete small and large group discussions to
answer the Essential Questions of the unit. During the final three weeks of the unit, students will
review how to use technology and multimedia tools to create a poster/multimedia presentation on
their research regarding Celebrating Diversity, Advocating for being an Anti-bully, and the
Experience of Belonging. Students will also collaborate with a global perspective on their
answers to the Essential Questions of the overall unit readings and how they plan to make a
multimedia presentation to share what it means to have a sense of belonging and advocate for
being an anti-bully. Students will be able to share their presentations digitally and give feedback
on the effectiveness of their multimedia creations.
Summative assessment:
The culminating project for the Celebrating Diversity, Advocating for being and Anti-
bully, and the Experience of Belonging project will include a multimedia presentation presenting
data and research on the forms, effects, types, and ways of stopping bullying. Students will also
create central idea statement of what their overall message is about regarding the topic of having
a sense of belonging and being an anti-bully advocate. Students will be assessed using a rubric
on their individual projects abiding to the Common Core State Standards for 6th grade English
Language Arts. Additionally, after collaborating with Egyptian classmates, students will
complete an end of unit reflection comparing and contrasting their answers with the Egyptian
students to the research question: Does a sense of belonging and bullying affect an individual
and their actions? Students will be assessed on their writing using the PARCC writing rubric.
Statement of revisions made to the pre-planning template:
For revisions regarding my pre-planning template, there were a few areas that needed
adjusting for the Global Classroom Module to be successful. First, when it comes to the length of
topics, I have decided to change from having a total of three lessons of two weeks each, to a two-
week lesson regarding reading fictional texts and an informational essay and a four-week lesson
for research and project development purposes. With the change in time-frame, this will give
students enough time to become knowledgeable on the topic and collaborate with their
international classmates. In addition to the change in length of lessons, I have also made
curriculum changes to fit the needs of my classrooms scope and sequence.
With regards to the classroom curriculum, I have decided to add a few more county-
required texts to the fiction and nonfiction readings of the project. This texts include the short
story All Summer in a Day, as well as a poem entitled Primer. This will give students a
chance to interact with more literature and gain the ability to further their connections to the
topic of diversity, bullying, and belonging. With this change, I have also added the Common
Core State Standard of CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2., which will ultimately allow more
objectives to be covered in this extensive project and unit. Additionally, I have refined my lesson
according to initiatives my school district has adopted. This year, all teachers in our county have
been given access to Google Apps for Education (GAFE). Since this is a technology that my
school district is advocating for, allowing students to complete a Google Slides presentation will
not only permit them to interact with technology, but use tools regarded highly in my school
district. Finally, as part of the conclusion of the lesson, I have planned for students a final
reflection entitled, Experience of Belonging and Bullying Unit Reflection. This final
assessment will allow me to comprehend if students met learning goals and it will allow them to
express their understanding of the overall Global Classroom Module.
Lesson Plan #1
Name of Lesson: Introduction to The Experience of Belonging Unit (Introduction to the Module)
Grade Level/ 6th Grade/ English Language Arts

Subject Area:
Overview and The purpose of this lesson and written response project is to create positive and
Purpose: collaborative learning between my students and the Egyptian students.
Introductions for my students on the Eastern Shore of Maryland will begin in
conjunction with introductions of students in the Middle East. From a Pen Pals
letter and video creation activity, students will then begin to read texts with the
common theme of Diversity, Bullying, and the Experience of Belonging. Students
will complete a written response the will explain how characters in belonging and
bullying-theme texts are affected. Students will be able to gain a global perspective
of how an international classroom comprehends characters in a text and how their
sense of belonging defines them as individuals and their actions.
Length of Lesson Five 45 minute blocks (Non-consecutive days)

and Additional This project will run over the course of two weeks. Students will read texts relating
Information: to the theme of bullying and belonging. Students will have two days in class to
work on their writing assessment. Students will complete writing workshops in
order to make their writing polished for presentation. On the third day, students
will post and view each others composition using the Weebly Website Module:
Experience Belonging.
Education Curriculum Standards: Common Core State Standards

Standards
Addressed: - CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a
text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary
of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or

drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters
respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to

examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the
selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
(Common Core State Standards, 2016)
International Society for Technology Standards (ISTE) in Education for

Students (2016)
- Standard 6: Creative Communicator

- Standard 7. Global Collaborator
(ISTE, 2016)
Essential Questions:
In what ways does our need to feel a sense of belonging conflict with our
individuality?
How does a sense of belonging define an individual and affect their
actions?
Lesson Goals: The goal of the lessons is for students to individually write Pen Pal letters
introducing themselves and how their communities regard diversity, bullying, and
the experience of feeling a sense of belonging. Students will also record videos of
themselves giving their introductions and share them with an Egyptian classroom.
Then, in whole groups, small groups, and individually, students will be able to
read texts that present the theme of the experience of belonging. Students will read
three fiction texts in order and present affects bullying had on the characters within
each piece of literature. Students will use the Google Docs technology to create an
effective written-response on how the character evolved within the text due to his
or her experience with bullying and belonging. Students will then post these
written responses as a Gallery Walk on the Weebly Website Module for viewing
and feedback. The goal of these written response posts is to develop a
collaborative environment for the students to communicate with each other and
with a classroom in the Middle East.
Performance After completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

Objectives: Develop a Pen Pal letter and accompanying video that introduces
themselves to their Egyptian classmates.
Create an effective written response that describes how a particular storys
plot unfolds, the characters change, and how the text read makes an
Essential Question connection
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to the task and audience
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
and rewriting through support of peers and teacher
Use technology to produce and publish writing, as well as to interact and
collaborate with others
Introduction: Students will view a video regarding bullying using YouTube as a way to
introduce the topic of the upcoming unit. Then, students will discuss the units first
Essential Question: How does a sense of belonging affect and individual and their
actions? Students will discuss their initial answers to this question with their
classmates. Then, the students will be informed that they will be collaborating with
an international class to help bring answers to this Essential Question from a
global perspective. Students will then review the proper etiquette for writing
letters. Finally, students will develop a Pen Pal letter informing their Egyptian
classroom classmates on who they are and how they feel a sense of belonging
affects individuals. Students will complete a writing workshop and peer editing of
their Pen Pal letters before they are sent via email to the Egyptian students.
Once letters are written, students will begin reading literature texts with a common
theme of bullying and belonging in order to further their understanding of the
units theme and Essential Question.
See appendix A for the Global Pen Pal Letter.
Step-By-Step The teacher will inform her class that all students will begin a global perspective
Procedures: and collaborative project/unit that will help them gain a better understanding of
reading literature and the theme of bullying and belonging. The teacher will
explain this global perspectives module will be an extended project over the next
six weeks. During the first weeks of the unit, the teacher will explain to students
that they must develop more understanding of how a sense of belonging affects
individuals through multiple texts and also through collaboration with a diverse,
international classroom of students. Students will be informed that the first project
completed in the unit will include a written response on how characters are
effected by their surroundings of bullying situations. Students will be able to create
a Google Doc written response and share their writing with their Egyptian
classmates using a Weebly Website Module. Students will be able to learn how to
effectively use the Google Apps for Education technology, including Google Docs,
as well as learning how to post their written responses to a website module
platform.
Class Period 1:
Warm up: Students will be able to answer the following question: From what you
have learned in your language arts classes and other classes you have taken in the
past, what would you consider proper letter-writing format? If you were given the
chance to write a letter to a student in an international classroom, what would you
say to them?
Once students have been given about 5 minutes to answer the question on their
warm-up worksheet, they will collaborate in full class discussion to work
collaboratively in developing ideas.
1. Review with students the importance of collaborative learning and working

together to build knowledge. Students will then be informed on their
upcoming collaboration activities regarding a classroom in Egypt.
2. Students will use what they discussed during the warm-up activity to
complete the Global Pen Pal Letter. Students will each receive a digital
copy of this letter within their Google Apps for Education (GAFE) Google
Classroom. Students will take time to follow the directions given to
complete a well-written letter to a student in the Egyptian classroom:
Directions: Using the letter template below, write your initial Pen Pal letter to a
student in Egypt. Be sure to give them specifics about who you are to introduce
yourself. You may tell your name, grade, hobbies, and any other information that
will allow your new Pen Pal to get to know you. Then, explain what a sense of
belonging means to you as an American and human-being. You may ask them what
their thoughts are regarding our units Essential Question: How does a sense of
belonging affect and individual and their actions?
See appendix A for the Global Pen Pal Letter.
3. After the students have been given time to write their Global Pen Pal
Letter, students will use the GAFE technology to share their letter with a
student in their classroom for editing purposes. Students will offer
descriptive feedback on how to improve the Written Expression and
Conventions portion of their letters.
4. Once letters have been edited, revised, and polished, they will be submitted
to the teacher using the Google Classroom submission. After assessing
letters for completion, the teacher will post Pen Pal letters to the Weebly
Website Module for international viewing with the Egyptian classroom.
Students will also create a video recording of their introduction and share
these videos with their international classmates.
5. The teacher then will introduce the The Experience of Belonging Unit
Project to the students. The teacher will inform students they will be
reading a total of three fiction texts with the common theme of belonging
and bullying. They will work with each other to develop understanding of
how the bullying-related events in each text affected the individuals and
characters. Students will also be informed on how they will be sharing their
experiences reading texts with these common themes with their Egyptian
classmates.
6. The students will be completing readings of texts in small groups of 4 to 5

students. They will begin to take notes on how the characters progressed
and evolved in the stories due to their experiences with bullying.
7. The students will be given the remaining time in class to begin their first
read of the text, Tuesday of the Other June by Norma Fox Mazer located
in their classroom textbooks and online. While reading, students will
answer a series of 1st read questions. See appendix B for Tuesday of the
Other June Checking for Understanding.
8. If not finished in class, students will be given time during the next class
period to finish reading and completing the 1st read questions.
Class Period 2:
Warm up: Students will be able to answer the following question: From what you
have read so far in Tuesday of the Other June, what have you noticed regarding
a bullying situation with the main character? How has the character of June
responded to her bully?
1. Teacher will give students time to finish reading Tuesday of the Other
June and completing the 1st read questions. Once the reading and
questions have been completed, students will work in small groups to
answer and review the answers to their questions.
2. The teacher will then inform students that in order to prepare for a written
response, students will need to track the evolution of the characters they
read about throughout the stories read over the next few class-periods. The
teacher will administer the paper copy Characterization Tracker to all
students. See appendix C for Characterization Tracker.
3. Students will be able to record character traits and text evidence showing
changes in the characters due to bullying they experiences and how they
are affected due to their sense of belonging. Students will track each
character and how their traits have changed as the stories progress.
Students will be informed that from the characters tracked in the stories
they will read over the next week, they will decide on overall character
traits for each character and how their sense of belonging is affected.
4. Over the next few class periods, students will read other bullying and
belonging theme texts including, All Summer in a Day and the poem
Primer. Students will be given 1st read questions and then asked to fill in
their Character Trackers for each text. See appendix D for All Summer
and Primer Questions.
5. On the third day, which will be on the following week, students will begin
their Written Response projects for collaborating with the Egyptian
classroom.
Class Period 3-4:

Warm up: Students will be able to answer the following question:
Day 3-After reading a few texts with the common theme of bullying and belonging,
what is your thoughts on how does the experience of belonging affect an
individual and affect their actions?
Day 4-In your opinion, why is bullying and belonging a good topic to discuss with
students from another country? Why would it be beneficial for Americans to also
gain a global perspective of our Essential Question?
The next two classes will entail a writers workshop to prepare for collaboration
with the Egyptian classroom.
1. The teacher will review with students the overall objective for reading texts
with the common theme of bullying and belonging. Students will
collaborate with groups using the Think-Pair-Share procedure to answer
the following questions:
How has belonging affected me?
How might the country of Egypt respond to how we perceive the
experience of belonging in America?
What might cause a difference in opinions with regards to our global
classmates when it comes to how a sense of belonging affects
individuals?
What is proper etiquette posting written responses to the online
world? What should I keep in mind when collaborating with students
of another country and culture?
The class will then discuss these questions in whole class format in order to
prepare for a globally collaborative writing activity using Google Docs and Google
Classroom.
2. The students will be given the two days to complete the following
regarding a writing prompt:
Flashdraft: students will write a draft of their ideas in 5 minutes
Rough draft: students will be given approximately 30 minutes to
complete
Peer editing with descriptive feedback: students will be given time in
class to complete at least three instances of peer editing with
classmates. Student will provide descriptive feedback regarding the

Conventions and Written Expression area of the PARCC Writing
Rubric. This will be the tool used to assess students work.
Final draft of their written response to the question: how did the sense
of belonging affect the individuals in the texts read and their actions?
See appendix E for Belonging Written Response Prompt and
appendix F for the PARCC Writing Rubric. Students will be
assessed using this rubric due to its alignment to the Common Core
State Standards.
3. The Egyptian students will have worked on a similar written response

regarding texts they have read with the themes of bullying and belonging.
4. Once Written Responses have been posted to the Weebly Website Module,
student must respond to Egyptian classmates via Gmail/Google Classroom.
Students will response to each others written responses on how they felt
characters in the stories they read experienced bullying and how their
experiences of belonging affected their actions.
5. The teacher will stress the importance of effective communication and

using dialogue that is content specific and positive. The teacher will stress
the importance of asking interpretive questions that would allow responses
to go beyond yes or no answers. Students must complete responses with
at least two students in the global classroom.
Class Period 5:
Warm up: Students will be able to answer the following question: From your
experiences with collaborating with an Egyptian student, how has what you have
learned about the experience of belonging changed from what you initially
thought? Or, if your initial ideas of how a sense of belonging and bullying affects
an individual did not change, what confirmed your thoughts after collaborating
with a global perspective?
1. After discussing the warm up question, students will be able individually

read each written response given by their Egyptian classmates. All students
will gain the global perspective and understanding from each Egyptian
students thoughts on how a sense of belonging affected the characters they
read about.
2. From the written responses given from the Egyptian students, students will
begin to identify and record on paper similarities and differences between
their beliefs and the beliefs of the Egyptian students with regards to how
characters were affected by bullying and belonging.
3. Students will then complete a Google Classroom digital discussion with

their classmates on their reactions to their global experiences with Middle
Eastern students. Students digital discussion using Google Classroom with
their immediate classmates will include the following questions:
What did you learn from connecting with a student in another country?
How did connecting with the Egyptian student help you develop your
ideas regarding this units essential question?
Students must develop an initial response using Google Classroom and then
response to at least 5 other classmates through a secondary response. Secondary
responses posed must include interpretive questions that avoid yes or no answers.
See appendix G for Sample Google Classroom Question
4. As a segue into the next project, students will begin to brainstorm ways
bullying has an effect on not only fictional characters in books students can
read, but real people of all cultures and backgrounds.
5. Students will read a nonfiction article entitled Egypts Bullying Problem

that explains what bullying is like in Egyptian schools. The teacher will
then ask students a series of questions:
How does this article regarding bullying in Egypt make a connection
with your experiences in America?
What surprised you, confirmed your thoughts, or challenged what you
knew about bullying when it comes to both Americans and global
settings?
6. Students will complete an Exit Ticket response to the following question:

How will learning about the views my Egyptian classmates had regarding
the experiences of belonging and what I have learned about bullying in
Egyptian schools from the nonfiction article help me create an informative
research project that will inform audiences on the effects of bullying on
individuals? See appendix H for Exit Ticket 1
Technology - Computer/ MacBook Pro access

Requirements - Video recording device (iPad or Smart Phone technology)
and Materials: - Weebly website platform for posting assignments/presentations
- Internet access
- YouTube website (website blockers must be turned off by Media Specialist)
- Google Apps for Education account and log-in information for each student
Gmail
Google Docs
Google Classroom
- McDougal Little 6th Grade Textbook
Resources/Active http://alimanschool.org/grade6/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Tuesday-of-the-
URLs/Website Other-June.pdf
Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBwf-VPZqDs
http://experiencebelonging.weebly.com/
http://scoopempire.com/egypts-bullying-problem/
Assessment Students will complete a Pen Pal activity that will allow them the experience of
Based on communicating and collaborating with students in an Egyptian classroom. Then,
Objectives: students will complete an investigation on how characters in literary texts are
affected by bullying and how the experience of belonging defines them and affects
their actions. These activities align with the 6th grade Common Core State
Standards for Reading Literary Texts and students will be assessed using these
standards in conjunction with the PARCC writing rubric. Students will read texts
and complete activities to further their understanding of the characters and their
actions to ultimately complete a summative written response on this topic. Finally,
students will collaborate with an international classroom by sharing their written
responses and providing feedback on responses to others. As a final wrap-up to
this lesson, students will collaborate with each other on how they can take what
they have learned from the texts read and collaboration among international peers
to create a multimedia and collaborative project.
Follow-Up: As a follow-up to the lesson and activities of this unit, students will learn more
about the Egyptian culture with the help of the Egyptian students and Social
Studies teachers. Currently, Social Studies classes at the middle school are also
discussing ancient Egypt in the Early Civilizations class as part of their curriculum
and comparing this setting to modern times. In Geography Social Studies classes,
Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries are also being discussed. Using this
instance of cross-curricular topics will allow a sense of cohesion in the school
setting.
Classroom To make certain all students are conducting themselves in a professional manner
Management: online, the teacher will consistently monitor the classroom and online Google
Classroom. The teacher will stress to students that all that is posted online can
been seen and nothing is ever truly deleted online. Lessons with the Media
Specialist at the school will included lessons on digital citizenship and the
rules/regulations for using technology in the middle school setting. All students
will read and sign a rules/regulations contract for using technology to ensure all
individuals know the guidelines of using tech-tools in the school setting.
Differentiated Differentiated instruction will be provided for all students in need:

Instruction: Explicit instruction given for reading texts. Chunking texts and extended
time will be given to students.
Audio and/or oral presentation of all texts will be provided to students with
need
HAP (Highly Abled Program/Honors) students will be given less
scaffolding as needed. These students may assist students as needed. HAP
students may also choose their own, personalized methods of notetaking,
while less-abled will be given teacher created graphic organizers
(Characterization Tracker, etc.)
Additional Notes: For an extension of this lesson the teacher could provide students with an
opportunity to rewrite one of the stories from the perspective of the bully.
Students would be able to explain how the experience of belonging and
bullying actually affects the actions on the bullies and defines them as
individuals. Students would be assess using the PARCC writing rubric.
Students could turn the readings they complete into digital storybooks,
complete with audio and illustrations.
The teacher must reserve the MacBook Laptop carts a week in advance for
the days needed for this lesson.
Mrs. Porter (Media Specialist) must have all students registered with their
GAFE accounts.
Media Specialist must turn off website blockers to sites such as YouTube.
Lesson Plan #2
Lesson Title: Diversity, Bullying, and Belonging Research Project (Final Project of the Module)
Grade Level/ 6th Grade/ English Language Arts

Subject Area:
Overview and The purpose of this lesson and written response project is to continue to create
Purpose: positive and collaborative learning between my students and the Egyptian students.
Students will extend their collaboration skills by working in groups to conduct
research on the effects of bullying on individuals. Students will also develop their
own campaign presentations to be an informing audiences about the effects of
bullying and how to be and advocate for anti-bullying. Students will learn what it
means to create a powerful poster/presentation and create a multimedia
presentation informing audiences on the effects of bullying. The ePals website will
be used for some resources, however, many of the resources for the lesson will be
created by the teacher. Students will finally be able to collaborate with their
Egyptian classmates on the effectiveness of their presentations with regards to
informing audiences on bullying and providing factual information that promotes
an emotional appeal to viewers.
Length of Lesson Five 45 minute classes (Non-consecutive days)

and Additional This project will run over a total of four weeks, with time to review nonfiction
Information: texts/articles regarding bullying and complete a multimedia project regarding the
research question: Does a sense of belonging and bullying affect an individual and
their actions. On the final days of the unit, students will collaborate with students
in Egypt using a Weebly Website Module to view presentations and reflect on
their research and answers to the research question.
Education Curriculum Standards: Common Core State Standards

Standards
Addressed: - CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a
text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary
of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or

informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
(Common Core State Standards, 2016)
International Society for Technology Standards in Education (ISTE) for

Students (2016)
- Standard 6: Creative Communicator
- Standard 7. Global Collaborator
(ISTE, 2016)
Essential Questions:
In what ways does our need to feel a sense of belonging conflict with our
individuality?
How does a sense of belonging define an individual and affect their
actions?
Lesson Goals: The goal of this lesson is to use emotional appeals to create a powerful multimedia
presentation for an Anti-bullying campaign. Students will use their knowledge of
text features, central idea, emotional appeals, and nonfiction research they
investigate to complete their Google Slides presentation. Students will collaborate
with Egyptian students to clarify how an international classroom views the
their action.
Performance After completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

Objectives: Research the topic of bullying and analyze informational texts in order to
present knowledge
Use knowledge of text features, central idea, and the essential question to
present findings on how does bullying affect an individual and their
actions?
Conduct a short research project that answers a research question by
gathering relevant information from print/digital sources.
Use technology to produce and publish presentations, as well as to interact
and collaborate with others
Introduction: This lesson will require students to conduct research on the topic of bullying and
the experience of belonging. Students will also review text features, what makes an
effective, and powerful presentation, as well as how to develop a central idea of a
nonfiction text/presentation. Students will be informed that they will complete a
Google Slides presentation to share their findings and understanding of the
their action. Students will use resources from the ePals site to view powerful
presentations and create their own informative presentations. Students will
collaborate with Egyptian students on the impact on powerful presentations to
advocate for being an anti-bully.
Step-By-Step Class Periods 1-3:

Procedures: Warm up: Students will be able to answer the following questions over the course
of three class periods:
I. In your opinion, would you consider a bully a bad person?

II. How can the idea of diversity make a connection with bullying and a sense
of belonging?
III. What have you been most surprised about with regards to the current
nonfiction texts we have been reading? Were there any Aha Moments or
other Notice and Note Signposts (Signposts are a reading strategy taught
throughout the school districts language arts classes) you found in our
nonfiction investigations on bullying?
1. Before readings have initiated, students will be shown a YouTube video

reflecting bullying from a multicultural standpoint. Using the video as a
reference, students will conduct a Think-Pair-Share on the following
questions:
How does viewing other cultures thoughts on bullying affect your
thinking of the topic?
How can you create a Multimedia presentation that informs
audiences of advocating towards being an anti-bully and
celebrating diversity?
2. The teacher will fully explain to students that they will be completing a
multimedia presentation using the GAFE tool, Google Slides. This project
will be completed over the course of the next week as students read
nonfiction texts regarding facts about bullying.
3. Students will begin reading the first nonfiction text found in their
McDougal Little 6th Grade Textbook entitled, The Problem with Bullies.
Students will read this text independently and begin to use the teacher-
created Bullying Notes graphic organizer. See appendix I for Bullying
Notes Graphic Organizer
4. Once students have completed the reading, they will share their findings
with a partner for 5 minutes. Then, a whole-class discussion and share-out
of findings will commence.
5. Exit Ticket (Formative Assessment): Students will complete a sticky note

reflection on the following question: What stuck with you today when it
comes to our research on bullying? What is one thing that surprised you
and one thing that confirmed what you already knew about bullying?
Students will stick this to the What Stuck with You board as they are
dismissed.
6. Over the next two consecutive days, students will read two additional texts
regarding bullying and add their findings to the Bullying Notes Graphic
Organizer
Nonfiction Text 2: Bullying: Facts for Schools and Parents
Nonfiction Text 3: I Bullied a Friend
7. During the next class period, students will begin the development of their
presentations using the research they have recorded.
Class Period 4-5:

Warm up: Students will be able to answer the following question: What are ways
you can appeal to audiences when completing an informative presentation
promoting an anti-bullying campaign? What strategies and text features would you
include in your presentation? Keep in mind what we have learned this year
regarding emotional appeals and text features/structure.
1. The teacher will inform students they will be viewing a total of two
multimedia posters that present a powerful message. These sample posters
will be taken from the ePals website.
2. Students will examine posters from a collection curated by the

Smithsonian Institution, and analyze the techniques behind the message
(ePals, 2016). Students will then collaborate on what makes these powerful
posters. Students will be instructed to take what they have learned
regarding the effectiveness and strategies included in these posters to create
their own multimedia presentations.
3. Students will gain access to their Google GAFE accounts and begin
developing their Google Slides presentations. Students must navigate to
their Google Classroom, create a new Google Slide assignment, and use the
Anti-Bullying Presentation Rubric and Success Criteria to complete their
projects. See appendix J for Anti-Bullying Presentation Rubric
4. Students will have two class periods to complete their projects. What is not
finished in class by the last class period, must be finished at home. Students
will email and/or submit their Google Slides presentation to the teacher.
The teacher will assess each students presentation using the Anti-
Bullying Presentation Rubric. Once they have been assessed, the teacher
will post the presentations to the Weebly Website for viewing (with both
students in the immediate classroom and the Egyptian students).
Class Period 6:
Warm up: Students will be able to answer the following question: What are you
most proud of when it comes to your multimedia presentation? Now that your
presentations have been posted to our Weebly Website, how do you think your
presentations will compare with our Egyptian classmates research on bullying?
1. The teacher will explain to students the importance of gaining a global

perspective on the topic of bullying. Since the Egyptian students will have
completed a similar assignment, students will begin to view the
presentations of their Egyptian classmates that were posted on the Weebly
Website and reflect on their findings.
2. Students will take notes in their Media Notebook (these are tools used
throughout the year in our classes) on how their presentations compare or
contrast with the presentations of their Egyptian classmates. Students will
analyze whether their facts regarding bully differ or compare to how
Egyptian students view bullying and ways to stop it in their communities.
3. As a final reflection/ summative for the project, students will complete the
Experience of Belonging and Bullying Unit Reflection. See appendix K
for Experience of Belonging and Bullying Unit Reflection. Students
will be graded on their writing using the PARCC Writing Rubric. See
appendix F for the PARCC rubric. The teacher will post these reflections
to the Weebly Website for international viewing as well with the Egyptian
classroom. With this, students in both the immediate classroom and Egypt
and reflect on what their peers from another country learned from the
overall project, lessons, and unit.
Technology - Computer/ MacBook Pro access

Requirements - Weebly website platform for posting assignments/presentations
and Materials: - Internet access
- YouTube website (website blockers must be turned off by Media Specialist)
- Google Apps for Education account and log-in information for each student
Gmail
Google Slides
Google Classroom
- McDougal Little 6th Grade Textbook
Resources/Active https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RVmXyF7jJg
URLs/Website
Links: http://experiencebelonging.weebly.com/
http://www.naspcenter.org/factsheets/bullying_fs.html
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756855
Assessment Students will complete two assessments within this unit. The first will be to create
Based on a multimedia presentation using Google Slides. The final assessment will be a
Objectives: reflection displaying each students experience of collaboration with students in
Egypt and how their beliefs of the experience of belonging and bullying compare
and differ.
Follow-Up: Students will complete the final reflection listed as appendix K for Experience of
Belonging and Bullying Unit Reflection. Throughout the remainder of the year,
students will continue to Pen Pal with their Egyptian classmates on how their
experiences of belonging in their communities have affected them. By the end of
the year, the hope is that all students gain a global perspective of how similar they
are to children their ages in other countries.
Classroom To make certain all students are conducting themselves in a professional manner
Management: online, the teacher will consistently monitor the classroom and online Google
Classroom and assignments submitted before they are posted to the Weebly
Website. The teacher will continue to stress to students that all that is posted online
can been seen and nothing is ever truly deleted online. All students will continue to
be held accountable for the rules/regulations contract for using technology they
signed with the Media Specialist.
Differentiated Differentiated instruction will be provided for all students in need:

Instruction: Explicit instruction given for reading of the nonfiction texts. Chunking
texts and extended time will be given to students.
Audio and/or oral presentation of all texts will be provided to students with
need.
HAP (Highly Abled Program/Honors) students will be given less
scaffolding as needed. These students may assist students as needed. HAP
students may also be given the opportunity to use the school districts
database to locate additional research and nonfiction. Though three
nonfiction texts are provided from the teacher in this unit, students
classified as Honors or HAP may be given additional time to research on
their own.
Additional Notes: For an extension of this unit, the teacher could provide students with
additional research regarding bullying and articles relating to the
experience of belonging in other countries within the Middle East. Students
may complete a Socratic Discussion on these additional informational
texts/nonfiction article. This will foster a classroom environment and
climate of shared inquiry.
The teacher must reserve the MacBook Laptop carts a week in advance for
the days needed for this lesson.
Media Specialist must continue to turn off website blockers to sites such as
YouTube.
Both teachers in Egypt and America must be given editing rights to the
Weebly Website platform.
Students will need to complete projects at home if unable to do so during
the 45-minute class times. The teacher may offer afterschool media center
hours for students that do not have access to technology at home.
Appendix
Appendix A: Global Pen Pal Letter Prompt

Appendix B: Tuesday of the Other June Questions

Appendix C: Characterization Tracker for Literary Texts
Name____________________________ Date __________________

Characterization Tracker
Method of Character/ Text Evidence with Page # Character

Characterization Text Trait
Identified
June:
Physical
Margot:
Appearance
Primer:
June:
What other
characters Margot:
say/actions
Primer:
June:
The characters
actions/what they Margot:
say
Primer:
June:
Narrators
Margot:
comments
Primer:
Appendix D: All Summer and Primer Questions

Appendix E: Belonging Written Response Prompt

Appendix F: PARCC Writing Rubric
(PARCC, 2014)
Appendix G: Google Classroom Question Posted

Appendix H: Exit Ticket 1 for Lesson Plan 1

Appendix I: Bullying Notes Graphic Organizer

Appendix J: Anti-Bullying Presentation Rubric

Appendix K: Experience of Belonging and Bullying Unit Reflection

References
Awad, Nina. (30 March 2014). Egypts bullying problem. Retrieved from
http://scoopempire.com/egypts-bullying-problem/
Common Core State Standards. (2016). English language arts standards. Retrieved from
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/
Cohn, A. (2003). Bullying: facts for schools and parents. Retrieved from
http://www.naspcenter.org/factsheets/bullying_fs.html
ePals. (2016). Poster power. Retrieved from
Hall, Megan. (2015). 2015 anti-bullying video. [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBwf-VPZqDs
ISTE. (2016). ISTE standards for students. Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
Kashner, Zoe. (2012). I bullied a friend. Retrieved from
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756855
Mazer, Norma F. (2016). Tuesday of the other June. Retrieved from
http://alimanschool.org/grade6/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Tuesday-of-the-Other-
June.pdf
PARCC Writing Rubric. (2014). Research Simulation Task and Literary Analysis Task.
Retrieved from
https://prc.parcconline.org/system/files/Grade%20611%20Rubric%20Final_July%20201
5.pdf
Valencia, Julie. (2013). Anti-bullying campaign. [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RVmXyF7jJg

645 Samantha Biskach Global Classroom Module Edtc 645

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Global Classroom Module 1

Global Classroom Module:

Samantha Lorraine Biskach

EDTC 645: Dr. LeAnne Derby

University of Maryland, University College

Overview and introduction:

Develop a Pen Pal letter and accompanying video to a diverse classroom

appropriate to the task and audience

through support of peers and teacher

findings on how does bullying affect an individual and their actions?

information from print/digital sources.

Use technology to produce and publish presentations, as well as to interact and

collaborate with others

Global Classroom Module: Previously Submitted Pre-Planning Proposal

Designer: Samantha Lorraine Biskach

Classroom background and demographics:

Secondary school level students (middle school)

Approximately 67% White students

Approximately 8.9% African-American students

Approximately 14.5% Hispanic students

Primarily lower to middle class

50.9% FARMS (Free and Reduced Meals)

10.6% Special Education

Subject and grade level:

English Language Arts

6th grade/middle school students

Proposed topic and rationale:

Topic: Exploring cultural perspectives of celebrating diversity, advocating for anti-

bullying, and sharing the experience of belonging.

to gain a perspective of what "reducing prejudice," "avoiding stereotypes," or "eliminating

In an effort to celebrate diversity, students will create posters/multimedia presentations that to

Weebly website to post their views and creations.

Google (GAFE) technology, as well as the ePals software.

ePals.com and the Poster Power Experience

digital discussion etiquette.

Standards and Key Concepts

State Standards (CCSS) for 6th grade.

o CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is

o CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and

publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

o CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question,

drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

Use a variety of formats to prepare the findings/conclusions for sharing

o CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to

support analysis, reflection, and research.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards:

their intended audience

well as having the ability to become an advocate for being an anti-bully.

following steps must be taken:

1. Develop a lesson using ePals digital platform

2. Locate or identify a teacher/educator from an Egyptian/ Middle Eastern setting willing to

take part in the ePals project

necessary to locate a diverse classroom.

with my partner teacher will commence.

Education (GAFE) or a comparable medium may be suggested to the peer teacher.

and possible solutions to these obstacles will be created.

7. The culminating activity will be strategically planned with peer teacher.

Screencasts may be used to create real-time productions of the creation process of

How can having a sense of belonging create a positive community?

also allow for a sense of choice for young learners.

Starting activity for module:

Summary of lesson plans:

on the effectiveness of their multimedia creations.

Name__________ Date