Athena Said

DMET 520

Title of Unit The Story Behind the Grade Level 7

Cover
Curriculum Area Personal/Socio- Time Frame 8 weeks (1- 45-minute class
Emotional period per week)
Developed By Athena Said
Content Standards
The subject area is the Personal/Social Domain from American School Counseling Association
National Standards for students. Standards A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes and inter-
personal skills to help them understand and respect self and others and Standard B: Students will
make decisions, set goals and take necessary action to achieve goals will be addressed as outlined
below (ASCA, 2004).

PS:A2.2 Respect alternative points of view

PS:A2.3 Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences
PS:A2.4 Recognize, accept and appreciate ethnic and cultural diversity
PS:B1.7 Demonstrate a respect and appreciation for individual and cultural differences.

Understandings Essential Questions

Overarching Understanding Overarching Topical
The students will understand the importance of How do my personal 1. What cultural
getting to know someone based on their interests beliefs, culture, and beliefs have
and personalities and not on their appearances. family history impact my been taught?
judgement of another? 2. How do I feel
about people
who are
Related Misconceptions different than
me?
1. You can tell everything you need to know
3. What is the
about a person by the way they look.
first thing I do
2. Everywhere in the world values the same
when I meet
things
someone new

Knowledge Skills
Students will know… Students will be able to…

Students will learn to recognize, accept, respect
and appreciate individual, ethnic, and cultural
differences and to understand that everyone,
regardless of appearance, has worth and
something to offer this world.
Through communication, collaboration, critical
thinking and complex cognition higher order
thinking skills will be enhanced. Written skills will
also be improved.

Assessment Evidence
Performance Task Description
Students will learn to recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual,
Goal ethnic, and cultural differences and to understand that everyone, regardless
of appearance, has worth and something to offer this world.
Each student will be an active participant engaging with their pen pal and
Role
creating content through collaborative projects
Audience Teacher, classmates, collaborating students and teacher
In a classroom with computers, iPads, Interactive smartboard and video
Situation
conferencing capability
Athena Said
DMET 520

Students will engage in collaborative projects with their overseas pen pal
Product/Performance
using Animoto, Google Classroom, and Skype.
Personal/Social Domain from American School Counseling Association
Standards
National Standards for students
Other Evidence
Ongoing discussions, emails, collaborative projects
Learning Plan

The purpose of the project is a global collaboration to address the topic of “never judge a book by its
cover”. It will be primarily classroom based with the email exchange happening during group time.
Communication skills will be enhanced through the use of email and discussions about how what we
say in writing is not always received the way it is intended, especially when communicating with
another culture. Critical thinking skills will be enhanced through problem-solving and project-based
collaboration.

This is a semester long project involving 15 female, 7th grade student from SMS and 15 female
students from a middle school in Argentina. This video conference will take place during the 2 nd to last
week of the semester. Prior to that, each student will be assigned a virtual pen pal from the school
abroad. They will exchange emails with each other weekly based on prompts provided by the
teacher(s). Students will use their school email and emails will be monitored. At the conclusion of the
project we will “meet” our virtual pen pal through video collaboration.

Students will be made aware of the goals of this project and data will be collected via a Google Form
Survey prior to the start of the project and then again once the project is completed. Since this is not a
graded course, students will be evaluated on the amount of growth they’ve shown throughout as
compared to the attached rubric. I will show the students this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVvpgwx3_r4 to start the project off.

At the start of the project I will ask students what they are most interested in- creating advertisements,
slideshows, podcasts, etc. and based off their feedback, they will be paired with a pen pal with similar
interests so that the collaborative projects will be tailored to their strengths.

Students from each class will be shown a picture of a student in the other class without their name
being revealed. Each student will write a short description of the other class participant based
completely on looks. Each student will then be assigned a “digital pen-pal”, which will be the same as
the picture shown but students will be told they will be assigned randomly. Communication will take
place weekly via Google email that will be monitored by myself and the other instructor. Students will
be given prompts to respond to in the emails to start a discussion on topics such as friendship, the
dangers of judging someone based on looks alone, etc.

Students will also work on collaborative projects through google classroom such as creating digital
slideshows using Animoto of the perception of the other culture and a discussion about how perception
and reality can be distorted. The final assignment will be for the student to write a description of their
pen-pal as they have gotten to know them over the course of 8 weeks. We will compare our initial
impression with our final impression and explore how judging someone based on looks alone can limit
our ability to truly get to know another person. Their work will culminate in the whole group video
collaboration.

The emails and collaborative projects will take place in the guidance classroom on Chromebook or
iPad. Work will be shared in a Google Classroom. I will provide feedback to each student, reflecting on
their work and posing additional questions. This is not a graded class, so the goal is to challenge them
to think more about their beliefs and behaviors and their effort and critical thinking skills in their
collaborative projects.
 Athena Said
DMET 520

Collaborative Work Skills Rubric: Global Collaboration

Student Name:

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Attitude Never is publicly Rarely is publicly Occasionally is publicly Often is publicly
critical of the project critical of the project critical of the critical of the project
or the work of or the work of project or the work or the work of other
others. Always has a others. Often has a of other members of members of the
positive attitude positive attitude the group. Usually group. Often has a
about the task(s). about the task(s). has a positive negative attitude
attitude about the about the task(s).
task(s).
Contributions Routinely provides Usually provides Sometimes provides Rarely provides
useful ideas when useful ideas when useful ideas when useful ideas when
participating in the participating in the participating in the participating in the
group and in group and in group and in group and in
classroom classroom classroom classroom
discussion. A discussion. A strong discussion. A discussion. May
definite leader who group member who satisfactory group refuse to participate.
contributes a lot of tries hard! member who does
effort. what is required.
Working with Almost always listens Usually listens to, Often listens to, Rarely listens to,
Others to, shares with, and shares, with, and shares with, and shares with, and
supports supports the efforts supports the efforts supports the efforts
the efforts of others. of others. Does not of others, but of others. Often is
Tries to keep people cause \"waves\" in sometimes is not a not a good team
working well the group. good team member. player.
together.
Problem-solving Actively looks for Refines solutions Does not suggest or Does not try to solve
and suggests suggested by refine solutions, but problems or help
solutions to others. is willing to try out others solve
problems. solutions suggested problems. Lets
by others. others do the work.

Pride Work reflects this Work reflects a Work reflects some Work reflects very
student\'s best efforts. strong effort from this effort from this little effort on the
student. student. part of this student.