Other collaboration ideas
The monster exchange project we have outlined here is only the tip of the iceberg. Here are a few other suggestions you might find useful...
Guess who I am?
Video conferencing gives an fun opportunity to play guessing games. These can take on different forms. For example, at the end of a social studies unit, each student can research an important historical figure. A few clues are written to try let the students in the other class guess who the important person is. For the reveal, students can have a picture to present of their figure, or have some fun and even dress up as one. This same idea con be used for literary characters. Students can choose a character from a book both classes have read, and then 3 or 4 items the character would take on a trip. Students in the other class again can try guessing the character. This activity does not have to be limited to people, but famous monuments, events and even concepts.
Jeopardy or other games
Children love games and contests, and this is specially true of gifted students. An innovative and engaging way to review a social studies unit or a novel is to play a game of Jeopardy. There are many ready made Jeopardy games available on such sites as jeopardylabs.com; there are also empty templates available to allow you to create your own. The classes can set up a friendly competition and take turn answering questions. Teams can even be set up across the two classes, so that each is made up of different members from each school. In addition to jeopardy, there are other games that can be played over a video conference. Try different competitions, or create one of your own!
Book talks
Lively discussions about literature are an important part of any classroom. Conducting book discussions over video conferencing allows students to be exposed to a new set of ideas and unique point of views. It expands their learning circle with students that might have a different take on a particular novel. Book talks are very easy to set up. After finishing a novel, students should be encouraged to write a few open ended discussion questions. These questions include the Elements of Depth and Complexity, as well as Junior Book strategies. The discussions can be recorded as well, and uploaded as PodCasts on class websites, so parents can also enjoy the talks.
Collaborative writing
Collaborations between classrooms can also take the form of collaborations between individuals as well. Students can pair off with partners across other classrooms, and with the use of e-mail or educational social media sites like Emodo, can work on writing projects together. These can be both narrative and expository. Research teams can be set up to tackle a topic, or students can take turns writing parts of a story or even a poem. The final products can be showcased using a video conference. This helps establish valuable academic connections amongst students at different campuses.
poetry slams
Many campuses conduct poetry slams to showcase the writing skills or students. These can also be accomplished across schools through video conferencing. Students can chose their favorite poem or, better yet, write their own and share with others. The poetry slams can be built around certain themes or styles, and can be free verse or have specific formats . A fun alternative is to perform poems for other classes as original songs or raps. It is an excellent way to review figurative language and poetic elements. The poems can be collected into a poetry book to be published and distributed at each school. Students can also work across classrooms to write poems, and even perform them, jointly.
Show and tell
Finally, video conferencing collaborations can be used to showcase student products, whether handmade or electronic, between campuses. These can be videos, posters, dioramas or even research projects. Video conferences can also allow students to share their TPSP projects at the end of year with students and teachers outside their campuses. It exposes students to new ideas and different points of view.