"A Love Letter to Canada" - Part Two

In my last post, I reflected on using the first season of The Amazing Race Canada in a Grade 4 classroom. I discussed the genesis of the project and highlighted some of the activities I tried when I was in a Grade 4 classroom.

Fast Forward to 2018

The idea to revisit the unit struck me when I was in discussion with a Grade 4 teacher at Thamesford Public School in September.  We were brainstorming ways to use the program Flipgrid - A collaborative video journaling tool that promotes the exchange of ideas between students, either within the class or beyond (with classes anywhere in the world).  Our goal was to connect with a Grade 4 classroom at one of the other school's I support and explore a curriculum strand together - and The Amazing Race Canada seemed a perfect fit.

A few weeks later, the launch was ready to go and 4 classes were interested - the Thamesford class, two classes at Northridge in London and one class, Oxbow, in Ingersoll. Three schools separated by over 40 km, two were semi-rural and one nestled into a subdivision in the north of the city.  This was helpful, because the students were less likely to know each other through outside pursuits (hockey, gymnastics, swimming, etc.) Additionally, they came from a more varied set of experiences.

The Launch

We introduced the students to the concept of the show through this Google Slide Deck Presentation which was divided into 3 parts

1. A discussion about "promises" and a classroom "pinkie swear" (Slide 2). The season we were viewing was filmed 5 years earlier, so there are plenty of spoilers available on the internet. Students not only made the promise to avoid spoilers - they promised not to type any words related to the program into the internet - even if they were just looking for pictures.
2. An overview of what to expect and the many new terms (Existing Relationship, Roadblock, Detour, Pit Stop, Elimination) are covered next (Slides 3 - 6)  - Obviously, the show covers these as well - but I've found that small group conversations about potential Canadian locations and accompanying challenges really built excitement. 
• "Do they really get eliminated and sent home?" asked one student, "That must be very sad."
3. A biography of the host Jon Montgomery to present a Guided Reading approach to demonstrate ways one might tackle a daunting piece of text. Here is a screencastify of my approach to this activity. This also sets them up for the next activity.

Next, students worked in collaborative teams to make a short Google Slide Presentation.

• Nine groups are created by teacher/student choice or maybe the Flippity random picker. 
• I personally like the idea of having students go to four labelled corners. Corner 1 "I like to present to the class", Corner 2 "I like to read information", Corner 3 "I like both." Corner 4 "I'm not a fan of either". Groups are then created to make sure that a reader and presenter is in each group.
• Envelopes, much like those on the race, are selected randomly by each group, inside, they reveal a picture of one of the teams and the accompanying bio for that team. (Sorry, no link here, I have these as a hard copy - if interested, text me and I will scan them and send them to you as a PDF)
•  I provide them with a the link bit.ly/raceteamshow which (when imputed into the URL) forces them to make a copy of the slideshow outline. It contains pictures of all the teams (so they won't have to search for them) - they simply delete the 8 not needed and enlarge the team assigned to them.
• Students are asked to create a brief presentation, using Google Slides, that contains mainly pictures and a few key words. The details can be put in the speaker's notes which can be printed. The goal here is to avoid screens full of text that will be read to the audience. We really want to support the idea of "teasing out the important details from the bios", "skipping the less important" "presenting orally" with the support of an "aesthetically pleasing display". For many, this is the first time they have tried this, so the educator role is to move from group to group and give immediate feedback to help guide them. Having them share their slide with the educator makes this faster. 
•  Together, we co-created a rubric with feedback. This is the Thamesford example. It is a (No Mark / Feedback Driven) form of grading that I explain in more detail here.
• Once completed, each group made their presentation and immediate constructive criticism was shared in a way that was productive and valued self-esteem. The rubric was completed shortly after and distributed for saving in their portfolios.
• We put a bow on this activity by showing the students the introduction to the season. From the first shot of Jon Montgomery, through the introduction of the teams to the moment when the race actually begins ... and pause. #BuildAnticipation101

Flipgrid

I partnered Thamesford with one class at Northridge and the second Northridge class with the students at Oxbow. Students from Thamesford chose partners with whom they would like to go on an Amazing Race and sent messages to their peers at Northridge. Their task was ...

• Introduce yourselves by first name
• Share a few things that each of you like (EX: hockey, dance, Fortnight were favourites)
• Tell them which team you each like, or has the best chance to win, or both
• Tell them why you might be successful or struggle on this race (EX: I'm really fast, but I am afraid of heights)

Students sending Flipgrid Introductions in October, 2018

The Northridge students viewed the videos as a class and were assigned one group to whom they must respond (although, they were welcomed to send messages back to more). This guaranteed that every team would get at least one response. Their task was to ...

• Introduce yourselves by first name
• Say hello and use the other team member's names (everyone likes to be addressed by name.)
• Comment specifically on something they heard (EX: I like hockey too, Jet & Dave are also our favourite team so far).
• Share a few things that each of you like.
• Tell them which team you each like, or has the best chance to win, or both
• Tell them why you would be successful or struggle on this race.

Students were encouraged to prepare for their Flipgrid presentation - but not to memorize or read it. "It should be "planned, but genuine."

An identical activity was completed by the second Northridge class and sent to Oxbow.

At this point, I realize that this will be at least a three part post - more soon! Thanks for reading.

Part Three Here