1. Description of Our Community
At UGL School, our third grade classes are set up like communities. Each person is assigned a job with daily responsibilities that must be fulfilled. Teamwork is crucial and everyone must contribute and do his/ her part. All of the students, teachers, staff, parents and the principal abide by our Code of Conduct: Be Here; Be Safe; Be Honest; Be Respectful; Always Do Your Personal Best. These guiding principles help us reach our goals and make UGL a peaceful and happy place to go to school.
2. Summary of Our Project
We wanted to extend our learning beyond the walls of our classroom to discover how our Code of Conduct could be valuable in the world outside our school. We invited fourteen leaders from our school, town, and state communities. We feel that these leaders are shining role models. We wanted to find out how these leaders incorporate the principles of our Code of Conduct in their daily working and personal lives.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:none
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
As the Media Specialist, I am in charge of updating our school website. I designed the web pages and input all of the students' writing and photographs onto the website. We have recently switched over to a new web host. I learned many new technology tricks while working on the CyberFair project.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
Fortunately, all of the local leaders that we invited made time in their busy schedules to come and visit our school. We set up 45 minute to 1 hour interviews. Snowstorms caused us to reschedule a few times, but the leaders were so kind and accommodating. I think that it's important to think about all of the foreseeable problems and head them off at the pass. We had fourteen interviews and we divided the workload between the two classes. Organization was the key to preventing a lot of problems. I prepared and printed all of the interview questions ahead of time. I also sent the questions to our leaders ahead of time, so that they could come with well prepared responses. Each student was responsible for taking notes on one question and we had a few students taking back up notes, so we didn't miss anything. Since listening and taking notes and quotes can be challenging for third graders, I may videotape the interviews next time.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Inspiring leaders model how they live the Code of Conduct and use it in their personal and work lives
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
Our CyberFair Project complements what students are learning in their classrooms about communities and local government. We also connected the project to our schoolwide character education program. Through the words and actions of real leaders, students come to understand the true meaning of responsibility, caring, respect, compassion, and diligence. Students honed their communication skills, particularly their listening skills. They learned how to synthesize information from the interviews and apply it in a meaningful way to their daily lives.
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