Part of being a part of a “global teaching community” should be getting our students involved in the collaboration. From now on, each month Global Teacher Connect will host a collaborative project, hosted by one of our authors, which will allow you to get your class collaborating with other classes around the world.
I am Heidi Raki of Raki’s Rad Resources, and I am proud to be hosting the first collaborative project. My project is focused on Earth Day and plastic bags. Living in Casablanca, Morocco, plastic bags 
(called “micas” here) are everywhere! When you go to the store you get them for everything and they end up all over the place, in the street, on the beach, in the water – it’s just kind of atrocious to look at. So, for Earth Day, I am going to talk to my students about choosing not to use plastic bags. Then, we’re going to take home and hopefully sign a “Bag Free Pledge” to go bag free until the end of April. Each day (starting on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 and ending on 
Monday, April 30, 2012) I will ask my students to tell me one time that they, or someone in their family chose not to take the plastic bag. I will record their anecdotes and post them back here. If you would like to participate in this collaborative project you can also post your students anecdotes here.
To participate in the Getting Rid of Plastic Bags Global Collaborative Project, follow these steps:
1.) Add an initial comment to this post telling us where you are located, what grade level you teach, and how many students will be participating. (Also open to homeschooling parents – you’ll just list one or two students, instead of 20!)
2.) Grab a Bag Free Pledge Form to use with your class – it has been translated in French and Spanish and is available via Google Docs. Talk to your students about how plastic bags are bad for the environment (here are a two sites you can use: How a 10 Year Old in India Got Rid of Bags, Video on Using Green Bags from Australia).
3.) Check back at least once with anecdotes from your students between April 17, 2012 and April 30, 2012. You are welcome to share anecdotes as often as you would like, but please share at least once. (Please share using first names only, if you are not comfortable using first names, give each student a number and use their number to share – ie. Student 1 said “xxxx”.)
4.) Read the anecdotes from other schools with your students so that they can be aware that we are all working together to rid the world of plastic bags.
My class in Karlstad Sweden will participate. I have 31 6th grade students
ReplyDeleteMy class in Tucson, Arizona USA will participate. I have 29 third graders in a self contained classroom. I've been looking for something simple to do with my students. Hopefully this project will get them thinking. Thanks, Amy
ReplyDeleteI have 20 first graders in Casablanca, Morocco who will be participating.
ReplyDeleteHeidi Raki of Raki's Rad Resources
I have over 100 7 th graders in Thomaston, Georgia, United States! We will gladly participate!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteFirst Round of Comments:
ReplyDeleteHere is what my first graders had to say after 2 days of the project.
Pablo - When I go to the store, I tell them no bag, but they give me a big anyways. So I throw the bag in the trash can and I hold my stuff in my hands.
Ismail - I throw the bag in the trash and I carry it in my hands.
Prisca - When my mom goes to the store, she takes a bag from my home.
Kamea - If you get a plastic bag, you have to throw it in the trash and not on the ground, because it will hurt the animals.
Overall conclusions I draw from their answers - we get why not to throw plastic bags on the ground, but we need to talk more about why not to USE plastic bags. Off to find some kid friendly videos on this. I will share those vidoes in a comment when I find them.
Heidi Raki of Raki's Rad Resources
My Class-
ReplyDeleteIt's very fun but kind of hard to remember. It's easy to carry boxes instead. You can borrow a bag from your house.
We brought canvas bags from home when we went to the grocery store.
When I went to Walgreen's with my dad I said "No thank you," when they offered me a bag.
I just carried the stuff I bought instead of using a bag. My family used canvas bags, but I was responsible for putting the bags in the car and taking them to the store. As a class, we agree, that we can all be more aware of our plastic bag usuage.
What a great collaborative project! Sorry I missed this one! Heidi, the first round of comments are so interesting! Many people here in Ontario, Canada use washable, reusable canvas or heavier plastified ones (can't think of the proper name just now!) but not all of the time.
ReplyDeleteTammy @ Teaching FSL