Spain

1. A Look Inside the Global Classroom …and why you want to be there.  Patti Weeg pweeg@comcast.net August 2, 2004 - Hawaii Spain

2. In the global classroom you’ll find… Taiwan • Curriculum standards • An audience and a purpose • Real world meanings • Global perspectives • Global collaboration • Deeper understandings South Africa Taiwan Curious? Come along… and meet the students. Canada

3. “…appreciation of the global diversity and interdependence of the world’s people, institutions, traditions, values, and environment…” HCPS Drie minuten stilte voor Amerika Belgium Belgium Students at Gemeentelijke lagere school in Belgium during three minutes of silence for America Belgium Jef de Kriebel's website: http://www.kriebel.olen.be/Foto's/Drieminuten/drieminuten.html

4. Written after the March 11, 2004 commuter train bombings in Spain. "I expect this to be the last tear" “Why? Why have so many people died? I would like to express what I feel in these moments. I feel myself impotent, full of rage. Sometimes I dream that a genie comes to visit me and that grants me three desires. I would like to ask for a console, to have a lot of force and to be able to fly. But suddenly, my heart cries and does me to say things that I think in the deepest part of me. Then I tell to him: First desire: "I do not want more war" Second desire: "Not more bands of terrorists" Third desire: ... and then I say: "I do not know what to ask for." There are things that can not be arranged. The reality has to be assimilated. This world is not fair/equitable. We all are rabid and, when somebody does us damage, afterwards we want to return it to him|her. We must say that; even I behave like this. Then I wake up and a tear falls me and I say afterwards. "I expect this tear to be the last one". Ángel Moreno García 1A (12 años) Barcelona, Spain http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=14787

5. Serenity Quest “The kinds of problems in our neighborhood are specific. They are gun firing, drug dealing, and also drunk driving. Believe me because I’ve seen it all from drug dealing to gun firing. It was really sad to see so many people hurt or even die for false reasons but other people don’t even have anything to do with it, sort of like bystanders. Things just happen for no reason at all. Usually there are different feelings for the people that are standing around. Some don’t care since they did not get hurt and others are concerned because it could be their family members or friends.” ~Tanika a Peace project by middle school students in Richmond, Virginia http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=8131

6. Dealing With Violence From Campinas, Brazil Hello my name is Laura, I’m 15 years old and in my neighborhood we have a serious problem with minors of 18 committing crimes and violent actions.The Statute of childhood and teenagers in Brazil protects the minors from being arrested. Because of that, many minors that live in slums (what we call “favelas”) are recruited by drug dealers to be a part of the scheme. These minors are between the ages of 13 and 17. And most of them also die before they reach 18.The reasons for most deaths are:- Getting shot in the crossfire with the police (and this can happen to anyone at the wrong place at the wrong time like Tearra);- Knowing too much and being a snitch (to the police or to rival factions);- Getting shot in the crossfire between rival factions.These minors don’t have access to many things like quality education or good houses. They also don’t have buying power. They suffer from prejudice from the rest of society as well. Because of all those problems they see in trafficking an opportunity to get easy money and power (status in the slums). http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=9527

7. Rio de Janeiro Favelas on the hillsides

8. I Had a Box of Colors By Tali Sorek I had a box of colors--Shining bright and bold.I had a box of colors,Some warm, some very cold. I had no red for the blood of wounds.I had no black for the orphans' grief.I had no white for dead faces and hands.I had no yellow for burning sands. But I had orange for the joy of life,And I had green for buds and nests.I had blue for bright, clear skies.I had pink for dreams and rest. I sat down and painted Peace. http://www.jewishla.org/TorahBytes/html/tazria-metzora5762_byte.html

9. Paint the Peace Alegria Quaglia Calvo Age:15,   Spain    “This drawing tries to represent how peace makes a road among the war.How do the dreams, the freedom, the force and the life, break with the darkness of this. The drawing is inspired by the poem of Tali Sorek and maintains a close relationship with this:The peace is represented by the dreams symbolized by the pink color in the poem; for the blue bird, which according to Tali Sorek are the clear and shining skies, and represents the freedom; for the force, the fire, the passion, the jewels of the life, represented through the sun; and by the life that it breaks with the darkness: the tender but strong green buds. The war and the sorrow are represented by the black color. The drawing tries to express how the peace starts to grow finishing with the war.” http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=15473

10. Friends Across the Seasand across cultures Aysha and Nicole were 8 years old when they wrote to each other. December 1994 Dear Edan, Noam and Nicole, How are you? Thank you for the letter. How old is Nicole? Please tell her hi for me. Would she write to me too? Is your test hard that you have to take to get into your school? Do you learn Arabic there? I know lots of Arabic words. No, I am not a Jew, I am a Muslim. We go to Israel sometimes to visit my family there. I like Israel but I don't like the war. We couldn't pass the gates. Your friend, Aysha Dear Aysha, Thank you for your letter. I want to tell you about the kibbutz. A kibbutz is a place where my mother was born and grew up. In a kibbutz there is a communal dining room. There is no school there. I didn't start to learn in school when I was still on the kibbutz. My brothers did. They learned at a regional kibbutz school at another kibbutz. On a kibbutz, the property belongs to everyone. The property is the things which are in the kibbutz and everyone uses them…. Your friend, Nicole http://www.globalclassroom.org/collaboration/f-israel2.html

11. Hi Aysha, I will send you pictures. I want to tell you something about Midreshet Ben Gurion and the school where I learn. First of all, in the midrasha I have many friends and I like it here very much. It is beside a big wadi in the desert. I like to go and look at the wadi. At my school I have many friends also and we have 5 hours of learning each day except for Fridays when we have only 4 hours. The name of my teacher is Dina and I think she is very nice. I am in grade 2. I want to tell you that last year I had a teacher named Liat. She was very nice also. Our principal is named Ilana. Your friend,Nicole Dear Nicole, Thank you for the picture. I like it. I like your butterfly and the bear a lot. I have 13 Barbies and I have even more but they are upstairs in the attic. I have Snow White the movie too. We don't have any animals at home but my mom really wanted a dog. I am Muslim and we celebrate all the Muslim holidays but we also celebrate Christmas. We have Eid and that's when we pray hundreds of times. All ladies wear a scarf around their hair and they are not allowed to show their hair to anyone. ladies can show ladies their hair. We don't wear the scarf here unless we go praying but we will do it when we go to Israel. Your friend, Aysha

12. Zlata’s Diaryan excerpt from a chat with Zlata on Kidlink IRC - 1995 Belaire: What was the worst experience you had to cope with while still in Sarajevo? Zlata: I don't know because for me the war was like one day where each second was terrible. Maybe when my mother went out and she didn't come back home or when my friend was killed... Katie: Zlata do you ever wish there was never any war? Zlata: Of course. It's the most stupid and the worst thing that exists on this world. Maxine: Do you think your life will be back to normal someday, Zlata? Zlata: I hope. I wish it with all my heart :) It depends on some people. We'll see. Amanda: What were your deepest fears in Sarajevo? Zlata: Hum. I don't know. I wasn't afraid of death. I was more afraid to stay without legs or arms. Because when you die it's over and when you're wounded you suffer all your life. Brittany: what was it like in Saraevo when the war was going on? Zlata: It's too hard to say with words. If I say horrible, it's not the right word it's more than horrible. http://www.globalclassroom.org/fzlata.html

13. Students’ Reflectionsafter the chat “On June 2 , 1995 I talked to Zlata on-line. Our countries should not fight because what Zlata went through was horrible and no kid should go through something like that . She went through war-time birthdays and her life completely changed during this time. You must feel sorrow for the people of Sarajevo and for the people who go through things like this.” ~ Ana “When she wrote her diary she sometimes only had a candle to see. She worked hard and long to write her diary. The way I feel about Zlata and Sarajevo is that people over there are desperate for food, water, homes, and health. Now the war is even worse. …You can help them by sending money and food and even clothes or something. You as a person should help our world. We can make a big difference in Sarajevo by sending things. When you hear about all the bad things over there you will want to help too.” ~Kelly

14. A Teacher’s Reflection I was part of something big! I first heard about Zlata Filipovic on National Public Radio. Then I met John Ost. Next I read Zlata's Diary. Finally I was on Kidlink sending and receiving messages from Zlata! Now I listen to the news from Sarajevo and I feel connected to those distant events. As political strategies are developed and employed I think about the children and their families. I know, as many families do, that no one needs troops, bombs, or air raids. The people need food, safe homes and to be with their family and friends. Above all people need peace. The best part of the Kidlink chat with Zlata was knowing that 100's of children and adults were also concerned about Zlata and the war in her country. Like me, those involved with the IRC are beginning to learn more about our world. This gives me hope that the children involved will become caring adults in the future. The only way to stop war is to have mutual respect and understanding with your neighbors and people in foreign lands. The Kidlink chat is one method of reaching understanding between people of different cultures and ideas. Now children and grown-ups all over the world can express their personal thoughts, feelings, and hopes. What are my hopes? I hope that the students will continue to read and write about real people in real life struggle. My prayer is for peace. Amy Crouse, Teacher Grade 1, Delmar Elementary School

15. What Are My Rights? A 7 year old child working as a shoeshine girl. El Kidlinker, Bolivia No. 1-2004 Dennis Life on the street is something desperate, because there are moments that you have nothing to eat. But some kids start to work in shops or markets in the morning. In the afternoon they work in the pensions or for people. And in the night kids beg in the pensions and some of them sell cigarettes. Some kids start to steal and that’s how kids survive on the street. http://www.kidlink.org/kie/ngo/alalay/pag2.html

16. From: “What Are My Rights?” module of “Who Am I?” program • Write your own “Kids' Bill of Rights” • Divide your class into small groups and decide on 10 things that all young people everywhere should have. Write these on a large sheet of paper. • Display your chart and explain it to the rest of the class. Do you have all the things on your Bill that you think should be there? What prevents you from having them? • Make one "Kids' Bill of Rights" for your class. • Make a banner with the Bill of Rights and display it in the classroom. • Prepare an assembly for your school about your Bill of Rights. Invite the media to come and film your performance and write about you in the local newspapers. http://www.kidlink.org/kie/nls/english/rights/lesson8.html

17. “Can you see stars…?” Sent by Ana in Taiwan “A friend of mine wrote to me from Cebu, The Philippines, saying that he happened to look up into the sky from the deck of a steamboat and was amazed to see a web of twinkling stars that reminded him of his home in Santa Cruz (LA). Can you see stars easily from home? I haven't seen them for...who knows how long!” ~Ana “About the stars...yes, we can't see the stars because of air pollution; to see the twinkling sky one needs to go up the mountains. The higher, the better. Last year when I was working in Taipei, the capital city, days were humid and grey with frequent acid drizzles that people had to open their umbrellas even if the raindrops could hardly be felt. This year in this small town, Dayuan, I can enjoy ocean blue sunny days while riding my bike :-)” ~Ana

18. Save Our Environment ClubFrom: “I Have a Dream” program     My environmental club's name is Save Our Environment Club (S.O.E.C.) It started on 2 September 1999 with the students of my class. Later on some other students also joined it. Our activities: -To create awareness-Discussions-Paper Recycling (We recycled ourselves)-Global Warming-Pollution-Wildlife-Acid Rain-Water Conservation-Paper bags (We made them) etc. We hold meetings on Sundays (when every 1 is free) at 10:00 am.                            Nitin (India) http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=7709

19. While Tevin and Gunnar discussed the temperature in Cape Town and found the city on the map, Mrs. Weeg told them about three famous South African penguins named Peter, Pamela and Percy. Tevin and Gunnar are very curious boys and they have questions about the penguins in South Africa who got oil on themselves because of the Treasure oil spill. The boys asked Tracey Bruton their questions because she helped clean some of the soiled penguins. Oil Spill Dear Tracey, Was it hard to wash the penguins? Why did you put transmitters on them? Your friend,Tevin Dear Tracey, Why did you clean the oil from the penguins? How long does it take you to clean a penguin? Sincerely,Your friend,Gunnar http://www.globalclassroom.org/collaboration/penguins.html

20. Cleaning Penguins “…When I found out about the terrible oiling of the penguins because of a ship, the Treasure, that sank just outside our harbour, I really wanted to help. I spent every day of my June holiday helping, up to 10 hours a day. At first I was a regular volunteer, helping out with odd jobs like cleaning penguin pools, and carrying buckets, but then I was transferred to the washing room and became an experienced "washer." Washing a single penguin takes 20-30 minutes, depending on how much oil the bird has on it. You have to have two people to wash a penguin- one to be the washer, and the other the handler. The handler picks up a bird from the appropriate pen, brings it to the washing room, and you begin the process. Penguins are washed in little tubs, and a soapy solution is added to warm water in order to clean off the oil. Each penguin uses about 6 tubs before it is clean…” Tracey Teenage volunteer, Tracey Bruton, in Cape Town helped clean penguins after the Treasure oil spill in June 2000. She wrote to my students at Delmar and explained her experiences. http://www.globalclassroom.org/2000/weather2.html

21. ConnectingFrom the Ice From Dave Hess in McMurdo, Antarctica There are no trees, grass, flowers or any other visible plants. The town where I am staying is mostly volcanic rock, with ice and snow all around. It is a desert, as there is very little precipitation. It is very dry, cold, and windy. This morning when I walked to work, it was -10F with a 27 mph wind. That put the wind chill at -62F. The humidity here averages about 10%, which is very dry. When you perspire, it evaporates quickly. You body can dry out very quickly causing dehydration. I drink 3-5 liters of water a day, and more if I am doing physical work. Where do you think we get our drinking water? Thanks for writing,Dave http://www.globalclassroom.org/hess.html Click here for the answer. 

22. Questions from Mr. Dave in Antarctica… Hi Patti and Kids, I took a journey tonight to a very historic place. I walked about one half mile down the road to a place called Scott's Hut. It is an old wooden building built over 90 years ago. The roof made of wooden planks without any shingles. The hut was not open, but they do open it occasionally for people to see inside. I looked inside the window and saw old crates of food. On the outside under the overhang of the roof was a dead seal that was probably dried and smoked for food. Seals are abundant here, and I saw one lying on the ice near the hut… The hut looks as it did when it was erected, preserved by the temperature and humidity. Who put the hut where it is, and for what purpose was the hut used? ~Dave Dear Mr. Dave, That was a pretty tough question, but I think we have a reason why. Because there was the Ross Ice Shelf and they said that they were not going to take the boats that way, so they found a route that took them to the south pole and the boats could fit through there. So that is where they set their camp up. Also Scott wanted to follow the same route as Roald Amundsen. This was a very tough question. I am going to ask you a question, dealing with this same one: What mountains did Scott and his men travel on? Well I have to go. BYE-BYE!! Your friend,Rhae http://www.globalclassroom.org/hess24.html

23. Author in Residence “Dear Gerrod, …To come up with more ideas, you can play the What-if Game. I play this game every time I get stuck with one of my stories, and I am not sure which way to go with it. I ask myself, What if this happens? How will it change my story? What if that happens? Where will my story go? You could ask yourself; What if Lucky's tooth punctures the ball and it goes flat? What if he runs away with the ball? What if the other team makes fun of the dog-player? What if Gerrod gets hurt in the game? Will Lucky come to his rescue. What if Zach can't get low enough to scoop up the ball? Will Lucky swoop in between the other player's legs, get the ball and run for the touchdown? What if the Ref says, "No dogs in the game!"? What if your quarterback is allergic to dogs? I bet you can think up some What-if questions of your own. Then, you can pick the one! …. “ Your friend, Lois Szymanski http://www.globalclassroom.org/authors/gerrod.html

24. Photography Workshop Þessi mynd er af loftræstiskerfinu í Síðuskóla. Reykurinn er ekki alvurunni. Photograph by: Óðinn Sigurðsson This picture is of airconditioning in Siduskoli. The smoke is not real. The smoke makes this a very dramatic picture. It shows the dangers of air pollution. The air vents for the school are right in the middle of the black smoke. You have done a good job creating the smoke. It looks real unless you look closely. But this raised a big question: Is it acceptable to create fake pictures? Some people say that the image is what is important; anything artists do to create the image is fine. Others say that faking a picture is like lying and is morally wrong. What do you think? (This question is for both Óðinn and anyone else in the workshop who would like to leave a comment about it here.) --Dan Wheeler http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=4499

25. Math Challenges – Bianca (Maryland) and Tomo (Japan) http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=4195

26. Tomo’s Math Challenges First puzzle,there are three numbers,totally 20. And one large number is over 10. another two numbers are different only one. Second, there are three numbers, totally 36. and three numbers are raw of natural orders. another words, these three numbers or, the one plus one is the second number, and plus one is the last number. Oh, sorry I could not write properly for Tomo's puzzle. Thanks,Isamu http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=1676

27. Bianca Solved the Puzzle Tomo wrote: First puzzle,there are three numbers,totally 20. And one large number is over 10. another two numbers are different only one. Hello Tomo, Bianca solved your problem and discovered that there is more than one answer. We used Integer Bars to solve the challenge. Do you see any patterns in the bars? Your friends in Maryland,Mrs. Weeg and Bianca http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=1789&HoldNav=1676

28. How Many Hours Apart Are We? From: "Ana" ana@ilov-e.com To: "Patti Weeg" patti@globalclassroom.org Subject: A short note from Taiwan Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 15:51:40 +0800 Using the header from Ana’s message Delmar 5th grade students are calculating the number of hours difference between Maryland and Taiwan. To do this they are using a simple number line. GMT will be 0 on the line. We will put Maryland on -5 and Taiwan on +8. You can see the students doing this activity in the picture. Click on this link to download the Word file with this activity: GMT Activity Sheet Calculating the number of hours apart we are in Maryland from our friends in Taiwan. http://www.globalclassroom.org/2004/taiwan/weeg/howmanyhours.html

29. Invitation From Japan We checked he numbers that passed around our school: people 6 bicycles  3 bikes  7 cars  183 trucks 118 This data were  checked about thirty minutes. I'd like to add graphs about this theme. Thanks, Isamu

30. Comparing Traffic JAPANESE DATA

31. Gathering Data at Delmar, Maryland These students counted the most traffic – our 11:45 class. http://www.globalclassroom.org/2004/isamu/index.html

32. Comparing TrafficDelmar, Maryland and Kanagawa, Japan

33. Dear friends in Japan, I saw your graph that shows how many vehicles and people passed by your school. I predicted that if I counted the vehicles and people who passed by my school that the number would be the most at dismissal time and at the beginning of school. I counted the cars, trucks, walkers, and bikers that passed by my school at 9:00 on Monday, October 6. My prediction was our number would be smaller than yours. My graph shows you the data. I was right. Cars 3Trucks 1Walkers 1Bikers 0 When I look at my graph and compare it to your graph I think that your school might be located on a highway. My school is located in a neighborhood. Your friend, Amber Amber’s Analysis Delmar Student

34. Guess the location! 

35. Comparing School Lunches Japan Delmar, Maryland, USA “…thanks for your letter, dear David, we have no pizza for our lunch. How many times do you have pizza for your lunch? My favorite food is curry with shrimps. Yuu's favorite food  is shrimps…” thanks for your letter, Kei from your Japanese friend Brittaney's lunch at Delmar in February.  Brittaney brought a small box of raisins to school.  You can see it on her tray. http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=8448

36. How Do You Travel to School? We sent this graph to Isamu and his students in Japan. Isamu wrote back and said that all of the students in his school walk to school so they couldn’t make a graph like this for us. We decided to graph the time it took students to travel to school. http://www.globalclassroom.org/collaboration/insight.html

37. Comparing Data From Delmar: Hello Tomo, Here is a graph I made for you. It shows how long some 5th graders ride the bus to school every day. I hope you like it. We close school on Friday. Have a great summer. Your friend,Christopher

38. Tomo’s Graph and a Question I've heard that you who take bus to school have to ride about an hour. It means you live in far away from school? Our students all walk to school. This is so fun to research and make graphs. Thanks,Tomo and Isamu

39. The Kidlink Graduates “I have enjoyed being a part of Kidlink this year. Kidlink has so many good qualities, and is so much fun. I enjoyed reading mail from kids all around the world. I got to know how other kids live and how their school life was. It was interesting to hear from kids my age in other countries. It was like everyone involved in Kidlink was friends, and we could talk to each other by sending emails back and forth.” ~Holly, senior at Fresno High School “To KidLink: Throughout these 9 months, we’ve as people have grown even bigger thanks to your KidLink website. We now get to see the life and cultures of other kids around the world from numerous countries including us in the United States. I, myself, have grown in interest in other cultures that were presented to us by your website. And I’m pretty sure that the other kids in the world think so too.” Andy C., senior, Fresno, California USA http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=3595