Health & Fitness
District 64’s Roosevelt School 4th Graders to Skype with New British “Mates”
9-year-olds will "live chat" via Skype to England.
A class of Roosevelt School grade 4 students in Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 are eagerly preparing to Skype with their new “mates” in England on Wednesday, May 22.
Teacher Jean Kulnig arranged the opportunity through the family hosting her son who is playing soccer there. The host family’s 9-year-old is in the equivalent grade as her Roosevelt fourth graders.
“We have all experienced in some fashion that the world is truly getting ‘smaller’ and through technology, only a click away,” Kulnig said. “I recognized these circumstances presented a unique opportunity to engage my students directly with students in England,” she added.
Roosevelt students will Skype through the classroom’s SmartBoard technology with their counterparts in teacher Gemma Taylor’s class at St. Katherine's Primary School on Canvey Island. The island sits in the River Thames’ estuary directly east of London along England’s southeast coast.
The 9-year-old students on both sides of “the pond” have been busily brainstorming topics to present to their new friends, Kulnig said. They will share “big picture” information about Roosevelt School’s location and make-up, and what they study as fourth graders including art, music and gym.
“They are also looking forward to sharing two special social studies experiences, including the Ellis Island immigration study that all Roosevelt fourth graders enjoy as well as a mock ‘trial’ of B.B. Wolf vs. Curly Pig our room completed,” Kulnig said.
Her students will describe the many ways they use technology in their learning, and wrap up with a topic of universal interest – homework, describing assignments and the school’s after school homework help club. They expect to hear similar accounts from the St. Katherine’s students.
After the presentations, both classes will have an opportunity to ask and answer questions.
“The six-hour time difference has proved to be challenging in scheduling a live chat,” Kulnig added. Her students will arrive at school a bit early to accommodate the time zones.
“I'm already looking forward to planning more visits with Ms. Taylor's class next year,” she added.
