Local Seventh Grade Class Partners with School in Nigeria

Students in Mrs. Hueston’s 7th grade Language Arts class are in the middle of a six week Global Conversations course with their student partners in Nigeria. For the next several weeks, while reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, students will consider their ideal society, and will discuss the various social justice issues involved with their partner. Together they will explore the rules and choices in their own lives, and consider how all of the goals come together to create a functioning society.

To begin the project, students completed several videos and posts about themselves for their profile on a secure communication platform provided by Level Up Village, the company facilitating the collaboration. Students were asked to describe their favorite activities, holidays, and a typical school day. After viewing their partner’s videos, Mendham students began to see significant cultural differences between life and education in the United States, and Nigeria. Students were initially surprised that all the Nigerian students in the class were male and that English was not their first language. Those observations prompted meaningful discussions about the differences in educational opportunities in other parts of the world and the role of language and communication. Students also identified many similarities with their partners from across the globe, as it was revealed that most students shared a passion for similar movies and music, and that dancing and sports were common activities.

Throughout the next several weeks, teachers in both countries will lead their classes through the detailed curriculum provided by Level Up Village. The class is centered on the reading of The Giver and the essential question, “What determines an ideal world?” As students consider the book’s themes of rules and choices, social issues and utopia vs. dystopia, they will share their reflections with their partners through videos and collaborative documents. At the end of the course the classes will participate in a live video chat, allowing students and teachers to connect in real time.

This is the second Level Up Village class Mendham Township Middle School has participated in. Last fall, 30 students were selected for an eight week after school program to pilot Level Up Village’s Global Conversation curriculum and online platform. Students were paired with students from the Kopila Valley School in Nepal and read the book I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. The pilot program was so successful that school administration is finding ways to integrate the experience into other areas of their curriculum.

Acknowledging that the world is becoming more globalized each day, Mendham Township Middle School recognizes the need for students to cultivate their global perspective and develop deeper understanding of diverse cultures throughout the country and the world. Partnering with Level Up Village has been an exciting opportunity for staff and students to meaningfully connect with students and teachers in other parts of the world and to become more informed global citizens. To learn more about Level Up Village you can visit their website at: https://www.levelupvillage.com.