As part of their participation in the AT&T Classroom, Ms. Kulik’s first graders are participating in Buncee Buddies-Celebrate Peace 2016, a global initiative designed to connect classes from around the world in exploring and sharing ways to create a more peaceful world. As a partner classroom in this international project, Ms. Kulik’s first grade class has been partnered with a buddy class in a “mystery” location. This afternoon in the AT&T Classroom the Wait Primary first graders participated in a “Mystery Google Hangout” with their Buncee Buddies class. Google Hangouts is a web-based communications platform available through Google that allows members to initiate and participate in text, voice or video chats, either one-on-one or in a group. The goal of today’s Mystery Hangout was for the two classes to guess one another’s location. To prepare for the video call the Wait Primary first graders brainstormed key questions using a Padlet wall. The two classes alternated turns asking questions to build clues that would assist in guessing the location of their buddy class. The key clue that helped the students solve the mystery focused on sports with the Wait Primary students being Cleveland Indians fans and their Buncee Buddies cheering for their home team Chicago Cubs.
As a next step in the Buncee Buddies project the two classes will create and share Buncees focused on the theme of creating a peaceful world. To prepare the students for their Buncee project, Ms. Kulik shared two online stories with the class - The Peace Book by Todd Parr and What Does Peace Feel Like? by Amanda Pallarino. Afterwards the class built a new Padlet wall as they brainstormed ways that they can be messengers of peace in their families, schools, and communities.
