Turkey Trade: Wikispaces Archive

Since Wikispaces is closing down, I’m moving my collaborative videoconference projects over to my blog for archiving. Great project formats can still be used and adapted!

Project Description:
Two classroom

s will be paired up and each class will create a turkey using Turkey Trade approved materials.
The class will then write a description of their turkey and send the description to their partner class via a shared wiki page. Each class will recreate the other class’ turkey by following the directions from the shared wiki page. Both classes will meet via video conference to compare the original turkeys with the recreated turkeys.

This project will enable students to improve their descriptive writing skills, use math terms, and their ability to follow directions.


Turkey Trade Approved Materials

Paper and Such
newspaper, construction paper, bulletin board paper, paper plates, cups, shoe boxes, tissue boxes, balloons, and yarn

Markers and More
Markers, crayons, colored pencils, and scissors

Glues and Tapes
Scotch tape, duct tape, glue sticks, glue, staplers

Video Conference Agenda: (Video conference connection time is 30 minutes.)

Welcome and Introductions
Use the note-taking guide to facilitate the conversation.

  1. Classroom A zooms in on their ORIGINAL turkey.
  2. Classroom B zooms in on the second turkey they created.
  3. Classroom A identifies similarities and differences.
  4. REPEAT switching roles.
  5. Classroom B zooms in on their ORIGINAL turkey.
  6. Classroom A zooms in on the second turkey they created.
  7. Classroom B identifies similarities and differences.
  8. Closing: Big round of applause for both groups!

Be sure to stabilize the turkey when you meet with your class.

Zoom the camera in so that students can see the detail of the turkeys.


FAQ

What exactly IS Turkey Trade?

Two classrooms will be paired up and each class will create a turkey using Turkey Trade Approved Materials. 

The class will then write a description of their turkey and send the description to their partner class via email. Each class will recreate the other class’ turkey by following the emailed directions. Both classes will meet via video conference to compare the original turkeys with the recreated turkeys. This project will enable students to improve their descriptive writing skills and their ability to follow directions.

What are “turkey trade” approved materials?
Glad you asked. Here is a list of the materials to be used creating your turkey.

  • Paper and Such
    newspaper, construction paper, bulletin board paper, paper plates, cups, shoe boxes, tissue boxes, balloons, and yarn
  • Markers and More
    Markers, crayons, colored pencils, and scissors
  • Glues and Tapes
    Scotch tape, duct tape, glue sticks, glue, staplers

How do I create my turkey?
Turkeys are to be created from “Turkey Trade approved” classroom materials. Each classroom will make ONE classroom turkey and write one classroom description to share with their partner class.

How do I register for Turkey Trade?
Please register as usual.

  • Roxanne’s schools register through the Whirlidurb website. If you need a date/time that is not listed, contact Roxanne directly.
  • Janine’s schools register through the Berrien RESA website.

Who will register teachers for Turkey Trade?
It depends on each district. Contact your district site manager or building coordinator to find out who will submit registrations for your district or building.


Sample Descriptions and Tips

Teachers and coordinators:
Be sure to include size comparison, measurements, or directional words.The goal is to provide enough detail and description for the other class to create a turkey.

Examples of Measurements and Comparisons 

  • Green, almond-shaped eyes with big black pupils the size of a penny on the inside corners of the eye. Made with construction paper.
  • The diameter of the head is 2.5 pencils.
  • 12″ x 12″ tan construction paper egg-shaped head.
  • Cut a medium ( 2′ x 1′) orange rectangle out of bulletin board paper to use as the background.
  • Cut feathers out of orange, red, and yellow construction paper. There is an equal number of feathers from each color. The total number of feathers is 12 and each feather is 12 inches long.
  • The legs are like baseball bats with the fatter end connecting to the torso.
  • The waddle looks like red, wrinkly elephant skin and was made from red construction paper.

 

Example Description:

Materials: small shoe box, brown, red, orange, and yellow
construction paper, brown and red butcher paper, pattern for making
paper feathers ( any pattern will do), glue and tape

How to Construct Mr. Turkey Lurkey

  1. Cover shoe box with two sheets of brown construction paper- this is
    the turkey’s body.
  2. Cut 2 strips of brown construction 11x 1 inch. Accordion-fold and glue to bottom of box. These are the legs.
  3. Cut two wings from brown construction paper. Glue to side of box.
  4. Shape a head out of brown butcher paper. Cut a hole in the box.
  5. Stuff head down in the hole so that it sticks out above the box. Make a waddle out of red butcher paper and attach. Draw two eyes on the head.
  6. Have students trace and cut one feather each. Glue together as a fan in following pattern red, brown, orange, brown, yellow, brown etc.
  7. Attach fan to back of turkey

Standards

ISTE Technology Standard: Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

  • interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
  • communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

Michigan Language Arts
Content Standard 2: All students will demonstrate the ability to write clear and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs, and compositions.
Content Standard 3: All students will focus on meaning and communication as they listen, speak, view, read, and write in personal, social, occupational, and civic contexts.

Michigan Math
Content Standard 1: Students experience counting and measuring activities to develop intuitive sense about numbers, develop understanding about properties of numbers, understand the need for and existence of different sets of numbers, and investigate properties of special numbers. (Concepts and Properties of Numbers)

Marzano’s Instructional Strategies That Work: Identifying Similarities and Differences
Generalizations

  1. Presenting students with explicit guidance in identifying similarities and differences enhances their understanding of and ability to use knowledge.
  2. Asking students to independently identify similarities and differences enhances their understanding of and ability to use knowledge.
  3. Representing similarities and differences in graphic or symbolic form enhances students’ understanding of and ability to use knowledge.
  4. Identification of similarities and differences can be accomplished in a variety of ways and is a highly robust activity.

Recommendations
Use these to improve your practice.

  1. Teach students to use comparing, classifying, metaphors, and analogies when they identify similarities and differences.
  2. Give students a model of the steps for engaging in the process.
  3. Use a familiar context to teach students these steps.
  4. Have students use graphic organizers as a visual tool to represent the similarities and differences.
  5. Guide students as they engage in this process. Gradually give less structure and less guidance (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 168).

VC Evaluation

This Google Form was used to evaluate the project.


Facilitator Info

Site Check in for connections

  1. Tech check audio/video
  2. Can they move the camera?
  3. Zoom in the cameras on the turkeys.
  4. Do they have the printed agenda?
  5. Do they know who is Teacher A/Teacher B? (Teacher A shows ORIGINAL turkey first. Teacher B shows the second turkey they made. Then switch.)
  6. Any questions?

First Email (send as soon as they are partnered)

Turkey Trade ’10: First Steps

Thank you for registering to participate in Whirlidurb’s Turkey Trade ’10. We will keep you updated as the project develops.

Project Website:
Frequently Asked Questions:
YOUR DATE & TIME is:

For Teachers:

  1. Go watch the Approved Materials video:
  2. Start making your first turkey. Here are some examples:
  3. Review the sample descriptions and tips:
  4. Your description needs to be posted online by November 16.
  5. Check the Participating Classes page for the current schedule and partner information:

For Coordinators:

  1. Schedule and connection details will be posted online by November 11.
  2. You might have to help some of your teachers post their descriptions online by 16th.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Roxanne Glaser, Whirlidurb
Janine Lim, Berrien RESA

2nd Email (sent 11/10 in 2010)
~Turkey Trade 2010: How to Post Descriptions~

Next steps for Turkey Trade 2010
We are delighted to have all of you participating this year!

Project Website:
Frequently Asked Questions:

How to Post Descriptions Online
You do NOT have to create an account to edit the wiki description pages.

  1. Review the sample descriptions and tips:
  2. Make sure your description has enough detail and description for the other class to create a turkey.
  3. Go to:
  4. Find your name on the schedule and click the “Post Descriptions Here” link for your name.
  5. Look at the names on the page, make sure you see your name at the top.
  6. Click EDIT
  7. Select the text “Paste your description here” and delete it.
  8. Copy your description and paste it below your contact information.
  9. Click SAVE. Make sure you save your work.

A video on how to post your descriptions online is at the bottom of the page here:

TEACHERS:

  1. Find your partner, date, and time for videoconference connection here:and post your description online by Tuesday, November 16
  2. Get the description that your partner class wrote by clicking on the name of your partner here:
  3. Make a SECOND turkey using the written descriptions from your partner. Do not exchange photos or post pictures. We are using the written descriptions to try to make a match. The videoconference is when we will see if they match.

COORDINATORS:

  1. We are working on adding connection details to the schedule:
  2. These calls will be bridged by Berrien RESA and Whirlidurb. The final connection information will be added to the wiki by next Tuesday.
  3. Test calls (if needed) will be this Friday, November 12.

Let us know if you need help!
Your Turkey Trade 2010 Team
Janine Lim, Berrien RESA
Roxanne Glaser, Whirlidurb

subject: — Turkey Trade Descriptions Due Today —
sent to all teachers and coordinators

===Reminder====
Turkey Trade descriptions need to be posted today.

If you are having trouble posting, contact your VC coordinator or one of us for assistance.

If you cannot post your description today, email your partner teacher and copy rglaser@whirlidurb.com and janine.lim@berrienresa.org on the message.

You can find your partner’s email address on this page:

How to Edit the Wiki Video
If you need help with editing the wiki, watch the 2nd video on this page.

What to Do During the Videoconference
The 3rd video on this page explains what to do during the videoconference.

Let us know if you need help!

Your Turkey Trade 2010 Team
Janine Lim, Berrien RESA
Roxanne Glaser, Whirlidurb

Subject: Last Details for Turkey Trade Nov. 19-23

This message has been sent to all Turkey Trade teachers and coordinators.=

All the descriptions are posted now! Great work everyone!

Turkey Trade Connections:

  • Berrien RESA is bridging all the Turkey Trade connections this year. You can see the connection details on the Participating Classes page:
  • READ the connection notes on the schedule carefully and ask questions if you don’t understand or need assistance.

Teachers: Prepare for the Videoconference

  • Prepare your students for the videoconference connection by assigning them jobs to do. Also, practice with them on how to identify similarities and differences.
  • The third training video on this page explains what will happen during the videoconference.
  • Videoconference connections last for 30 minutes.
  • Print the Day of the Videoconference sheet and for grades 2-6, print the student note taking guide: (Scroll down, it’s above the 3rd video)

If at any time during this project, you don’t understand how something works or why it is done that way, contact one of us immediately and we will assist you!

Your Turkey Trade 2010 Team
Janine Lim, Berrien RESA
Roxanne Glaser, Whirlidurb

Turkey Trade 2010 Project Evaluation
Thank you so much for a GREAT Turkey Trade. We had 20 classes participate this year from Texas and Michigan. It is always amazing to see the creations and the matches.

= T H A N K Y O U = = =
To the TEACHERS: I appreciate all of the organization, hard work, creativity, and flexibility that you bring to the project. Those of us behind the scenes are truly amazed at what you do with students! The creativity and higher order thinking skills that students were used was impressive.

To the COORDINATORS: Those of us who work in videoconferencing know that it can be a scary, intimidating technology, you are one of the keys to our technical success.

= PROJECT EVALUATION = = =
Each year we ask for feedback so that we can improve the project for the next year. Please take a couple of minutes to let us know how you used the Turkey Trade Project to teach or reinforce certain curricular concepts.

Thank you!

Your Turkey Trade 2010 Team
Janine Lim, Berrien RESA
Roxanne Glaser, Whirlidurb

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