Friday, November 22, 2013

It's Mystery Skype Time!

Where in the USA is Mrs. Crawford's Class?
 
Third graders have been waiting patiently this week for Friday morning.  Specifically Friday morning at 9:30 when our computer rang in with a Skype call from another classroom somewhere in the United States!

Today we participated in our first Mystery Skype.  We prepared for this event by writing ten clues about the state of Iowa and then practicing researching clues.  Despite a few technical difficulties (technology is great when it is working well!) we were able to connect with Mrs. Crawford's class.  The students from both classes did a great job sharing their clues and working hard to find answers.  A few of the clues shared with us included their state was home to a very large Nascar race track, the apple blossom was their state flower, and they were a Great Lakes state in the midwest.  We shared clues about our state symbols, visitor's attractions, and famous people from Iowa including Dan Gable, Kurt Warner, Henry Wallace, and Norman Borlaug.

Students were assigned jobs throughout the Skype experience.  We had videographers, photographers, map experts, clue recorders, clue readers, and research experts in our room.  At the end of the 10 clues, our class accurately guessed that their class was from Michigan and they guessed we were Iowans.  It was a lot of fun, and our students thought it was like a game show (without a prize!).  We hope to participate in a few more Mystery Skype lessons this year.

Enjoy the pictures below that were taken by our class photographer during today's Mystery Skype event. 

Students share clues with Mrs. Crawford's Class.


Research and map experts use clues to determine the class' location.


Students use "Skype Manners' by introducing themselves and talking clearly and loudly.


Clue recorders keep track of the clues we were given for reference.


Mystery Skype in Progress


Map experts use USA maps and electronic maps to find the location. 


At the end of the Skype we shared information about our town and school with 
Mrs. Crawford's class.  It is also interesting to compare and contrast different areas.

No comments:

Post a Comment