Country Report Ideas

Last year I finished my technology endorsement and I have to say, I am pretty lucky. I took classes and completed a course called eMINTS. This program started in Missouri, but is now in my home state of Utah, as well as Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada and Ohio. It's all about getting technology in the classroom and getting teachers to use it, as well as involving students in cooperative learning. With this program I was given 16 computers, one for every two students! Needless to say, we use technology a lot. I will delve deeper as time goes on, on what type of technology we use, how we use it, and how it is used to integrate the learning process. Look for my posts titled, "Technology Tidbit Tuesdays," for more ideas on using great websites and other technology resources.

Anyway, I thought I would occasionally post about lessons I have created and the websites and technology I use to enhance them. I am going to start today with one of my favorite research projects I do with my class called "Country Reports, " (what a clever name...hahahaha), this also happens to be one of my most popular products on TPT. The product looks like this and the link to my store is below:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Country-Report-Booklet-4th-5th-6th-grades-673020

The first picture is an explanation on how I use this project in my classroom. I do not include the technology ideas because I am never sure what everyone has available. If you do not have many computers you could always schedule a time in your school's computer lab or have students do research during rotations and use the ones you do have in your classroom. If you have access to ipads, tablets, or other devices connected to the internet, those are great resources as well.

The website I like best for this project is called culture grams http://online.culturegrams.com/ . This site requires a subscription which my district pays for. I absolutely love it because it has every country and explains the country's culture in very kid friendly words. There are maps, flags, the country song, recipes, photos, and tons of information for the kids to read and research.

If you do not have access to this site, other websites I would recommend are:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/

http://www.timeforkids.com/around-the-world

http://www.factmonster.com/countries.html

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/globaltrek/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stm

All of these are great resources for gathering facts when your students are writing country reports. When students are done writing reports, I also like them to create PowerPoint presentations or Prezi's(One of my favorite presentation tools!) to present their information to the class. I have also had students make brochures in Publisher to pass out to the class, make newsletters in publisher, and another idea I want to try next year is to have them make talk shows about their country filming on ipods, and then uploading their work to movie maker (another favorite tool on Microsoft of mine). 

So there you have it! If you have purchased this of mine before or are wanting to do country reports, here are some great websites and ideas for presentations. Good Luck and have fun!

For sixth grade the writing core standards (taken from the common core website) this projects covers in my class are:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.