Happy Chinese New Year! Global Connections!

Today, Sunday, February 10th, is the official day of the Chinese New Year!  We have been learning a lot about the Chinese New Year from our Twitter friends in China.  They sent us a readers theater they did last week (being they do not have school this week) and we loved it!  On Friday, the students in 3B enjoyed making paper lanterns, snake mobiles as 2013 is the year of the snake, and make visuals for the celebration using the iPad app, Doodle Buddy.  Their teacher also sent us some sites that had more information for us to read.  We love using Twitter to connect!

Tomorrow (which will be Monday) the students have been encouraged to wear red as it is the color of good luck.  We will continue to learn more about the Chinese New Year and find more information.  Eventually we will be making a blog post sharing what we have learned and created.

Our class Twitter account continues to grow in followers and those we are following.  We continue to get more followers from around the world to connect with and learn from.  It is really a very exciting time to be in school!

This weekend I communicated through email many times with a teacher in Seville, Spain.  We are setting up skype schedules for 3B and her students (who are learning English) to skype and learn from one another!  I am very excited about this and know the students will be as well.  There is a 7 hour time difference between us but luckily, some of her classes are later in the afternoon/early evening so it works great for our schedules.  Hopefully we will get the first skype session scheduled this week or next!  Spain....here we come!!!  Who knows where else we will "travel" to before the end of the year!

The students are also continuing to connect with other 3rd graders and students through their blogs.  Many have conversations and comments on student blogs in Canada, Michigan, and of course, our China friends.  It is exciting when the students check their blog pages and see comments from others, including you, the parents.  It truly gives purpose to writing for a global audience.