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Breaking the ice

Your project: general information

The final outcome will be the writing of a formal proposal addressed to your school principal. This proposal will aim at carrying out various reforms within your school creating a safer, more effective and happier school environment. In order to be able to create the final product, you will overcome different missions that will help you gain knowledge and acquire strategies.

This project will be worked in a collaborative way. There will be pair work, teamwork and individual work. This means that you will create your own knowledge with the guidance of your classmates and teacher. 

It will be really important for success to follow all the instructions given in each activity, using the net and the links as a source of information.

Your work

The missions that you will have done at the end of this project are:

Mission 1: Conduct a survey to students at school to identify the main aspects to be improved.
Mission 2: Record a podcast where some educational issues will be discussed.
Mission 3: Give a student speech. Students will prepare campaign speeches and participate in voting to elect the most suitable candidate for the School Board Representative position.
Mission 4: Write a formal proposal addressed to the school principal to suggest some school reforms.

Your portfolio

One of the tasks that you have to do is a portfolio which will be assessed during your learning process. A learning diary will be an important part of your portfolio and both documents will be used for documentation and reflection of the learning experience.

To start creating your portfolio, we will offer you some tools that you may know, but remember that you can use any other tool that makes you feel more comfortable, or any of your teacher's choice. You can start from scratch or use some of the templates that the tool offers you. 

If you choose to create a digital portfolio, you can use any of the following tools:

If you prefer, you can also make your own portfolio in physical format. The video "How to make creative learning diaries" will also help you create your printed portfolio.

We offer you some tips on dos and don'ts for your portfolio design in this infographic. The "Rubric to assess a portfolio" (note) will help you design your learning diary (Download editable file/Download pdf file). 

It would be a great idea to have just ONE portfolio for all your subjects. To do so, you only have to create a new page for each subject. 

Once you have created your portfolio with your personal details, you will have to upload the pics, videos, links (or QR codes if it's in physical format) that show your learning progress and write your learning diary next to each evidence. Don´t forget to write the name of the task. 

The questions that you can answer for this section are:

  • What did I do?
  • When did I do it?
  • How did I work, individually, in pairs or in groups?
  • How did I feel working in that way?
  • How well/badly did it go?
  • What did I learn with this task?
  • How will I use it in the future?
  • What do I have to improve?
  • What strategies will I use in the future to improve it?

You will also create a glossary section in your learning diary in which you will keep a record of the new words that you are learning in each mission. You will choose the most representative ones and provide some information which will help you level up your vocabulary. For physical diaries, you can download this customizable template. (Download editable file/Download pdf file). 

Along with this, you will add  a grammar snacks section where you will upload some kind of visual materials with the use of the language structures that you are using in each mission.  

Adding a glossary and a grammar section to your learning diary makes it a personalized tool for improving vocabulary, grammar, and tracking language learning progress in an engaging way.

Assessment tools

Every mission will include a final task to consolidate all the learning. This final task will be assessed using different assessment tools: 

  • Mission 1 Rubric to assess a survey
  • Mission 2 Rubric to assess a podcast 
  • Mission 3 Rubric to assess a school representative campaign 
  • Mission 4 Checklist to assess a formal proposal 
  • Rubric to assess a portfolio

Dissemination

Send your e-mails or letters to the school principal explaining the reforms which your group has proposed and would be also taken by the elected representative student at the School Board. 

If you are working on a printed portfolio, the aspect "USE OF DIGITAL TOOL" does not apply.

You can write the definition of the word, a synonym, an antonym, the part of speech it belongs to, as well as an example where the word is used in a real context or even an image which represents the word. You may also include the equivalent word in your language or if it is a false friend or cognate making comparisons with this word in English and your language.

You are expected to include visual aids (posters, infographic or mind map) to aid comprehension including examples where these language structures are used. Here you could also establish a comparison of this language form with your own language. 

School is a special place

You are about to start your to re-imagine your school as you have been asked to write a proposal to suggest the school principal different ways in which you, as a student, can make your school a very special place. Let's start discussing what kind of school is yours and what you like about it.  In groups, answer the questions in this quiz, (download in editable format or pdf) agree on the most suitable answer for the questions in the quiz and then share your findings with the class. Do you agree with the results? Why or why not? 
Students at school
Unkonwn author. Untitled (CC0)

Then, watch the video "Students Speak: School is a special place" from students talking about their schools and jot down some of the things they like about their schools.

What about you, what makes your school a special place for you? Using the app VoiceThread, leave an audio comment in the class forum and tell your class what sets your school apart and makes it unique. 

    Quality Education: the basis for improving our lives

    Quality education has become a crucial aspect in today's society. This is the basis of Global Goal #4 as it aims at ensuring equal access to education for all, reducing inequalities and empowering individuals to address global challenges and build a more prosperous future for everyone. For children born into poverty, it’s an essential part of their way out of it. This is especially true for girls in developing countries, who have extra challenges getting an education.  But what about you? What do you understand about quality education? To reflect on this issue, let's work on the following steps. 

    Step 1

    In order to gain a better understanding and awareness on quality education, you are going to watch this call-to-action video to learn a little bit more about Global Goal #4. You can also learn about it by  reading this UN article. After we have learnt about the current state of education worldwide, you will be asked to suggest ways to promote equal access to education within our local communities and globally. To do this:

    • Think about different actions we could take as individuals.
    • Then, compare  and discuss your answers with your partner. 
    • Finally, share your views with the class. 
    ParticipateInc. Understanding Global Goal 4 (Standard YouTube License)

    Step 2

    Have you ever heard about Malala Yousafzai? She is the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner. She is from Pakistan and she campaigns for the rights of girls to get an education. In this short video you can hear Malala speaking after receiving the prize.  Malala became famous worldwide because she was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for speaking up about girls going to school. After watching the video, do the activities in this LearnEnglish teens handout which will help you improve your reading comprehension skills.

    Step 3

    Now, it is time to put your creativity at work and act out a role play: "Interviewing Malala: a dialogue for change". You will work in groups of three or four and you will assume the roles of journalists interviewing Malala after her Nobel Prize speech. Your teacher will assign a specific role to play in the interview scenario.

    • Journalists: You will prepare questions for Malala considering her background, experiences, and the themes addressed in her speech.
    • Malala: You will have to answer the journalists´ questions. 
    • Moderator: Your role will consist of facilitating the interview process, keeping track of time, and ensuring all participants have a chance to ask their questions.

    In order to prepare the interview, check the information in the eslactive webpage. It will help you prepare the questions and also provide relevant answers.  

    Food for thought

    After carrying out this engaging activity, you will have gained better a understanding of Malala's message, some key issues related to education, activism, and social change. You can now discuss these questions with your classmates:

    • Why is it important for everyone to have a good education? Can you give examples from your own life or people you know?
    • What challenges do students face in getting a good education? Are there groups of students who have a harder time going to school?
    • How can schools use technology to make learning better, especially for students who live far away or don't have much access to resources?
    • What can we do as students to help make sure that everyone gets a good education, no matter where they live or how much money they have?

    Malala once said: “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” Do you agree with the statement? 

    What is your motto for quality education? Think about how you could start making a difference and design your motto for quality education. You can show them in the school hall for other students at school to see them. 

    Learning diary

    In this project you are going to start creating your portfolio. Remember it helps you reflect on what you are learning and, most important, what the best way for learning is. 

    You will create the title of your project "School Reforms", and a first section entitled "Breaking the ice”. You will update it with your work and reflect on your learning using the following questions:

    • What did I do?
    • When did I do it?
    • How did I work, individually, in pairs or in groups?
    • How did I feel working in that way?
    • How well/badly did it go?
    • What did I learn with this task?
    • How will I use it in the future?
    • What do I have to improve?
    • What strategies will I use in the future to improve it?

    Remember to update the glossary and grammar section with the new words and grammar structures you have learnt. 

    The "Rubric to assess a (digital) portfolio" (note) will help you design your learning diary (Download editable file/Download pdf file).

    Do not forget it would be great if you shared these feelings and thoughts with your classmates. You will have 10 or 15 minutes to complete this part.

    If you are working on a printed portfolio, the aspect "USE OF DIGITAL TOOL" does not apply.

    Creado con eXeLearning (Ventana nueva)