Freshman Jacob Callanan practices his presentations in the IDL lab.
The two televisions in the IDL lab show both classrooms participating.
Jamie Wilkerson, fr., and Ciarra Myers, fr., hold up the "I love NY" sign to show the collaborating students from LaFayette, NY.
Lindy Boone, fr., Jonathan Bohnert, fr., and Bekah Fillmore, fr., present in front of a live satellite audience in New York.
Freshmen "Read Around the Planet"
Students from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ontario are all collaborating with Belle Plaine English 9 classrooms from Feb. 22 - March 4. The purpose of this collaboration is in celebration of “Read Around the Planet” and is possible thanks to Belle Plaine High School’s IDL lab. This is a time for classrooms of all ages and disciplines to meet people from other regions and celebrate reading.Classrooms thousands of miles away are able to interact with one another through satellite connections, televisions, computers, and microphones all working together to enable them to communicate.
So far, only one class has been connected with Belle Plaine, but more are scheduled in the near future. Ms. Turner’s 3rd block English 9 class met with students from LaFayette, NY, which is near Syracuse. Each school presented facts about their respective state, introduced their region’s well-known authors, and recited poetry that is dear to their state. Jessi Carter, fr., and Ally Fox, fr., read “Oz” by Jonathan Holden.
Other freshmen English blocks have prepared alternative presentations for their cooperating classrooms, such as reading their own original poetry, or dramatizing play scenes.
