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=Skype Buddies Project=

Madison Simis
From Rae Dewberry -

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I begin the eighth grade school year with a study/review of literary elements. We study several short stories in various texts to illustrate and analyze plot, setting, characterization, tone/mood, and theme. The culmination in my AEP classes is to write a short story using all they have learned about crafting a short story. =====

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After learning about Skype during a Tucson technology conference and talking to a Madison first grade teacher, I opened up the short story assignment. The students had the option to write a children’s picture book with illustrations for a first or second grade classroom. We read The Gingerbread Man aloud in class and students quickly saw that it had all the necessary literary elements even though it was for little children. =====

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Of my forty-five AEP students, seventeen took the challenge of something new. From those seventeen, I picked two that were most appropriate for a first grade. With the help of Kim Thomas, we “Skyped” to Rita Atkinson’s first grade class at Simis. It was a wonderful success. =====

From Kim Thomas - Kudos to Ms. Dewberry and her students for sharing their wonderful stories with everyone in Madison. This is our first adventure of this type, though we are looking forward to many more!

The Boy Who Liked Chocolate
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The Black Pony
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The Big Bad Mess
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Twinkle Bill Learns a Lesson
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One Halloween Night
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Katie & Sammy
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Haunted House
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Charlie Learns a Lesson
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The Frog and the Flea
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The Flying Saucers
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Rosa's Dance Lessons
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From Rita Atkinson After speaking with Rae at the Tucson technology conference I was very eager to hear the stories her class would create. I knew it would be a fantastic way for my students to hear about the writing process. They responded much better to it being described by older students. The Skype call was a wonderful success on our end as well. The students were thoroughly engaged throughout. They thought the stories were wonderful and enjoyed asking questions after each story. The first graders will begin writing their own stories to share with Mrs. Dewberry's students through Skype and the Internet. The first graders are very excited to be young authors and be able to share with the older students!