Through My Window
September 17, 2008Teachers and students who have read and enjoyed Jeannie Baker’s Window and its companion title Belonging will appreciate this project from the New South Wales Centre for Learning Innovation.
Through My Window is a simple and engaging email activity designed to allow students to communicate about their world through words and images. Descriptions are posted on the website and students from around the world may email their artistic interpretations back to the authors. Students may then evaluate their descriptions to see if the wording they have used has provided an accurate picture of their scenario.
In the Task Section at Step 3: Connect teachers can register with the Through my window coordinator who controls the posting of descriptions. The activity model on the website could easily be used without registering to take part, although by registering children are given the opportunity to see their work published online (permission required).
In the Description Section examples of student work can be viewed by clicking the Stage 1 and Stage 2 buttons. In the Archive section work from students can be seen at Stage 2 and Stage 3 including an interpretive view from another school.
Schools across Australia are invited to contribute to this on-going project and its companion project The Adventures of Ebenezer Q. Emu.
The site includes ample planning and assessment assistance for teachers. Proformas are available for students to prepare their stories, children are encouraged to use sound files and clip art and there is a Library where completed stories are published.
Although both projects relate particularly to NSW Syllabus outcomes, the activities can be readily applied across several WA Learning Areas outcomes including English, The Arts, Technology and Enterprise, Mathematics, Languages, and Society and Environment.


Posted by cainr
