Together Again, Naturally

Each school year I get a brand new class of eager-to-learn 4th graders. I love this age. They are still young enough to be amazed and in awe of the world around us, yet they are beginning to "get" it. Yesterday my class had the second Mystery Skype of the year. I had the opportunity to reconnect with a colleague whom I met many years ago at a Discovery Education Summer Institute. (By the way the people I met and the things I learned through the DEN influence me in a positive way every day!)

Mystery Skype is a 20 questions game experienced with video and audio on Skype. Two teachers connect and set a date and time. Once the connection is made, the fun and learning begins.

The students quickly learn to create questions that eliminate a great deal of states. Such as, "Are you east of the Mississippi?" Our two or three speakers are responsible for talking to the other class. Two more students keep track of the states already eliminated. Another two students keep track of the questions already asked. A few students are using globes and Google Earth. Meanwhile the rest of the class has their atlas and blank map trying to identify "Where in the USA", or world the other class is.

In 20 minutes my students have fun and work on their US geography skills. They are quickly getting a sense of where major rivers, coastlines, and mountain ranges are. And without them even realizing it the "geography" lesson has so much more!

In the words of my students, "Our class gets to work together as a team." Mystery Skype - marrying fun with collaboration, critical analysis, and communication.

If you would like to participate in a Mystery Skype session contact me at mgriffin@cbsd.org or fill out my sign-up form.