2. Anne Martin Gifted and Talented Program District 7 Spartanburg Writing Project

3. By learning the GEOGRAPHY of different countries of the world.

4. The study of the physical structure and the inhabitants of the earth Physical and Cultural Geography

5.  “To understand the earth as the world of man”  J. 0. M. Broek (1965)  “Geography is the study of earth as the home of people” Yi-Fu Tan (1991)  “War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.” Ambrose Pierce

6.  Year after year of national testing continues to show less than satisfying results of student knowledge and understanding of basic geography skills.  With our planet in peril, there is an almost obligatory wave of support for placing more emphasis on a knowledge of our earth.  At the very base of that knowledge must lie an adequate grasp of geography skills and concepts. Understanding Our World Though Geography by Jerry Aten

7.  Each country of the world has it’s own unique “ personality.”  Those qualities make it different from all other countries.  As human beings we have common needs that are essential to our survival.  Learning about how others in foreign lands live will help us better to understand and appreciate the differences that do exist.

8.  Differentiating the curriculum means moving students beyond grade-level standards or connecting what is taught to their personal interests.  Differentiating the learning environment means allowing students to work more independently on their own projects, collaborate with other students, or pursue interests outside the regular classroom. (Winebrenner, 2000)

9.  This is a celebration of the uniqueness and diversity of our students  MI tells us that our students are not just smart in one or two ways, but in many ways.  To reach all students and to develop the diverse intelligences, we need to teach in many ways, providing varied learning experiences for our students. Howard Gardner (1983) Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

10.  Offer students opportunities to extend their knowledge, stretch their abilities, and pursue authentic and challenging learning experiences.  Transform information so that students are not merely repeating information but creating a new idea or product.  Evolve from advanced materials, original research, or primary documents.  Be similar to those created by professionals in that the products address real-world problems and are intended for real audiences.

11. WHO AM I?

12. I am on the continent of Africa I am on the Mediterranean Sea My longitude is 30 degrees east The Tropic of Cancer is my latitude I have the longest river in the world My flag colors are red, white and black Who am I?

13. A multigenre portfolio arises from research, experience and imagination. A multigenre portfolio is composed of many genres and subgenres, each piece self-contained, making a point of its own yet connected by a theme. A multigenre portfolio may contain many voices, not just the author’s. Blending Genre, Altering Style by Tom Romano (2000)

14.  Students should be exposed to a wide variety of genres, especially those that are pervasive outside classroom walls.  I f these familiar genres are acknowledged in school, perhaps children will be more successful in literacy achievement and understanding. Kress (1993)

15. “Writing is more than a frozen record of thinking. It is an action and a way of knowing.” William F. Irmscher “When writers are physically or emotionally involved in their topics, the commitment to those topics manifests itself in a higher quality product.” It’s About Writing by Kathy Balsomo

16.  Teachers should teach writing with explicit instruction about a genre.  Students will see the connections between text and modeling that teach structure in writing.  As children become familiar with and knowledgeable about a certain genre, they are able to create a writing piece of their own adhering to the particular traits of the genre as defined by a mentor or model texts. Wood Ray (2001) The Writing Workshop: Working Though the Hard Parts(And They’re All Hard Parts) Calkins (1994) The Art of Teaching Writing.

17.  The students will thoroughly research the country of their choice using encyclopedia, books and internet.  Individual conferences will be ongoing, by student request, teacher request and on the spot conferences. ( as described by Wood Ray, 2001 )  The students will complete a proposal for each chosen genre. It moves away from assigning genre and asks students to choose genres for various purposes and effects. ( Writing without Boundaries )

18. Name: __________ _________________Country: _____________________________________ Reasons for choosing this topic:______________________________________________________________________________________ 1 st Genre: _________________________________________ Definition of this Genre: ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Perspective: (Who is writing?) ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Audience: (Who is reading?)______________________________________________________________________________________ Purpose for Writing: ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________

19. This project will include:  a cover  an introduction  an outline or table of contents  defenses for each piece  five pieces (or more)  visual designs or graphic elements

20.  ABC book  Brochure  Interview  Survey  Letter  Newspaper article  Restaurant review  Picture Book  Essay  Comic Strip  Top 5 Reasons

21. 1. Must be an ongoing process 2. Is best when it is authentic 3. Is a collaborative, reflective process 4. Is best when it is multidimensional (variety) 5. Should be developmentally and culturally appropriate (no single right answers) 6. Is expected to identify student strengths Writing Without Boundaries by Suzette Youngs and Diane Barone

22. Students will publish their portfolios on the internet using a class WIKI. Parents will be invited to our class World Writing and Food Festival where students will share writing pieces from their multigenre portfolio, as well as share food from the country that they have researched.

23.  http://tep.uoregon.edu/shared/blogswikispo dcasts http://tep.uoregon.edu/shared/blogswikispo dcasts  http://www.slideshare.net/suryaveer/wiki- in-education-2071400 http://www.slideshare.net/suryaveer/wiki- in-education-2071400  http://world-cultures-6.wikispaces.com/ http://world-cultures-6.wikispaces.com/  http://votw.wikispaces.com/May-Scotland http://votw.wikispaces.com/May-Scotland