Looking Inside a Typical Day

As students grow to learn more about each other they will be curious about how their online friends spend a typical day at school. Their daily schedules, with their ups and downs, will spark a reason for writing. School is the place where students spend most of their time during the week. Suggest that your students and their keypals take notes in a journal and share their typical school day.

All About Your School

Before the students write a journal for their school day they should give details about their school. Your students might have to do a little research before they can send this information.

1. Give the school's name and its significance.
2. Describe the school building. [one story? two story? any portable classrooms?]
3. Where is it located? [urban or rural area?]
4. Does your school have a mascot? What is the significance of it?
5. How many grades are in your schoo?
6. What is the total student population?
7. How big are the class sizes?
8. What "special" classes do students have such as art, music, physical education, media class (library)?
9. Do students wear a uniform?
10. Is the school public or private?
11. What extra-curricular activities are available for students?

Writing the Journal

Describing the School Day

What does a typical school day look like for your students and their keypals? Have your students write a journal every hour on the hour to describe to their keypals what a typical day is like beginning at the time when they awaken. Make sure they note their feelings as they go through the school day. Their friends will want to know what classes they are in and how they feel about that class. They will want to know the kinds of classes that are available for your students and how long each class lasts. Do you have breaks any time in the school day for recess? Do students have a hot lunch at school, bring their own lunch or perhaps not eat in school at all?

Describing After School Hours

After the students return home from school each day what is their daily routine? In some countries where there are two shifts at school, students are coming home in the early afternoon while others are just beginning school for the day.

1. How many go home to a house after school with no parents present?
2. How many are watching younger siblings while mom works?
3. Are mothers working in most of the families of their keypals?
4. Are there nearby community centers with activities for kids?
5. Are any of the students taking musical or dance lessons after school hours?
6. Are there practices for local sports teams after school hours?
7. Do the students have chores to do after school?
8. Are they given an allowance for doing chores?
9. Do any of the girls help mom prepare dinner or do it totally by themselves?
10. How much time is given to homework?
11. How much time is spent watching TV?
12. What are the favorite TV shows of the students? Why are these more appealing than others?
13. What kinds of things do families do together in the evenings?
14. At what time are the students going to bed at night?

Gathering and Organizing Data

As the students share their journals, collect the journals from their online keypals and have your students take a look at the data inside them. They should make a list of some topics they find in many of the journals:

1. the time kids wake up on a school day
   
2. breakfast menu
   
3. transportation to and from school
   
4. length of school day
   
5. the favorite and least favorite classes
   
6. school lunch (do students eat lunch in school?)
   
7. length of classes
   
8. after school activities
   
9. time spent on chores after school
   
10. time spent on homework
    
11. time spent watching TV
    
12. favorite TV shows
    
13. time for bed
    

Examining and Analyzing Journal Data

Divide your class into groups and have each group examine a set of journals. Ask them such questions as, "When student A in Russia was in math class at 10 A.M., what were you doing?" Your student will need several pieces of information to find the answer. This activity will involve time zones and math.

In the book, Kids@work: Math in the Cyberzone, students write a journal for a typical school day. Suggested activities for this writing exercise can be found on the webpage for Chapter 5 - Climb Into My Shadow

Sample Journals From Kidlink

Kidlink students have written a "Kidlink Day" journals since 1997. Visit this project in Kidlink's KidSpace to see many ideas for the project.

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Patti Weeg
www.globalclassroom.org
April 17, 2004