Skype: Urban Florida and Suburban California

Today we had another fabulous Communities: Share & Compare session.

Last week we learned all about a rural community in New Zealand. This week we learned about an urban area in Florida. Meet our new third grade friends!

Political Map of the United States

The two classes were on separate coasts and in different time zones. The Floridians were just coming back from lunch, while the Californians were about to have a morning snack recess.

The mappers set up two photographs. One is a political map and one is a physical map. How is color used on these two maps? Which do you prefer? 

Physical Map of the United States

Students had facts prepared about our community and our school. In addition, each student practiced his/her presentational skills. Presentational skills included: giving an appropriate greeting, speaking slowly and clearly,  holding a white board level, and responding to questions. We also talked about troubleshooting problems that occur during a Skype call.

 Two students worked at the Google Doc data center. Their job was to keep the Share &  Compare moving in a logical order, and they typed relevant information as it came in. 

 (Much of the class data was added during our class research time as we learned about our own community.)

The greeters welcomed our new friends with a white board welcome and a smile!

 Mrs. Yollis' students enjoyed meeting the Florida Skype escorts and their class photographer. Below is a photo of the Floridian photographer taken by the California photographer!

Mrs. Yollis' students were really surprised to learn about the size of Jacksonville, Florida.
Our community is 13 square miles.  Jacksonville is a whopping 885 square miles!

After the call, we compare 13 squares to 885 squares. What a difference! The square area of our suburban community is quite small in comparison.

Here are some other facts from our Share & Compare Fact Sheet:


                      CALIFORNIA      FLORIDA

Students enjoyed meeting Skypey, a little blue class mascot from Florida!

Of course Panda was punctual and ready with a useful message. Panda says, "Actions speak louder than words." So true, Panda!

 Beverly was asleep, but jumped up to join the conversation when she heard the word alligator. Did you know that alligators are common in Florida? Beverly wonders how often the students see alligators.

Soon it was time to say goodbye. The timers stopped the clock and calculated the elapsed time of the call.

A big thank you to our class photographer! The photos really help tell the story. 

(Photographer photo will be added tomorrow!) 

Mrs. Yollis' class has now learned about urban, suburban, and rural communities in a fun and authentic way!

Do you have any questions for our Florida buddies?

Can we answer any questions for you? 

How is our suburban community different from their urban community? 

How are the communities alike?

Skyping With Jacksonville, Florida!

Today we met the lovely Mrs. Rogo and her wonderful third grade class. In addition, we chatted with the delightful Mrs. Tolisano. It was exciting to meet her because she started the Around the World with 80 Schools Project! 

In preparation for our Skype connection, we used Google Earth to measured the distance from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Florida. This screenshot, by Lindsay, shows that the distance is approximately 2,100 miles!

Geographer: Lindsay

 Lindsay also looked up Jacksonville, Florida, in our atlas.

Adia and Miriam recorded the call on TodaysMeet!

Here is their transcript from the call. It is very difficult to listen and type the facts quickly. Do you see any incorrect statements?

It was fun to learn about a state on the opposite coast.

Even Panda got to share! Thanks for the proofreading tips!

Thank you, Jaden, for being our class photographer! Terrific images!

After the call, students shared what they learned. 

(Notice, we are working on quotations and synonyms for said!)

"I learned that Jacksonville's elevation is exactly sea level," remarked Iman.

"When you're at the store, 'crocs' and 'gators' can be seen sunbathing in the sun in some Florida communities," stated Grace.

Adia declared, "I cannot believe that the sixth grade only has six students!"

"I learned that in some south Florida homes, they can get alligators in their backyards," Tucker commented.

"There are only 14 third graders in their school, and we have almost 100 third graders!" exclaimed Miriam.

Misha stated, "There are only around 100 students in their entire school!"

Nicole remarked, "I was happy that our video inspired them to make their own Quality Commenting video!"

"The highest point in Florida is 345 feet. The highest point in Florida is the LOWEST "high point" of all the fifty states!" announced Amitai.

What would you like to know about Florida that you did not get a chance to discover?

Did you notice any similarities or differences between Florida and California?