On Wednesday, April 15th, our 7th grade students Skyped with the 7th graders from St. Mary's Episcopal School in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Both 7th grades prepared questions ahead of time and St. Barnabas students asked their questions in spanish and St. Mary's students answered in English. They were also encouraged to look at each school's websites to learn more about one another's school's culture. Both sets of students did a fantastic job keeping the conversations going and quickly realized how much they have in common.
The Skype experience was extremely effective and positive. This opportunity came as a result of a visit to St. Mary's by
Mr. Garcia and Señora Rivkind. At the request of
Mr. Salinas (Principal of St. Mary's), we have also helped St. Mary's 7th grade Math Teacher connect via Skype to learn more effective methods of keeping their students engaged with the help of Mrs. Holland, SBES 7th & 8th grade Math Teacher. Both schools are committed to further establish and build relationships as well as shared / collaborative learning experiences with students from as many grade levels as possible.
Here's a list (in Spanish and English) of some of the questions asked on behalf of our students:
1. ¿Cuáles son tus pasatiempos favoritos? What are your favorite hobbies?
2. ¿De todos los platos que sirven en la cafetería de St Mary’s, cual te gusta más? Among all the dishes served at St. Mary's cafeteria, which is the one you like the most?
3. ¿Cuál es tu jugador de fútbol/soccer favorito? Who is your favorite soccer player and why?
4. ¿Qué deportes practican en tu escuela? What kind of sports do you play at school?
5. ¿Qué están aprendiendo en la clase de música? ¿Tiene una banda? What are you learning in music class? Do you have a band or play musical instruments?
6. ¿Qué te gusta hacer cuando terminas el día escolar? What do you like doing at the end of the school day?
7. ¿Cómo es el clima en Honduras? ¿Se pueden bañar en la playa durante todo el año? How is the weather in Honduras? Can you swim at the heads all year round?
8. Que parte de Honduras te gusta visitar más, la que da al mar Caribe o la que da al océano Pacífico? Which part of the Honduras coas do you prefer to visit the most? the one facing the Caribbean Sea or the Pacific Ocean?
If you would like to learn more about St. Mary's Episcopal School here is their website: http://www.smestegus.com
