Child Soldiers #2 - Language Arts

The Child Soldier on Trial in Guantanamo

- I think that the child should be given an education after the war
- Unicef provides a way for child soldiers to get an education
- Unicef provides housing for many kids and gives them therapy classes. They also provide them with shoes, clothes and hygienic suppliances.
- Send a letter to Unicef to talk about the education provided.

Intro:

Dear Unicef,
My class has been reading about child soldiers and we have been asked the question "What should happen to them after the war." My answer was that children should be given an education. With that answer I spe she nt time finding which organizations helped child soldiers with education the most, and the answer I got was Unicef.

Body Paragraph:

(Give example of a child soldier from text set)  

Child Soldiers #1 - Language Arts

She volunteered to fight. She has acted as a messenger. She has acted as a driver. She has given logistical support. She has killed.

I believe that the girl should go to back to school. Even though she volunteered to fight, she shouldn’t have been fighting. Now that the conflict is over the girl should be reunited with her family and sent back to school. Although I think she shouldn’t have fought in the war, she should get some type of acknowledgment for the bravery she showed and the help she brought on the country. Yes, she shouldn’t have fought in the war, but she should be known. I don’t think she should be put in jail because she was considered a soldier. She was working for the country, so her acts should not be considered bad. I also believe that she should be given support for the things she has seen.

To conclude, this girl should be sent to school and reunited with her parents. I don’t think any punishment should happen to her. She deserves an acknowledgment for her acts, and should be respected for her bravery.

Armed and Underage Child Soldiers Article

Imagining a child being sent into war to kill is something hard for me to think about. In my opinion it cruel. I find it amazing how when the recruiters try to make the issue logical they say, "The kids can be so easily brainwashed. They don't even have to be paid." Not only is that a horrible excuse to use children in war, but it shows how young these children must be when they are recruited for war. According to the article the youngest child was 9 years old. I think it is horrible for a child to go through this when the effects are not only short term, but long term as well. Children will have to remember the horrendous memories of war throughout their childhood and even when they are adults. I don't think any child should have to go through that.

Pro Con List

Victims	Perpetrators
- Didn’t have any family left	- Some agreed to go
- Had nowhere to go	- Most don’t argue
- Didn’t have a mature mind	- Didn’t try to leave
- Are brainwashed	- Killed people

Blog Post #8 - Media Literacy

ISTE Standards

In addition to using ISTE Standard #1 we have been dependent on ISTE Standard #4 to complete our iBook. ISTE Standard #4 is:

Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

In ISTE Standard #4 there are four points:

• Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation
• Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project
• Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions
• Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative decisions

We worked on those points in different ways. We worked on point one when we realized that we had no idea what the 5th graders needed to hear.

That leads us into how we worked on point two. We scheduled a meeting with Mrs. Callaway and Mr. Everett to understand the process 5th graders go through when transitioning, and what they do to help them. Once they told us those answers we got an idea about what they would need to hear, but we wanted the 5th graders to tell us.

How we worked on point three was by sending a survey out to the 5th graders to understand their point of view on middle school. We gathered information about their fears for middle school and what they are most excited about. With that information we made a structure for our iBook.

We worked on point four when we used experience from our transitions to make the iBook something that would be helpful. We used our transitions to figure out the things we wanted to hear as a 5th grader and put it in the book.

Throughout the process of making the iBook I realized how crucial it is to make everything positive for the 5th graders. If not it will make some scared to come to middle school. I enjoy working on the iBook and I hope that it will actually be useful for the upcoming middle schoolers. I am so happy that it is almost done. Even though I liked working on the iBook i'm glad that it’s over because it was very stressful to balance it with other work. Going back to the topic of ISTE Standards I know that having read them it made it easier to work on the iBook. We could see that the iBook should contain certain characteristics and it helped us make it.  Even though we finished the iBook we still need to show Mrs. Callaway the final results and get her approval. Again, I hope that the iBook is going to be useful for the 5th graders and that there transition is as smooth as possible.

Blog Post #7 - Media Literacy

Since our project started we have used the ISTE Standard to model how it should look like. There are six ISTE Standards:

• Creativity and Innovation
• Communication and Collaboration
• Research and Information Fluency
• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
• Digital CItizenship
• Technology Operations and Concepts

In our project we demonstrated ISTE Standard #1: creativity and innovation. Creative innovation is when you demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. We did these things when we thought of making an interactive iBook for the 5th graders to learn from.

Under ISTE Standard #1 there are four points:

• Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
• Create original work as a means of personal or group expression
• Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
• Identify trends and forecast possibilities

We demonstrated the first point by figuring out something that would stress out a student and writing about it. We used the experiences we had to create topics for our iBook and help them see what we as middle schoolers go through, and what we think about those topics.

We demonstrated the second point by coming up with the idea of a helpful iBook. Everyone in our group enjoys helping others, so we thought it would be a good idea to make an iBook for those that need help.

We demonstrated the third point by talking to the counselors and asking them about what the 5th graders should hear before they enter middle school. We used that information to help structure our iBook

We demonstrated the fourth point by sending out a survey to the 5th graders asking them questions about their thoughts of middle school. With their answers we could figure out the things they want to hear and write about them.

By demonstrating these points we have begun to create an iBook that i think will be helpful for the upcoming middle schoolers. I’m happy that we could do this project, and I think it would be nice if a high schooler would do this for me. The point of the iBook is to ensure the new 6th graders that the bad things they think about middle don’t really happen. Also it is to ensure them that we won’t hate them. Even though I enjoy working on this iBook it’s stressful trying to balance working on the iBook and studying for upcoming tests in classes like Social Studies, or practicing for my debate for Language Arts. Even though I love working on the project it’s stressful having all these other things to worry about as well. And the pressure of getting it done is on my group because our iBook is going to be used soon. Through all the grievances I still thoroughly enjoy making this iBook and the skits.

Blog Post #6 - Media Literacy

iBook For You

This week we completed our first two chapters. We edited our skits and put them in our iBook. Since starting our iBook we have completed the introduction, chapter 1: homework, and chapter 2: lockers. In chapter one we talked about their expectations of homework, and gave them the reality of how homework will be. In chapter two we made a skit about how to open your lock and some expectations and realities. It will be much easier for us to complete the rest of the chapters because we can refer to the previous chapters written. We sent all our skits to Mrs. Callaway to get an approval. She ended up saying it was good, and gave us a push to put it in our iBook.

Photo: photosforclass

Next class we will work on the next two chapters. The first chapter will be about older kids in middle school. The second chapter will be about the Discover Oman options you get once you reach 7th grade.

Photo: TAISM

I’m really enjoying this project. I can’t wait to see the result of our iBook once it is shared with the fifth graders. I also enjoyed filming all the skits ad watching the bloopers. I don’t know if we are going to be able to finish the iBook by due date because we have to perfect it so that Mrs. Callaway and Mr. Everett can use it. Even though it might not get finished in time I know that all of us enjoyed the time that we spent working on it.

Blog Post #5 - Media Literacy

Our Fun Skits

Photo By: Moyan Bren

This week we started filming our skits for the iBook. We’ve filmed skits for our topics about homework, older kids, and lockers. We are yet to film about sports and Discover Oman. We also finished chapter one, all that is left is to add the skit.

Now that we are done filming those skits, next class we have to write about the other topics; sports and Discover Oman. We have to film skits for those subjects. We will also send our skits to Mrs. Callaway to check if it’s suitable for the iBook.

                                                       

When filming the skits I realized that I really enjoy the project. I like how we get to make a lot of skits, and knowing that it’s going to benefit the 5th graders. We are trying to make the skits as funny as possible without it taking away the importance of the message. Yesterday I went down to the fifth grade with my friend to get her lunch box from her brother who is in 5th grade. When she got down everyone started hugging her because she is well known in elementary. As I was awkwardly standing at the side another 5th grader came and hugged me too. More joined and started talking about how nice we are. I hope that it was a good impression on how 8th graders are.