General Information Project Overview Curriculum Connections Resource Connections Evaluation

  General Information

  Project Overview

Students will access the Petersburg Press Site, a weekly English language newspaper from St. Petersburg, and search for many of the other sites associating with Russia. Students will specifically look at one or two current issues of the newspaper. They will make an oral presentation based on how life in Russia is reflected in the news stories.

Students will write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the Russian news stories with those appearing in local news papers. The students will be asked to focus on how well newspaper reports, reflect their communities.

Students will research the newspapers online archive. With each student focusing on different issues such as: feature stories, breaking news, business, commentary, classified, and culture. Efficient time to review this online site will be provided. The following up to this activity is a normal presentation and written assignment highlighting the major events based on their research.

After all activities for this theme are completed students will imagine that they are on an exchange program in Russia and writing home to friends or family. Based in their online research they will use incidents that they have learned about and write a letter to communicate just what Russia is really like today, stressing on both the similarities and differences to the news at home.

  Curriculum Connections

Main Curriculum Areas:

• Social Studies
• English

School Curriculum Plans:

This project fits nicely with school goals of increased integration of computers in the curriculum, and an improvement in Social Studies and Language Arts skill.

Provincial Curriculum Objectives:

• Provides students with a knowledge of geographic conditions, historical, economic, social and political issues in the past and present Russia.
• Students will create an understanding and a level of appreciation for the Russian culture.
• The research involved in this project will help students learn how the Internet can be used as a research tool.

  Resource Connections

How Stellar Schools will enable and enhance our project:

• To become more familiar with the use of the Internet as a resource.
• To be able to retrieve information from the Internet.

The Internet as a learning tool can play a critical role in motivating students to learn and linking students to the world of information. More importantly the Internet is a very powerful force which develops a sense of personal responsibility within the students. It brings your classroom educational opportunities where students take responsibility in their own learning.

Other Resources:

• library
• text
• teacher
• video
• guest speaker
• encyclopedia
• maps and globes

  Evaluation

Learning Outcomes:

• Students are empowered as learners.
• Students motivation is enhanced.
• Team building and cooperative learning skills are developed.
• Learning is more adaptable to this fast-changing global world.
• Resources for learning are now replaced by an online link to the real world. These resources are adapted to any learning needed.
• Development of skills for the information age.
• To enable students to access the most recent information on Russia.