¿Qué Pasa?
	SANPSHOT "Se–ora Fuentes! Another NetCard came! Will you help me read it?" "Sam, I think you can read it yourself. Try it." Sam eagerly sits back down in front of the computer and, in Spanish, reads about Miguel's new dog. The NetCard also has a photo of Miguel and his dog. "So that's what Miguel looks like!" thinks Sam. Sam is in first year Spanish in Massachusetts and Miguel is in an ESL class in Los Angeles. They are partners helping each other with a new language. UNIT OF PRACTICE Invitation How do foreign language and ESL teachers improve students' understanding of their new languages? How can they provide needed practice in writing, reading, and listening in a way that is lively and student-centered? This unit helps students construct an understanding of their new language while involving them in a collaborative activity with other students facing the same challenges. Situation Students work in classrooms which have a live connection to the Internet. Tasks Each week, students write a message to their partners: one week they write in English, the next in Spanish, maintaining the same conversation. After the first couple of weeks, the students are allowed to use NetCards to enhance their communication by attaching a recorded message or a picture. A couple of times each year, the classes hold an online fiesta using the video camera and ClearPhone so they can meet each other "in person." Interactions Students are matched with students who have mutual interests. The teachers help the students to edit their messages for correct grammar and spelling. Standards The goal is to help students understand a second language as well as the culture from which it comes. Standards set by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages call for students to be able to communicate in languages other than English as they engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions. They must interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics and present information to a variety of audiences. The standards focus on students to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world. Assessment Assessment includes an informal pretest of students' written and spoken skills in their new language. Record their voices reading a passage and answering questions. Each quarter, students are recorded to track their progress. Copies of their written messages also form part of the assessment as teachers evaluate students' grammar and spelling. Tools This unit uses the following tools: ¥ Computers with a live Internet connection, video in and out, a video camera ¥ Scholastic Network; NetCard; and ClearPhone ¥ Electronic Teacher's Guide with active links to Internet sites referred to in this Unit of Practice   Getting Started This unit has the potential for creating many conversations between students learning new languages. It requires a bit of planning on your part: ¥ Introducing the Internet: Use Internet, the City, to introduce e-mail to your students. ¥ Finding a Partner: To find a partner teacher on the Scholastic Network, or any one of a number of other online sources for collaboration. See the "How To...Communicate and Collaborate" section of this guide for guidance on finding keypals. You'll want a partner with complementary language needs (if you have predominantly Spanish-speaking ESL students, you'll want a partner who teaches Spanish to English-speaking students). ¥ Using E-mail: Begin by having your students send e-mail messages to each other in their new language. The ESL students should write in English and the Spanish students should respond in Spanish. Use NetCard which allows you to create an electronic post card which contains text on "one side" and sound, video, graphics or photos on the "other side." This is an opportunity for students to practice speaking their new language to communicate in an authentic way with their partners. The "How To...Distribute Information" section of this guide tells you how you can capture still photographic images using ClearPhone if you don't have a digital camera or scanner. If you do not have access to an e-mail account, an alternative is setting up a shared server with HotLine. and exchanging letters written as word-processing documents. ¥ Use ClearPhone for occasional live conversations and celebrations. You'll want to practice this with the other teacher and agree on times and protocols for beginning and ending speeches. The "How To...Communicate and Collaborate" section of this guide provides suggestions for successful online conferencing. Extensions and Adaptations This kind of unit lends itself to language arts and social studies. Think about having your emerging readers communicate with keypals in another region of the country. They could focus on a common curriculum topic such as "My Town" or "My Family." The act of communicating so easily with another student does much to improve both students' reading and writing skills. Social studies units can also be enhanced by including keypals. Take a look at the site developed by Indonesian and Tasmanian teachers whose students began to understand each others customs, cultures and everyday lives by participating in a long-term keypal relationship at http://www.tas.gov.au.fahan/Compute/indo.html.