YouthTalk Global: Design a Living Dictionary for Cultural Connection

Teacher presents the YouthTalk Global project purpose, explaining how youth language reflects culture, identity, and social practices across different communities.

Students explore the 4-week timeline and their role in creating a living dictionary of youth expressions alongside an international partner class.

Students discuss what makes youth language unique in their own community and brainstorm examples of slang or expressions they use daily (at school, online, with friends).

Teacher clarifies expectations for intercultural communication and explains how the Class2Class platform will facilitate collaboration with the partner classroom.

Students work in small teams to create a short creative presentation (video, digital mural, or recorded introduction) showcasing their local youth culture, communication styles, and how young people express themselves in their community.

Each class posts their presentations on the Class2Class project board so the partner classroom can view and engage with their culture.

Students watch the partner class presentations and post initial observations about language, slang, and cultural expressions they noticed, using the group chat to ask questions.

Teams collaborate to create a shared document or collaborative mural (using Padlet or Google Docs) where both classes highlight what makes their youth language unique and pose questions about the other class's culture.

Students participate in a live video call or asynchronous Q&A session where they ask and answer questions about youth language differences and similarities between their communities.

Students work in small teams to conduct interviews, surveys, and observations to understand how young people in their community use language, slang, and expressions in daily life.

Each team interviews 3-5 peers, family members, or community members about their favorite youth expressions, when they use them, and what they mean, documenting findings through notes, recordings, or photos.

Teams create empathy maps showing how youth use language to express identity, belong to groups, or communicate emotions, identifying patterns in expression usage across different social contexts.

Students compile their research findings into a shared Google Doc or presentation that documents common expressions, usage contexts, and cultural significance.

Teams share their empathy research findings with the international partner class through the Class2Class platform, comparing how youth language functions across different cultural contexts and identifying universal themes.

Students analyze empathy research findings to identify key patterns, insights, and questions about why youth develop unique expressions and how language reflects cultural identity.

Teams create a cause diagram or visual representation showing the relationship between culture, identity, and youth language development, posting their analysis on the Class2Class board.

Students formulate 3-5 'How might we' questions that frame the challenge of capturing and sharing youth language globally (e.g., 'How might we ensure cultural context is not lost in translation?' or 'How might we make the dictionary engaging for young users?').

Working with the international partner class through group chat and shared documents, students collaborate to agree on a shared problem statement defining what aspects of youth language are most important to document and why.

Teams define success criteria for the living dictionary by listing what makes an entry high-quality, clear, and culturally authentic, and share these criteria with the partner class for alignment.

Students brainstorm creative ways to present youth expressions in the living dictionary, generating ideas for entry formats, visual elements, and multimedia components (audio recordings, videos, memes, illustrations).

Teams use SCAMPER technique to imagine new possibilities for the dictionary (e.g., 'What if entries included TikTok examples?' 'What if users could vote on expressions?' 'What if we added pronunciation guides?'), documenting ideas on a shared Padlet or Google Doc.

Students evaluate ideas using an impact-versus-feasibility matrix, assessing which features would create the most value while remaining realistic to implement within the project timeline.

Teams select 2-3 strongest ideas for how the dictionary should be structured and what features it should include, creating visual mockups or sketches of their preferred formats using Canva or Google Slides.

Students compare their ideas with the international partner class through the Class2Class platform and collaborate to decide on a shared dictionary format that incorporates the best features from both classes' proposals.

Students develop 5-10 sample dictionary entries following the agreed format (word/expression, country/region, meaning, context of use, example sentence, equivalent in English, cultural note), using the shared Google Doc or Canva template created by the class.

Each team creates entries for youth expressions from their community, ensuring they capture authentic language, cultural context, and real-world usage examples that reflect how young people actually communicate.

Students incorporate multimedia elements where possible, such as short audio clips demonstrating pronunciation, brief videos showing expressions in context, or illustrations that represent cultural meaning.

Teams design the visual layout and structure of the dictionary entries, ensuring consistency, clarity, and visual appeal using Canva or Google Docs templates that both classes can follow.

Students prepare a presentation or video walkthrough (2-3 minutes) showing how the dictionary works, how users would navigate it, and why the chosen format effectively captures youth language and cultural context.

Teams share their prototypes with the international partner class through the Class2Class board, requesting feedback on clarity, cultural representation, usability, and alignment with the shared vision.

Students share their prototype dictionary entries with target users (peers, younger or older students, teachers, family members) and observe how they interact with the entries, noting questions, confusion, and engagement.

Teams conduct surveys or interviews asking target users: Does the format make sense? Are cultural contexts clear and understandable? Would you use this dictionary? What is confusing or missing? What would make it better?

Students collect feedback through Google Forms, one-on-one interviews, or observation notes, gathering both quantitative ratings and qualitative comments from at least 5-10 users.

Teams analyze responses to identify patterns, themes, and key insights about what works well and what needs improvement, documenting findings with direct quotes and specific suggestions.

Students share testing results with the international partner class through the Class2Class platform, comparing feedback from different cultural contexts and discussing how users in each region responded differently.

Teams revise dictionary entries based on feedback, making improvements to clarity, cultural representation, multimedia elements, and overall usability before finalizing the dictionary.

Students organize a joint international showcase event (virtual or hybrid) where both classes present the completed living dictionary, celebrating the collaborative achievement and sharing their journey.

Each class creates a polished presentation (using Google Slides or Canva) explaining the project journey, the problem addressed, the design thinking process used, and the final dictionary features.

Students prepare a live demo or video walkthrough of the dictionary, highlighting how international collaboration enriched the resource and how youth language reflects cultural values and identity across different communities.

Teams distribute the dictionary through a shared digital platform (Google Docs, PDF, or website), ensuring both classes and the international community can access and use the resource.

Students create accompanying campaign materials (infographics, social media posts, flyers) promoting the YouthTalk Global dictionary on social media or school platforms, using engaging visuals and compelling language to attract users.

The class celebrates the achievement during the showcase event, recognizing individual and team contributions, and discusses potential next steps for expanding the dictionary or implementing it in other classrooms.

Teacher facilitates a reflective discussion using guiding questions: What did we learn about how language reflects culture and identity? How did our dictionary evolve through the design thinking process? What was most challenging about collaborating internationally?

Students complete self-assessment rubrics evaluating their own critical thinking, collaboration, intercultural communication skills, and contribution to the project, identifying strengths and areas for growth.

Teams exchange peer feedback with their international partners, highlighting specific strengths, collaborative moments, and growth areas, using the Class2Class group chat or shared document for written feedback.

Students create a shared reflection mural or document (using Padlet, Google Docs, or a digital poster) where both classes post key takeaways about design thinking, international collaboration, youth language, and cultural understanding.

The class discusses recommendations for implementing the dictionary in their school community, potential future expansions (such as adding more expressions, creating a website, or expanding to other languages), and how this project could create real impact beyond the classroom.