Celebrating Milestones: How We Say Goodbye to Elementary

Teacher introduces the project by explaining how students will explore graduation traditions from their own community and connect with classrooms worldwide, showing an engaging video or images of different graduation celebrations to spark curiosity.

Students learn about the project goals, timeline, and how they will collaborate internationally with partner classrooms.

Students discuss what graduation means to them personally and share initial thoughts about celebrations in their community, posting responses on the project board.

For Activity 2, each class creates a brief snapshot introduction through short videos, digital slides, or collaborative posts that showcase their community, school, and initial thoughts about graduation.

Students contribute to a collaborative digital artifact (such as a shared mural using Padlet or a presentation using Google Slides) that visually represents both classrooms coming together.

Students watch or view the partner classroom's cultural snapshot and write down 3-5 interesting observations or questions they have about their new international friends.

Teams use the group chat feature on the Class2Class platform to send welcoming messages and ask initial questions to their partner classroom.

Students participate in a live or asynchronous Q&A exchange where they ask and answer questions about their communities and schools.

For Activity 3, the class brainstorms together what makes graduation special in their community, with the teacher guiding discussion around cultural values and traditions.

Students vote on and co-create a driving question that will guide their exploration, such as 'How do our graduation celebrations reflect what we value as a community?'

Students post the finalized driving question on the project board for both classrooms to see.

Students create a 'What We Know / What We Want to Know' chart about graduation traditions, documenting existing knowledge and curiosities that will guide their research.

The class discusses how the driving question connects to the Class2Class learning framework of moving from local to global understanding.

For Activity 4, students collect and document their local graduation traditions through interviews with family or community members, asking questions about traditions, values, and special moments.

Students gather materials such as photographs, drawings, or short video recordings that represent graduation celebrations in their community.

Each student creates a mini-presentation using Google Slides, a collage, or a brief written reflection describing what graduation means in their community, including specific traditions and why they matter.

Students share work-in-progress materials on the project board, and peers provide constructive feedback using comments or the group chat.

Teacher facilitates a discussion where students share their findings and explain the cultural values reflected in their local graduation traditions.

Students organize their collected materials into a shared Google Doc or Padlet to prepare for the exchange with partner classrooms.

For Activity 5, partner classes present their graduation traditions through creative videos, podcasts, digital presentations using Canva or Google Slides, or infographics.

Students engage in a live video call or asynchronous exchange where they ask questions about partner classroom traditions and share observations about what they notice.

Students document similarities and differences between their graduation celebrations and those of their international peers in a shared collaborative mural, comparison chart, or Google Doc.

Teams analyze how cultural values shape graduation celebrations across countries, identifying patterns and unique traditions.

Students post their observations and comparisons on the project board, fostering ongoing dialogue with partner classrooms.

Teacher guides students to reflect on how their understanding of graduation has expanded through learning about other cultures.

For Activity 6, students organize a local or virtual exhibition showcasing what they learned about graduation traditions worldwide.

Students create exhibition materials such as posters, digital displays using Canva, or video compilations that celebrate graduation traditions from multiple countries.

The class prepares presentations to share with their school community, explaining key discoveries about how different cultures celebrate graduation.

Students contribute their cultural artifacts and presentations to a shared international gallery on the project board, featuring all classrooms' contributions.

Each student participates in presenting the exhibition to peers, teachers, or family members, explaining what they learned about global graduation celebrations.

For Activity 7, students reflect on their learning through guided questions such as 'What did I discover about graduation traditions in other countries?' and 'How did learning about other cultures help me understand my own?'

Students complete a self-assessment on their collaboration skills and intercultural communication, identifying strengths and areas for growth.

Students provide peer feedback to classmates on their contributions and reflections, using respectful and constructive language.

The class participates in a closing discussion where students share key insights about cultural diversity, similarities between communities, and what they value about their own traditions.

Students create a shared reflection mural or document on Padlet or Google Doc summarizing the most important discoveries from the intercultural exchange.

The class exchanges their reflection mural with partner classrooms, celebrating the shared learning experience and reinforcing global connections.