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Episode #14: Global Collaboration Projects with JoAnn Jacobs
JoAnn Jacobs is a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Mid-Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. Entering her forty- second year, she looks forward to continuing learning with her students and members of her sixth-grade team and helping to make the world a better place.
I have known JoAnn for a long time as a colleague of a mutual friend, Melvina Kurashige. I met Melvina when I worked at Mid-Pacific Institute in 2010. Then I met JoAnn the next year at ISTE. Every year, I look forward to learning what JoAnn is doing with her kids. She eventually became a social studies teacher at MidPac and has written a guest post for me about the global projects they are doing. I know you will enjoy learning about the great projects her kids are doing. Below I added a few excerpts from the podcast.
Can you share about your life in Hawaii?
This is my 5th year teaching 6th grade social studies at Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am blessed to have a great principal, Dr. Priester, who allows me to do what’s best for kids. We learn together and each year has been different and that’s solely due to the makeup of the group and their interests. My life here is very quiet. My husband and I have lived here for 33 years and enjoy being at home and spending time with our rescue dog, Tommy.
What I love about you JoAnn is your passion for encouraging your kids to have a voice in their learning. Why is voice important?
It comes down to who’s learning, is it? If I’m in control than it belongs to me. If the kids don’t own it then what makes it memorable? They’re told to look for their passion but if they don’t get to explore what is meaningful to them how will they ever find their passion?
6th graders sharing their personal interests with classmates
The word for MPI Middle this year is “Unity” – the fantastic 6th graders came up with a great definition and illustration.
You wrote a blog post for my site last November on Global Awareness and projects your kids did around that. Can you explain that project?
There are six teachers in our pod and our big idea for the fourth quarter was Global Connections. I found the UN Global Goals #SDG6 #GlobalGoals and worked from there. Students were interested in the Goals and Researching the countries and their issues.
Grade 6 finding out about #SDG6 #GlobalGoals using video, books, periodicals and independent research
They then developed a product or a way to bring awareness to the issue. These products were sold at school during lunchtime and the funds were donated to the charity of their choice which they had also researched. Each teacher took part in this project since all areas of the curriculum were a part of it.
For more on project, go to Following the Path to Global Awareness
What other projects did you do with your kids that you would like to share?
Some other projects we have done are Biomes which included the biome being recreated in PE with an obstacle course and then taking the physical course and recreating it in Minecraft. Students also read and research about a famous person of their choice and created their life story with symbols and researched Nobel Peace Prize winners and then spoke about whether or not the person deserved th...
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By Barbara Bray
4.9
1111 ratings
JoAnn Jacobs is a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Mid-Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. Entering her forty- second year, she looks forward to continuing learning with her students and members of her sixth-grade team and helping to make the world a better place.
I have known JoAnn for a long time as a colleague of a mutual friend, Melvina Kurashige. I met Melvina when I worked at Mid-Pacific Institute in 2010. Then I met JoAnn the next year at ISTE. Every year, I look forward to learning what JoAnn is doing with her kids. She eventually became a social studies teacher at MidPac and has written a guest post for me about the global projects they are doing. I know you will enjoy learning about the great projects her kids are doing. Below I added a few excerpts from the podcast.
Can you share about your life in Hawaii?
This is my 5th year teaching 6th grade social studies at Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am blessed to have a great principal, Dr. Priester, who allows me to do what’s best for kids. We learn together and each year has been different and that’s solely due to the makeup of the group and their interests. My life here is very quiet. My husband and I have lived here for 33 years and enjoy being at home and spending time with our rescue dog, Tommy.
What I love about you JoAnn is your passion for encouraging your kids to have a voice in their learning. Why is voice important?
It comes down to who’s learning, is it? If I’m in control than it belongs to me. If the kids don’t own it then what makes it memorable? They’re told to look for their passion but if they don’t get to explore what is meaningful to them how will they ever find their passion?
6th graders sharing their personal interests with classmates
The word for MPI Middle this year is “Unity” – the fantastic 6th graders came up with a great definition and illustration.
You wrote a blog post for my site last November on Global Awareness and projects your kids did around that. Can you explain that project?
There are six teachers in our pod and our big idea for the fourth quarter was Global Connections. I found the UN Global Goals #SDG6 #GlobalGoals and worked from there. Students were interested in the Goals and Researching the countries and their issues.
Grade 6 finding out about #SDG6 #GlobalGoals using video, books, periodicals and independent research
They then developed a product or a way to bring awareness to the issue. These products were sold at school during lunchtime and the funds were donated to the charity of their choice which they had also researched. Each teacher took part in this project since all areas of the curriculum were a part of it.
For more on project, go to Following the Path to Global Awareness
What other projects did you do with your kids that you would like to share?
Some other projects we have done are Biomes which included the biome being recreated in PE with an obstacle course and then taking the physical course and recreating it in Minecraft. Students also read and research about a famous person of their choice and created their life story with symbols and researched Nobel Peace Prize winners and then spoke about whether or not the person deserved th...