Together in the GCC, 2015

Regional Collaborative Project

4th grade Standards
VIS, Qatar students projects: https://sites.google.com/a/visqatar.org/together-in-the-gcc-15/
Together in the GCC project website: http://togetherinthegcc.weebly.com/

4th grade students are invited to collaborate in a research project called Together in the GCC, developed by
Randi Wilkinson, that requires students living in each of the GCC countries (Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,
Saudi Arabia) to research, collaborate and learn about the Gulf countries, their cultures past and present, the
geography of the Gulf Region, and read informational texts about the GCC. In this five week long project students
will research specific topics each week and publish their findings using different online tools such as Padlet,
Flipgrid, or WeVideo. We are very excited to participate in this project! This project targets a variety of 4th grade
standards.

Note:
the students will learn about online safety before proceeding with the project;
all materials will be reviewed by the teacher before being submitted;
your childs full name and any other personally identifiable information about your child will not appear on
any of the submitted materials;
the videos published on Padlet and Flipgrip are not searchable on the internet unless one has direct link
access to them.

STANDARDS

AERO Project
(American Education Reaches Out - www.ProjectAERO.org)

Social Studies Standards

Geography
Define regions by their human and physical characteristics
Identify why particular locations are used for certain activities.

Society and Identity

Compare and contrast how groups and cultures are similar and different in meeting needs and concerns of
their members
Students will understand social systems and structures and how these influence individuals
Time, Continuity, and Change
Students will understand patterns of change and continuity, relationships between people and events
through time, and various interpretations of these relationships.
Describe changes in society (e.g., political, social, cultural).

Culture
Students will understand cultural and intellectual developments and interactions among societies.
Describe how cultural contributions from various groups have formed a national identity.
Describe advantages and disadvantages associated with cultural diversity.
Examine cultural diffusion.

Connections and Conflict

Students will understand causes and effects of interaction among societies, including trade, systems of
international exchange, and diplomacy.
Explain the major ways groups, societies, and nations interact with one another (e.g., trade, cultural
exchanges, and international organizations).

Government
Students will understand why societies create and adopt systems of governance and how they address
human needs, rights, responsibilities and citizenship
Identify the elements of major political systems (e.g., monarchy, democracy, constitutional monarchy,
dictatorship).
Describe the organization and major responsibilities of the various levels of governments.
Explain what citizenship is

Language Arts Standards

Reading Informational Texts
RI.1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it;
cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the
text.
RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting
details and ideas.
RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text,
including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
RI.4.6. Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe
the differences in focus and

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.
 RI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs,
diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on WEB pages) and explain how the
information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as
well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
RI.4.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies,
science, and technical texts, in based on specific information in the text. subject area.
information in a text or part of a text. the information provided. interactive elements on Web
pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it
appears. the grades 45 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high
end of the range.

Writing
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and
accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
W.4.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.
W.4.2a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include
formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.4.2b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples related to the topic.

Production and Distribution of Writing

4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience.
W.4.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in
standards 13 above.)
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach.
W.4.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, and editing.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with
others.
W.4.6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce
and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient
command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
 W.4.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects
of a topic.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of
each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
W.4.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and
digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

ISTE Student Standards - 21st Century Skills

Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather evaluate and use information

Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a
distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others

Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical
behavior

Weekly Topics

Week Zero: Getting to know each other and the project expectations
1. What school are you from?
2. What are you hoping to learn during this project?
3. What do you think will be difficult?
4. What do you think will be fun?

Week One: Geography

1. What city, country, and continent do you live in?
2. What is the geographical size of your country?
3. What are the nearby bodies of water?
4. What are the nearby landforms?
5. What is your countrys capital city?
6. What is the population of the capital city and your city (if different)?
7. What does the name of your country mean?
8. Post a picture of your countrys flag
9. Who are your neighboring countries?
10. What is the weather like throughout the year?

Week Two: Culture and your country long, long ago

 1. Give a brief history of your country.
2. How life has changed in the last 30 years and since ancient times
a. You could use pictures to compare.
b. Think about how the transportation, buildings, and population has changed?
c. How is the traditional dress different from modern dress?
d. Have the traditional crafts of your country changed in modern times?
3. Describe how your country used to trade with others in the GCC in ancient times
a. Was your countrys geographic position a strategic location for trade?

Week Three: Modern Day

1. What is your countries cultural identity now?
2. How has technological advancements changed your country for better and for worse?
3. What do many people do for professions?
4. What is the expat population and why have they immigrated to your country?
5. What do the modern day houses look like?
6. What are famous landmarks in your country?
7. What do tourists visit when they come to your country?
8. What is your national food and what do most people eat?
9. What languages are spoken in your country?
10. What sports are popular in your country?
11. What do people do for fun? What do kids do for fun?

Week Four: Government

1. What kind of government structure do you have in your country?
a. How does it run and serve the needs of the people?
2. When and why was the GCC formed?
a. What was the impact on travel? (example - visas)
b. How do they collaborate?

Week Five: Choose what you want to share

1. Students topic will be driven by their peers on going questions from the unit (on a shared space -
Google Doc? Blog page? Padlet?). Questions can be directed towards specific schools and
countries or to everyone.

Higher Level Thinking

1. Compare and contrast how groups and cultures are similar and different in meeting needs and
concerns of their members.
2. Does do specific social systems influence citizens?
3. What caused all the changes in your countrys history?
4. Describe how cultural contributions from various groups have formed a national identity.
5. Describe advantages and disadvantages associated with cultural diversity.
 6. Explain the causes and effects of interaction among societies, including trade, systems of
international exchange, and diplomacy.
7. Synthesize information from shared presentations to draw conclusions and inform final
project.
8. Based on what you know, how would you explain how your country has changed
throughout time?
9. What might be a good solution to eliminate conflicts in your region?
10. What might have happened if important events in your countrys history had not taken
place?
11. What changes could you make to revise/improve your project?

Project Requirements:
The project will be divided into 8 cohorts; therefore each school will divide their students into 8 groups.
The number of students in a group will be decided by participants. We at RVIS are using this as a Social
Studies unit and will be breaking up the 4th grade into groups of 3 students. Teachers may choose to have
larger groups to save time.

Each week, these groups of students will be responsible for:

1. Researching the weekly topic and answering their choice of the questions listed (not all questions
are required)
2. Presenting a 90 second overview of their findings (via Flipgrid - paid version is NOT required)
3. Posting more in depth information, pictures, and videos to their cohorts shared Padlet spaces
4. Posting a weekly reflection on a shared blog about their learning from other cohort/countries
presentations and posts
5. Posting specific questions to the shared question space in order to guide to the topics in week 5