HOW IT WORKS
A World of Hope and Peace combines language arts and technology. Although the content surrounds the tragic events of September 11, it can easily be adapted to other subject areas. The writing workshop is the basis for instruction, where the students are encouraged to write anything special, meaningful, and important pertaining to a specific subject in their writer’s notebook. All of the  discussions, mini-lessons, writing, conferencing, and sharing are done in the classroom. Depending on their needs and the stage of the writing process they are in, students gather for either whole class or small-group mini-lessons. Then the students reread their work and review it with a partner to revise and edit cooperatively. Individual conferences with the teacher follow for further support prior to publishing. From here, the students are divided into small groups to work in the multi-media lab to input their writing, scan their illustrations, and record their voices. They also take photos of each other with a digital camera. The work is then put together into a PowerPoint presentation. The writing pieces are also collected to make two big books. All this is done within a four-week span. 

THE STUDENTS
Twenty-six second grade students participated in this program, which can be adapted for students in grades two through eight and can be used with both large and small groups. Students with limited English proficiency build listening, speaking, reading, writing, and computer skills while also developing their self-confidence. 

THE STAFF 
Suzy Poon currently teaches second grade at P.S. 124M Yung Wing Elementary School. She has taught there for seventeen years and has been a Reading Recovery Teacher for seven of those years. She works with many limited -English-proficiency children and has done workshops on reading and TERC math for teachers and parents. Wai Yee Chan assisted on this program. She has been a middle-school computer teacher for two years and also offers technology guidance to teachers while assisting them in their class projects. Martin Yu also assisted the class for this program. He is an American Read tutor from New York University who works in the multi-media lab. 

WHAT  YOU NEED
Necessary materials include computers with Microsoft Office, word-processing, Photoshop, and PowerPoint software; a microphone; a color scanner; and a digital camera. 

OVERALL VALUE
A World of Hope and Peace provides students with an opportunity to discuss their hopes and fears about the world in general and their lives in specific. They express themselves orally and in writing, while developing their technology skills and exploring the various ways technology can be incorporated into the learning process. The PowerPoint presentation allows them to see themselves in a different light and promotes their self-esteem. Integrating learning with technology prepares them for the future. They come away from the experience with added skills and a newfound confidence.