Before web conferencing through Zoom and Google Meets were commonplace there were few alternatives for online meetings. Yet there were a few enterprising educators from different parts of the country who were willing to experiment with new technology to bring their students together to play "Mystery Skype". Essentially, they connected their classrooms through web conferencing to play a game of Twenty Questions, asking each other simple "yes" or "no" questions to find out the state where the other school is located. Although today's technology has made online meetings with students from anywhere in the world much easier, it's still a little tricky to coordinate cameras, screens, and mute buttons of in-person and remote students to make it possible for everyone to see and hear each other. Last week, four classes of 4th-grade students at Lafayette Avenue School put their geography knowledge and map skills to the test in "Mystery Meets" with Mr. Whites's 5th-grade students, with each trying to find out where the other was.
answered questions with the other class. They leafed through their textbooks, marking helpful maps with post-its, learning in the process how borders, mountains, and rivers were helpful landmarks to frame questions that would help them find where the other students were.
Some questions that at first sounded promising were found to be confusing. "Are you in the south?" could rule out the whole northern tier of states, but what about Maryland, or Oklahoma? As much as students in New Jersey might think of Maryland in the south, others might think of Georgia and Florida as the real south and answer "No", which could be confusing. Students in Oklahoma, (which is on the same latitude as South Carolina) might not think of themselves as living in the south - but rather the midwest. Suddenly those lessons on longitude and latitude from September made sense - "Are you north of 35 degrees north latitude?", "Are you west of 100 degrees West longitude?".
Some students thought a lexicographic approach might be more effective, "Does your state's name have two words?", "Does your state's name end with an "a"?
When the day of the game finally arrived, everyone made sure they were not wearing any Chatham gear, off came the Giants and Jets sweatshirts and hats. Some of the more crafty students wore "University of Virginia" sweatshirts as subterfuge.
Once everyone in the classrooms and at home was in the same Google Meet, students from each class welcomed the others to their school and wished each other luck before a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would go first. This is where the preparation and organization kicked in. Some students concentrated on finalizing the questions to give them to the question askers who went up to the camera one at a time. Recorders kept a record of responses on poster paper for all to see, while everyone crossed off states on their own maps. Questions from the other class were sometimes answered by the entire class, sometimes by specific students tasked to make sure the Lafayette answers were correct.
Ms. Killea, Ms. Marshall, Ms. Mazzacano, and Ms. Shulman's students each found out through about eight questions that Mr. White's 5th-grade students were in ........ New Hampshire! Mr. White's students took just about as long to find out we were in New Jersey. In some classes, there was extra time to ask each other questions about what it was like to live in that state. Lafayette students learned about snowmobiling and pond hockey, while Mr. White's students learned something only New Jersey students would know, the difference between the beach and "the Shore". Everyone learned that video games are popular no matter where they lived.
More classes will play in Mystery Meets over the coming months, using what they've learned about reading maps and learning more about how students in different states are both the same and different in many ways.